John Tortorella's return stirs memories of him coaching the Columbus Blue Jackets

Anyone who has played, coached or dealt with John Tortorella on a regular basis is used to answering the same question about the fiery former Blue Jackets coach.

What was that like?

“Uh, entertaining? I’d probably start there,” said Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski, who will face his former coach Thursday at Nationwide Arena for the first time since Tortorella took over the Philadelphia Flyers’ bench last summer. “That’s probably the most common question you get asked is, ‘How was it playing for Torts?’ And I feel like a lot of people are surprised when I give my answer, because they only see what the media gives out there in the quotes and video clips … the funny (stuff) he does or times he goes crazy. But behind closed doors, he’s a really good person.”

Most former players and assistants of Tortorella’s give similar answers.

While the winningest coach in Blue Jackets history does have a legendary presence on YouTube for his meltdowns during press conferences and passionate clashes with players or refs, there’s a lot more to the guy than “entertaining” sound bites. He is direct, occasionally witty, charming when he wants to be, snarly for specific reasons and sometimes he can be all of those things in a five-minute span.

It’s why dealing with him is often called the “Torts experience,” and why the mere mention of the nickname “Torts,” piques such curiosity for those who’ve never gone through it.

“He’s an awesome guy,” Werenski said. “I learned a lot from him. He pushed me to areas I didn’t know I could get to as a player, and I think what he’s doing in Philly is kind of what he did here. He’s making his team work. He makes you work, but he’s an entertaining guy. There’s never a dull moment with him as your head coach.”

Here are some of those moments from Tortorella’s six-year stay as Blue Jackets coach, which began in 2015-16 with him taking over a winless team and overseeing the franchise’s longest run of success in its 22-year existence:

John Tortorella’s ‘Duby-ous’ start with Columbus Blue Jackets

Columbus was going through a terrible start in 2015-16, winless in its first seven games (0-7-0), when it was revealed that coach Todd Richards was out. His replacement, Tortorella, met with players and coaches the same day at Nationwide Arena.

Nick Foligno remembers the day vividly for a couple reasons. One was the feeling of dread after hearing teammate Brandon Dubinski talk about his time playing for Tortorella with the New York Rangers.

“We had ‘Duby,’ right?” said Foligno, now with the Boston Bruins. “They obviously had a lot of respect for each other, but Duby was a younger player with the Rangers and was looking forward to getting away from him, so you kind of heard from Duby, like, ‘Oh, this guy’s really hard to play for. Get ready. We’re in for it, boys.’ ”

It didn’t take long for Foligno and other Blue Jackets to understand Tortorella better.

“When you finally see the man behind it all, you learn that, ‘OK, here’s his standard,’ ” Foligno said. “If you fall below it, he’s going to let you know. If you achieve it, he’s going to ask you to do more. So, all he’s really asking you to do is to be a better version of yourself every single day. I don’t know why you wouldn’t want that in this game. If you’re not trying to do that already, then you’re in it for the wrong reasons.”

Foligno’s other memory of day he met “Torts” can be shared now only because the two are still close.

“I’ll say this now, because he’ll laugh,” Foligno said. “I couldn’t believe how small he was. You hear how big and scary he is, like, ‘Here’s Torts, he’s such a (demanding taskmaster),’ and when he walked in that room, I was like, ‘This is Torts? He’s so little!' ... He’s definitely got a big bark, though.”

John Tortorella leaves lasting impressions

Brad Shaw returned to Tortorella’s bench as an assistant for the Flyers this season after spending last year with the Vancouver Canucks. Shaw had just spent five years coaching in Columbus as part of Tortorella’s staff, so that was the name that popped up most when he got to Vancouver.

It was an eye-opening experience for Shaw, who had known Tortorella only coached the Canucks one season.

“The first time his name came up in front of the Sedin twins (Daniel and Henrik), both of them smiled and said, ‘Oh, we love Torts!’ ” Shaw said. “Same with the equipment guys there, ‘Oh, we love Torts!’ I go to the front desk of the building, the security guy for the arena says, ‘Oh ... I really miss Torts.’ Torts was only there a short time. How he treats people is second to none.”

Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins credits Tortorella for 'painful' lesson

Time was winding down in the third period of a 3-3 game in Winnipeg when Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins, a highly-touted rookie at the time, made a decision he severely regretted.

Rather than swatting a puck to the safety of the boards, Merzlikins tried clearing it straight up the middle of the ice. It was gloved down by Winnipeg Jets forward Andrew Copp, who scored three seconds later for a 4-3 victory that probably should have gone to overtime.

Tortorella was incensed. He was red-faced in the hallway outside the Jackets' locker room and refused to answer questions about Merzlikins in his postgame press huddle. He also threatened to end the interview if he even heard the name “Elvis” or “Merzlikins” in a question.

Merzlikins had it much worse inside the locker room, enduring Tortorella’s obscenity-laced tirade, but there was a valuable lesson within with that eruption.

“The first time he screamed at me, I’m going to be honest, I was shaking and I wanted to quit with hockey,” Merzlikins said. “It was bad. I’m never going to forget that. That was in Winnipeg. But that helped me. That helped me to mature and realize that I had to respect this league.

"These are the most skilled players in the world, so I couldn’t mess around with that. I had to respect and start learning the league. That was the bell-ringing I needed, when he made me realize I had to do that.”

