After a winless 0-7-0 start to the season, the Blue Jackets knew the time had already come to make a change, and that's come in the form of firing coach Todd Richards and bringing on veteran hellraiser John Tortorella.
The Blue Jackets fired Richards just hours after the team's 4-0 loss to the Islanders. They made the news official just before 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday with a release from general manager Jarmo Keklalinen that read, in part, according to ESPN: "None of us saw our season unfolding the way it has and every one of us from management to coaches to players bears responsibility. There is still a lot of hockey to be played and we believe this change was necessary to give our team the best chance to accomplish the goals we've set for this season."
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Tortorella will make his debut behind the bench during Thursday's game against the Wild in the Xcel Energy Center as the team tries to avoid breaking its own record of its worst season start.
The Blue Jackets will send a third-round draft pick to Vancouver as compensation, as per the NHL's collective bargaining agreement.
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Over the course of his coaching career, Tortorella has a 446-375-115 record while taking the helm of the Canucks, Rangers, and Lighthing, where he won the 2004 Stanley Cup.
Tortorella most recently spent a season with the Canucks during the 2014-15 season where he led the team to a meager 34-31-11 record and was suspended for 15 games after storming into the Flames' locker room to accuse the coach Bob Hartley of inciting an on-ice fight in the first few minutes of the game.
Though Columbus has had a terrible start to the season, given Tortorella's aggressive style and nose for relentless defense, he could be just what the team needs to turn things around.
TSN's Darren Dreger broke the news Wednesday morning with a simple tweet:
Todd Richards out in CBJ. Torts in.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) October 21, 2015
And given Tortorella's notoriety for pushing players, others on Twitter quickly jumped into the fun, making jokes about Tortorella's fiery coaching style.
@DarrenDreger Get ready CBJ pic.twitter.com/jFDVyisIio
— Rob Miller (@robmillertime) October 21, 2015
We now head to Nationwide Arena for a live feed of the Tortorella to CBJ press conference! pic.twitter.com/p3IZZusVoA
— Kyle Mørtøn (@PuckHeadKyle914) October 21, 2015
John Tortorella was hired as the new Jackets head coach.. Here's a classic to excite Columbus fans
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