Head coach John Tortorella met with the media following Tuesday's practice in New York, and as I posted on the blog yesterday, had a mouthful to say about New Jersey Devils head coach Pete Deboer and the situation that was created at the beginning of the rivalry match-up on Monday. Also, Tortorella made some other comments about the work that still needs to be done moving forward, the additional rest he will not be giving his players, as well as tonight's contest with the Detroit Red Wings.
Check all of that out in the video below, courtesy of Blueshirts United:
Again, I think Tortorella is absolutely right about the staged fighting. He makes a good point when saying that the whole gimmick is an embarrassment to the players, especially Brandon Prust and Stu Bickel since they have other significant roles on the team. Maybe the Devils' goons in Cam Janssen and Eric Boulton serve no other purpose to their club, but that's not the case with the Rangers.
Also interesting that Tortorella mentioned he does not plan to give any of his players rest down the stretch now that the Rangers have officially clinched a playoff spot. I don't know about you, but Dan Girardi looks like he could use a day off here and there - they guy has been worked extremely hard.
Lastly, it's a testament to how well the Rangers have performed this season that they really do not care about clinching a playoff spot. In recent years, their top goal was just to make it to the playoffs. Now it's to make a deep run. From an organizational standpoint, that's how you know you're making progress from year to year.
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