John Tortorella Firing: Recap From Glen Sather's Conference Call
In the midst of John Tortorella being fired by the New York Rangers, Glen Sather held a press conference with the media earlier this afternoon.
With John Tortorella being fired by the New York Rangers, Glen Sather hosted a conference call to meet with the media. Here are some quotes that basically summed up his responses.
In regards to last season's success, was this a tough decision to make? How did Torts receive the news?
"Well, first of all, I'm very appreciative of what Torts has done here. We had an evaluation at the end of the year, as we always do. Our goal is the win the Stanley Cup. I felt like this was a decision that had to be made going forward, and we made the decision. John was a little bit shocked, but he's a gentlemen and he took it very well."
What is the target date for a new coach? How much will go into your choice?
"I'm sure there will be a lot of good candidates out there, and we have our organizational meetings every year in June. We're going to spend a lot of time going over the people, interviews, and which direction we're going to go. I'd like to have it all over with by the time the draft is here [June 30th]. I'm certain we're going to find the right person."
There was speculation that some player's exit interviews played a role in your decision. Was that the case?
"It wasn't just one thing, and I'm certainly not going to speculate or criticize Torts. After the analytical work we do every year, this was the decision that I made. Removing anyone from the coaching position of the New York Rangers is a difficult decision. I think I made the right decision so that we can move forward in another direction."
Does this firing of Tortorella include Mike Sullivan? How do you think the young guys will develop?
"We haven't made any further decisions. The staff is the way it is right now, and we're dealing with this situation today. We'll get into that when we get to our organizational meetings. I'm sure you've seen the way he [Kreider] played in Boston at the end of the year. I thought he played very well. Young players sometimes take a little bit longer to develop. I thought Chris played fine, and he's going to be an excellent player."
How much did Henrik Lundqvist's comments factor into the decision?
"It didn't have anything to do with it. We plan on signing Henrik to a long-term contract. I'm not going to make any public comments on when, or how they're going to take place. It had nothing to do with the decision. This was a decision that I made."
Was this season considered a disappointment to you?
"As far as I'm concerned, if you're not in the Stanley Cup Final, your season has been a disappointment. Our ultimate goal is the win a Stanley Cup. Any time you don't get there, I don't think that we've achieved our goal."
Thoughts?
