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This holiday season, the New York Rangers find themselves in a heated Metropolitan Division race. The surprising Columbus Blue Jackets are surging, while the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins are back at it again. Led by former Ranger coaches John Tortorella and Mike Sullivan, the Rangers’ rivals are wreaking havoc in the division.
On May 29, 2013, the New York Rangers fired John Tortorella and Mike Sullivan. The firings kick-started a string of success for the Rangers organization, as in the following season new Head Coach Alain Vigneault led the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final. Meanwhile, in Vancouver, Tortorella and Sullivan lasted one season before being fired yet again.
It appeared as if Tortorella and Sullivan’s careers were swirling down the drain after leaving New York. In a cruel twist of fate for the Rangers, however, both coaches found their respective homes in the Metropolitan Division.
John Tortorella was the first of the outcasts to join the division. Tortorella was hired by the bumbling Blue Jackets on October 21, 2015. Tortorella did not impress in his first season at the helm, leading Columbus to a 34-33-8 record. In the World Cup of Hockey following the season, Tortorella’s United States team struggled mightily and did not make the elimination round. Tortorella appeared toast, while his former Assistant was on top of the world.
Mike Sullivan was hired as the Pittsburgh Penguins coach on December 12, 2015. Following Sullivan’s hiring, the Penguins launched on an impressive regular season journey, culminating in a playoff berth. Sullivan’s Penguins were tasked with facing Vigneault’s Rangers in the first round.
Sullivan found his first cup of revenge in the matchup, leading his Penguins to a 4-1 series win over the Rangers. Later, Sullivan went on to win the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh, reshaping his image as a top NHL coach.
Tuesday night Sullivan’s Penguins defeated the Rangers 7-2, merely weeks after a 6-1 shellacking of New York. The Penguins have looked like a different organization with Sullivan at the helm, playing faster, smarter hockey. Thus far the Rangers have not been able to keep up with their old coach.
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As for Tortorella, the story does not end with his disastrous USA tenure. Tortorella’s Blue Jackets have stormed back following a lost 2015-16 campaign. Columbus trails the Rangers in the standings by fewer than three points despite playing in four fewer games.
Despite being known for his obsession with defensive hockey, John Tortorella has emphasized offensive ability this season. Tortorella has played Sam Gagner in a power-play specialist role, something he never did with the Rangers. Additionally, Tortorella has allowed his young players to have leeway for some mistakes, another area in which he struggled with the Rangers.
Thus, Tortorella has rejuvenated a franchise on the fall, and his own career as well. What is fantastic news for the former Rangers coach is a nightmare for New York, as they find themselves battling their two former coaches for position in the standings.
The Rangers may have paid John Tortorella and Mike Sullivan to go away back in 2013, but the pair are here to stay in the Metropolitan Division today.
