He's taken over three rebuilds, TB, CBJ and Philly. That will hurt your career stats.
Go listen to his pressers, they're posted on the website and on "X".
He's so calm and measured, you'd think he's popping Valium before he goes out there.
He's coaching this team exactly the way you want in a rebuild, being patient with young players but holding everyone accountable. Mistakes of commission are treated far more gently than mistakes of omission (failure to backcheck, being brain dead, etc.).
I think most of his "reputation" is a media creating, he doesn't suffer fools greatly, and local media is full of fools.
His former players pretty much say the same thing, "he's tough but fair" and many credit him for their careers, especially Martin St. Louis, who wanted him for his HOF induction:
"But there’s one coach who had a huge impact on my career and that’s John Tortorella. Torts, you gave me the platform and the confidence to become the player I knew I could be. I went much further because of how demanding you were, physically and mentally. Thank you, Torts."
The only players who publicly blasted him were a scrub and Dubinsky, who Torts demoted to the third line, and two years later he was out of hockey.
