Rangers Analysis: A look at the Tortorella Brooks battle

I try to avoid reading Brooks if at all possible. I definitely will not follow him on Twitter. He’s way too full of himself and seems to think that whatever he thinks needs to be taken into consideration by team management.
Dear Larry – you’re a REPORTER. Get over yourself.

I would’ve loved to have seen what Bill Parcells in his prime would have done to “Brooksie”. Would have made Torts look like an angel……

Having said that – Torts made a mistake. Again. Wasn’t the first time – won’t be the last – that’s his personality. But in the 2000’s, the “Age of P.C. Speak” – the right approach is this:
Listen to the question.
Nod politely while smiling as big a smile as you can muster.
Look around the room.
Say “Next question?? Any other questions??”

You’ve made your point – in a subtle but unmistakable manner.

Airing this in private between these 2 guys? Never going to happen. Egos are way too big (on both sides) to make any sort of progress. It is what it is, and it’s unlikely to change.

While i dont agree with the coach doing it in public part of me thinks this is what it takes to knock people like Brooks off their high horse and maybe actually do some research before he makes up some of his “prospals” he passes off as rumors in his articles.

I also agree that it was good for Torts who himself has had his problems and noted publicly loud altercations with Redden, mainly when he scratched redden to stick up for him when Redden did do the right thing by his teammates. I also think this is part of torts taking attention away from the fact his team played a piss poor game and lets all the attention be on him sort of like how Rex Ryan parades around like a clown so no one messes with his quarterback. It can create that us against the world mentality if the media is supposedly all out to get you no matter what you do and while i think most of the time it is relatively juvenile in how they play it out, mostly because it was against Brooks i agree with Torts.

I love Tortorella

The rangers have issues. That is apparent. But I don’t think that this is one of them. When you boil this situation down its good for the Rangers; and might wind up being good for Larry Brooks.
 Tortorella didn’t attack Brooks in a way that discredited him; he attacked the content of his writing. To have a professional coach criticize you in such one on one basis is what a lot of writers hope for. Tortorella can’t beat the press, all of his cursing and antics just entice them. Brooks is going to see an explosion in his popularity for the time being. Good or bad, people are going to be reading his work because he is the guy that gets under Torts’ skin.
On the side of Tortorella, I don’t think he did anything wrong. He stood up for one of his players; which hopefully will motivate a team that needs a good swift kick in the rear from time to time. Aside from the team implications, there is also a question of viewership; hockey needs more people to watch and this type of conflict is what is missing from the game most of the time. Yes, it would be nice to see it come from the players, but Coach Vs Reporter works. The sentiment that watching sports should be entertaining often gets lost. This was entertaining, maybe a bit of a guilty pleasure, but entertaining.
The only person you should feel bad for is Brian Leech who was left in the award position of having to explain the spat.

I could not agree with Torts more. While Redden is truely a waste in every sense, he is still a member of the team. Good for Torts for sticking up for his players, The only thing better then him running down Brooks on live TV is if he just gave the guy a stiff right uppercut to the jaw.

the best part was hearing everyone laugh at Torts, and Larry’s hangdog expression

This is just about a coach standing up for his players.

But notice how close the reporters (including Broks) are standing to the Coach. I wonder if the same reaction would have occurred if reporters were physically separated from the Coach.

Much ado about nothing anyway.

Its obvious that this has been an ongoing battle between Torts and Brooks for years. Brooks knows how to get under his skin and waits for a reaction. I think Torts showed more heart sticking up for Redden then the players did last night by not defending Gaborik. At least he is a coach that shows more passion and heart than the own Captain does during these post game conferences.

I think both of them are at fault, but I just wrote an article on my site containing reactions from Ranger writers Steve Zipay and Andrew Gross. READ HERE

with what Torts said… In a way it was more to show his faith in Redden than it was a personal fling between him and brooks… Brooks is an ass we all know it… There was no reason to talk about Redden the way he did… Good for Torts, and this should even show Redden who earlier was in some altercations with Torts that Torts recognizes his effort, and will stick up for him if it’s necessary…

Good points by earthworm and Tophubufu (and others too!) – I suspect this may have been another in the “team building” that Torts is trying to accomplish – by showing players – even those he’s had issues with – that he will stand up for them.

