Dominick Tortorella, John's son, is living out his dream in the U.S. Army
When John Tortorella's Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2004, John and his son, Dominick (Nick for short), took the Cup all over town when Nick was a sophomore in high school.
One of the stops they went to was the MacDill Air Force Base. The two Tortorella's spent a good deal of time at MacDill, especially since the 2005-06 season was locked out, giving them ample of time with the Cup.
A bond was formed between the Nick and the military from that point forward, and Nick decided he wanted to serve his country.
John and his wife, Christine, wanted Nick to attend college before he enlisted. And after Nick received an associates degree from the John Jay School of Criminal Justice, Nick enlisted in the Army.
"Nick wanted to make a difference," John said. "He wanted to help and he wanted to serve. That's what he was determined to do. He had other options. Nick said to me once: 'You know, there are some people that have no options and they have to serve, but I have options and I want to serve with them.' And that's how it started."
Nick is a member of the U.S. Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, one of the most skilled special operations strike forces in the world.
As a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment, Nick is sent to some of the most dangerous areas of the world. Deployments can send Nick away for a significant amount of time.
Nick likely won't be home for Thanksgiving. There's a good chance he will miss Christmas with his family. But regardless of how many holidays Nick misses, he has two parents that could not be more happy to call him a son.
“As parents, we couldn’t be prouder – not just of Nick, but of all the men and women who do this,” John said. “Are we nervous? Sure we are. It’s a natural feeling. We pray, we hope, and that’s all we can do. We can’t control anything."
Earlier this year, John was informed that he will represent his country's hockey team at the World Cup of Hockey in 2016. That's a tremendously special honor, but John would be the first to tell you that there is another Tortorella in the family that is truly representing his country in the most respectable way possible. His son Nick, and the rest of the 75th Ranger Regiment, are the ones that are protecting this country.
"They allow us our freedoms in such a crazy time in our world," John said. "We're blessed to have people that are willing to do that. We're proud of the group that is doing these things to keep us safe. It's a whole different being.
“We worry about him, so we hope and we pray, that’s what we can do. And we will.”
(h/t Columbus Blue Jackets)
"We worry, but we're so proud." Nick Tortorella is following his passion to serve [STORY]: https://t.co/vaYTML36R0 pic.twitter.com/FfuKt9Hunl
— NHL Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) November 11, 2015
