[News] TSN: Tortorella fired - now official.

[puckluck2]

What's the point of signing for 5 years if the buyout is only going to be about 15% of the contract? It has to be $1.6 per year, no?

[flames_fan_down_under]

I understand the move however I disagree with this firing. Torts has had success with both teams he has coached prior to the Canucks. Obviously he won the Cup with Tampa and since 2002-2003 his teams have only missed the playoffs three times. I think he needed a team that would actually buy into his philosophy, and with the Canucks its the inmates running the asylum not the Coaches or management. Listening the the Sedins post season presser clearly this Canucks team still believes they are close to being a contending team again which is sad. After watching the extremely high quality of the teams in the western conference playoffs, it has never been more evident how far away the Canucks are from being competitive again.

H. Sedin, D. Sedin, Alex Burrows, Ryan Kesler, Kevin Bieksa, (the supposed core of this team) have all been on fairly sharp downward trajectories in terms of production over the last 3-4 seasons. Farhan Lalji seems to think the firing of Tortorella was due to the lack of production from their best players. This is not Tortorellas fault. This team would have missed the playoffs with Al Arbour and Scotty Bowman behind the bench. This was a team that was feasting on a pathetic NW division for many years, and now that they reside in a competitive division cold harsh reality has finally intruded in Canuck-land. They are small, slow, old, without a proven goaltender, have no GM, now they have no coach, Horvat aside they have a pretty barren pool of prospects (though in Vancouver some will try to convince you that Shinkaruk, Jensen, and Corrado are going to be productive NHLers, which seems more like wishful thinking to me).

It's so remarkable how similar their demise is to the Calgary Flames demise, however if you had told me four years ago when the Canucks were one win away from the Stanley Cup that in four years the Flames would be in a healthier state than the Nucks I would have laughed. Now there is a legitimate argument that the Flames are in better shape than our rivals to the West!

[Barnet Flame]

This is sad news.

Torts and Vancouver are the best fit in professional sports history.

[The Goon]

I'm also saddened by this news. For me, sports is entertainment, and there's few more entertaining in hockey than Tortorella.

[dissentowner]

Doug Risebrough for GM and Greg Gilbert for coach please.

[saXon]

Awesome article. Also calls the Canuck fanbase fickle. Sums up the season in a nutshell, the downward spiral, and gives credit to Hartley for his troll job. Humerous and good read.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-pu...041532804.html

[Chingas]

I'd be very surprised if Torts didn't find another coaching gig. It might not be this upcoming season but will happen soon enough.

Also any rumor of Ward going to Van makes me feel sick. Selfishly I want him to continue to develop our young guys, I feel like he is doing a great job.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by puckluck2

What's the point of signing for 5 years if the buyout is only going to be about 15% of the contract? It has to be $1.6 per year, no?

I read somewhere that the buyout was much cheaper if Tortorella got fired after one year or less. Basically, his contract came with a one-year money-back guarantee, minus a restocking fee. If the Canucks kept him into next season and then fired him, his warranty period would be over and they would have to pay him most of his remaining salary.

[handgroen]

Anyone else notice that this is the dance from
'if youlike it then you should have put a ring on it'
uh oh oohhh...

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Damien Cox ‏@DamoSpin
Dallas Eakins chose to jump at the EDM opportunity rather than take a shot at VAN. Looks like he picked the right management group.


Yeah.......he picked a real winner there. Cox must be just looking to stir things up, neither organization is looking too good right now.

[Galakanokis]

Did not see this coming!

[Gary83]

Hartley should offer him a job as assistant.

[Incogneto]

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

can't believe Farhan outscooped TVA

they had ever Canuck breaking news story the last 2 years

....Just going out on a limb here, but doesn't this read as Gillis being the leak to TVA, then?

Opposite of a 'tight ship'.

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Wasn't this all but confirmed already when Conroy let slip that the Canucks were looking at Ward?

If true, not good.

[Lanny'sDaMan]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

Damien Cox ‏@DamoSpin
Dallas Eakins chose to jump at the EDM opportunity rather than take a shot at VAN. Looks like he picked the right management group.


Yeah.......he picked a real winner there. Cox must be just looking to stir things up, neither organization is looking too good right now.

That guy is a professional troll. It's all he does. He makes Francis look like a real journalist.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Bang on.

David Pagnotta ‏@TheFourthPeriod
Reading responses from Canucks fans over Torts firing is mildly entertaining... Got news for you, the team needs a lot of work.

[kyuss275]

The press conference should be interesting. Rumours were that it was ownership that insisted Torts was the man for the job. If true will they admit that they made mistake and should stay out of hockey affairs ?

[Gaskal]

Now they're talking about McLellan. Would be funny if it led to them choking out of the 1st round in epic fashion like the Sharks last night.

[troutman]

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by puckluck2

What's the point of signing for 5 years if the buyout is only going to be about 15% of the contract? It has to be $1.6 per year, no?

I pretty much read this as the equivalent of a two-way deal for a player. There apparently was not a ton of interest in Tortorella last year, so I think it could definitely be argued that the Canucks signed him to a contract excessive in both term and salary. But, as noted, if his buyout is only $1.6 million, that's a pretty good escape clause for the Canucks.

As it is, Tortorella made $3.6 million for one terrible year with the Canucks. I'd say it is near impossible to spin the buyout into a win for the Canucks based on this.