Merzlikins enjoys playing for Brad Larsen, but he said Tortorella’s mutual parting from the Blue Jackets in 2021 was tough to swallow.

“He’s Torts, right?” Merzlikins said. “He’s particular, but he’s the guy who gave me the first step to mature. I came over here as, like, a kid, and Torts was the guy who (taught) me, like, ‘Elvis, enough. It’s time to grow up.’ He’s the best mentor that I’ve ever had. I remember when he left or whatever, it was sad. It was a sad day. I got, even, emotional, you know? He’s really a good guy and great guy.”

John Tortorella helped Blue Jackets become better professionals

Foligno can’t help but laugh when recalling how Tortorella would eat dinner early and return straight to the team hotel for bed. Usually, he’d return just as the players gathered in the lobby to go out.

“He’d go to dinner at like 5 o’clock,” Foligno said. “So, we would die laughing and he’d be like, ‘You guys ... you’d better not be out too late.’ We’d be like, ‘Torts, it’s 6:30! What are you talkin’ about?’ It was crazy.”

Tortorella also surprised his players on occasion by pulling out his wallet and a credit card.

“One of his biggest things for us was always, ‘Go ahead and have your fun. You deserve it, but be a professional,’ ” Foligno said. “When it comes time to work, you’re coming to work. That’s what you respect as a player. There were nights when he’d just put his credit card down and say, ‘You guys going out? Tell you what, we won this game, it’s on me. Go have a few beers, boys.’ And I think that just brings you together and makes you realize that he’s in it with you.”

Werenski 'quote' conjures memories of Tortorella-Hartley incident

Tortorella is big on motivational tactics, including “quote nights,” in which he asks players to add inspirational or meaningful quotes to a whiteboard before games. It led to a comical exchange between Tortorella and Werenski before a game in 2017, during the defenseman’s rookie season.

“I wrote my quote and, not even thinking, I just put ‘Bob Hartley,’ ” Werenski said. “He was the one who said the quote, so I was like, ‘Oh, that’s a great quote. I’m going to put that on the wall,’ and I wrote ‘Bob Hartley.’ ”

Tortorella and Hartley, former coach of the Calgary Flames, aren’t fans of each other. After coaching against each other in the American Hockey League and NHL, they engaged in a heated exchange in 2014 after Hartley decided to start his fourth line against the Canucks’ skilled Sedin twins for a game in Vancouver.

Tortorella changed his starters, also putting his fourth-liners out, and a brawl ensued off the opening faceoff. Tortorella and Hartley confronted each other on the benches and the former had to be restrained during an intermission after attempting to enter the Flames’ locker room.

Three years later, Werenski didn’t make the connection. Foligno, who by that point had become the Blue Jackets’ captain, couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the Hartley quote on the board.

“It’s right before the game and I’m in the gym, rolling out,” Werenski said. “Foligno comes in and he’s laughing. He’s, like, crying. He’s like, ‘Z, you are (in trouble).’ I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ I’m kind of laughing and he goes, ‘Torts is looking for you.’ So, I’m like, ‘Why is he looking for me?’ And where the window is … he’s not a big guy, right? I just see this forehead. It’s Torts.”

Tortorella was not amused.

“I’m lying on the ground and he’s cruising in, and he’s like, ‘Z, who told you to write ‘Bob Hartley?’ ” Werenski said, laughing. “He’s like, ‘You’re lucky I don’t scratch you right now! If we didn’t play in an hour, you’re done!’ I turned red. I started sweating. Foligno and (Scott) Hartnell were watching and they’re laughing. And then he just storms out. I was like, ‘What just happened?’ ”

It didn’t take long to find out.

“He comes back a minute later laughing,” Werenski said. “He’s like, ‘I’m just kidding … but if you ever write ‘Bob Hartley’ again, you’re done!’ Foligno was like, ‘Hartley’s the guy he almost fought in Vancouver,’ And I was like, ‘Oh, I’m such an idiot.’ ”

Tortorella eased concern, created lasting memories with Blue Jackets

Kenny McCudden was hired by Richards as the team’s skills coach prior to the 2015-16 season.

McCudden remembers the sadness he felt saying goodbye to Richards so soon, plus the shock of meeting Tortorella a few hours later.

“It was very painful to say goodbye to a guy that brought me in, and every time I see Todd Richards I thank him for what he did to bring me to this league,” McCudden said. “That happens at 7:30 in the morning, so I’m taking guys out on the ice at 9:30 and here comes Torts walking down the hallway. He looks at me and, with a big smile, says, ‘I’ve heard a lot about you,’ and that was it.”

It was the start of a friendship that McCudden reminded Tortorella about the morning of the head coach's final game running the Blue Jackets’ bench to conclude the 2020-21 season, an overtime win against the Detroit Red Wings.

“My six years with him were so memorable for me,” McCudden said. “On his last game as a coach here, I said to him while on the (stationary) bicycle in the morning, ‘Torts, I’ve got stories to last me until I’m 85 or 90, when I’m in an old Wisconsin bar. I’ll say, ‘You know what? I coached with John Tortorella.’ And Torts’ answer was, ‘Kenny, don’t give ’em too much information!’ ”

bhedger@dispatch.com

@BrianHedger

Get more Columbus Blue Jackets coverage on the Cannon Fodder podcast

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets discuss John Tortorella memories