Tortorella blames own stupidity for chirping Ovechkin mid-game
John Tortorella broke one of his own rules.
The Columbus Blue Jackets bench boss detests when coaches interact with the opposition, but that was just the situation he found himself in Monday after Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin fell victim to a butt-end.
Ovechkin was knocked to the ice and left bloodied by Blue Jackets forward Matt Calvert after he was hit with the end of Calvert's stick. But that wasn't the angle Tortorella saw from the bench, as he accused Ovechkin of diving.
Torts and Ovi embracing debate. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/00upfkYYTE
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) February 27, 2018
Tortorella corrected himself in the postgame press conference.
"That's my fault. I thought (Ovechkin) dove and I signaled to him, and he took exception," Tortorella told reporters following Monday's 5-1 win. "I have no business making any gesture or saying anything to a player. That's not on him. That's just stupidity on my part."
Ovechkin on his chat with Tortorella: "Oh, it was nothing. We just talk about how's everything, what's going on? You know, he's a nice guy."
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) February 27, 2018
On-ice interactions should be left between the players, as Tortorella first stated during the 2004 playoffs, when he called out then-Philadelphia Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock.
"When it comes to a coach to an opposing player, it's disrespectful and it's wrong. It's gutless," Tortorella said at the time. "That's got to stop. Park your ego, shove it in your pocket. It's about the two teams ... I'm not in the battle. He isn't in the battle. Shut your yap."