Now if they’ll only grow some cojones and stand up for Hank.
Seriously – there are times where you sacrifice a battle to win a war. Somebody is going to have to take the instigator penalty and wipe-out the next opponent that runs Hank. Put Brashear in and let him do it.

Torts made him look stupid,but made himself look bad in the process.Like someone said hopefully this turns into a good thing somehow.Our softness needs to be addressed,brashear is exactly what we all thought,passed his prime and a waste of space and money.I don’t know who said it(a sportscaster) but Avery isn’t big enough to be our enforcer,yeah he can fight, but he’s our antagonizer.Voros tries but he’s not enough,or good enough. I was looking at the Laraque drama going on,but according to what I was reading,he was known not to get out there and drop em when he shoulda,which may not be true considering his coach etc,plus his injuries.
Hank gets run into nightly AND now the league knows its ok to bash Gabby’s face in….GRRRRREAT.
Theres absolutley no excuse for giradi standing there watching,regardless of 3rd man in penalty minutes,who dropped em first,anything,no excuse,giradi gets softer and softer as time goes by,he probably doesn’t want to go out on the town in the big nyc with black eyes,its BS.

I look forward to seeing what damage he sustained, he took some direct heavy shots,and that uppercut!!,he’s gotta have some kinda black eye or something.

look i love torts and i think it is pure bs to hear some talk that the rangers should fire him brooks should write articles about the devils because he is supposed to be a non bias writer but he comes across as anti ranger. this team has to start being a team and sticking up for one another if that game was a 1976 ranger flyer game and lets say a dave shultz pummeled jean ratelle fotiu would destroy shultz and holmgren and barber and the whole stinkin city of philly torts wanted brashear and now he is not dressing him i just see a pattern like when he was coaching tampa sooner or later he is going to self destruct either with one of his players or the media and it is going to cost him his job and even if the rangers dont make a major trade at the deadline he can coach them right to the playoffs because he has something the flyers dont have a man called henrik lundqvist ..

but i have to start here. Insane that anyone think gaborik was the aggressor. Also that game alone proves that Girardi is a box and he needs to be put in some sort of deal by the deadline. I think even as payback Avery wouldnt just drop his gloves and hit Briere for no fkin reason. BTW i would love to see him kick the shyt out of Carter just because hes at least picking on someone his own size unlike classy carcillo. Last thing, anyone notice all of the philly fans all hype because Carcillo rocked Gabby’s jaw? whats there to be proud of ? I say put Brashear in the next game and watch the three headliners Hartnell vs Voros, Avery vs three random non fighters aka payback, Brashear vs Carcillo! im stoked for the next game.

Brooks needs a quote, Torts is expected to provide one. A good relationship between the two ensures this is a productive exchange.

While I’ve never been a fan of Brooks’ columns – states the obvious, finds himself too clever – I’m not sure Torts would last a day coaching a Canadian-based team if he finds Brooks challenging.

Torts is expected – and arguably required as part of the job description – to provide top cover for his team in today’s age of soundbytes. ‘You play…to win…the gaaaaame!,’ said Herm to an obnoxious question in days of yore. If players get fined for not attending postgame press conferences, so too should coaches who dodge questions.

Brooks, however, needs to remember his job is to report on a game, provide some analysis, acquire value add through the access he has in direct quotes. A basic tenet of any journalism school is to not insert yourself into the story. FAIL.

http://twitter.com/MGaborik10

Brooks earned that one.

of Brooks being a sarcastic little bitch. He needs to do his job and report the facts and stop using stupid little jabs at players in his articles. He needs a kick in the ass. Torts did the right thing…Just like Redden did the other night. Nice job defending your players Tortsy. I loved your style prior to last night and I love it even more now. Lets Go Rangers. Mark your calendars guys……March 14th. The Philly rematch where Carcillo gets taken out for more than the 5 minute fighting major…..Im talkin weeks……