If you know me, I’m a staunch supporter of John Tortorella. In his coaching stint on Broadway, the former Lightning Stanley Cup winning coach did a respectable job. Under his guidance, the Rangers became a harder team to play against. The biggest accomplishment was winning the club’s first division title in over a decade. They clinched the East’s top seed in ’11-12 and advanced to the Conference Finals. The franchise’s first trip since 1997.

Despite that success, Glen Sather saw fit to overturn the roster. The rest is history. The team underperformed in the shortened season. They still made the second round but ultimately were ousted by the Bruins. A more complete roster that fell in six games to Chicago for Lord Stanley. Following the Rangers’ elimination, Tortorella was outted. Key players felt his message had grown tired. Once that happens, an organization has no choice. Even though I vehemently disagreed with his dismissal feeling it was unfair, perhaps it was for the best.

Tortorella is easily the most passionate NHL coach. Sometimes, he lets his emotions get the better of him. There was the ridiculous squirt incident with a Cap fan behind the glass that resulted in a one-game suspension during the ’09 playoffs. The Rangers never recovered blowing a 3-1 series lead falling in the first round. That was on the coach, who also benched Sean Avery. His love/hate relationship with Avery was one that eventually forced Avery into retirement. I always felt he got a raw deal. Even if he ran his mouth, not once was Avery ever suspended for anything substantial. The way he was treated by the entire league was a travesty.

While Tortorella was a no nonsense coach who developed a Rangers core that features Ryan Callahan, Mike Del Zotto, Dan Girardi, Carl Hagelin, Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan McDonagh and Marc Staal, his relationship with the media was a circus. The sideshow featured plenty of back and forth battles between frequent target Larry Brooks. Or as he called him “Brooksie.” At times, I have no love either for the controversial New York Post Rangers beat writer. He can be ornery and go overboard. It’s no wonder fans and media were entertained by Tort’s battles with Brooks. Talk about egocentric.

One thing I always admired about Tortorella is he didn’t sugarcoat anything. Too often today, you get clichés which come off tired. Even if you dislike our former coach, he gets it. It’s about winning. But at what cost? There was the infamous line brawl with the Devils at MSG which came in direct response to Tort going with a similar starting lineup in New Jersey. There he was chirping Pete DeBoer as the predictable melee ensued. Maybe DeBoer had a point. Given what happened over the weekend in Vancouver against Calgary, it’s time to take a closer look at him. Tortorella’s new team the Canucks have been involved in some real penalty fests. Following another line brawl in which he lined up defenseman Kevin Bieksa to take the opening faceoff, he was yapping at Flames bench boss Bob Hartley. Only it didn’t stop there.

Under no circumstance can you have an opposing coach attempting to get at another coach in a locker room. This chaotic scene was ironically broken up by noted Flames enforcer Brian McGrattan, who shoved an out of control Tortorella away. This isn’t Slap Shot. Nor is it the right way to go about it. Today, he has a hearing with the NHL and should be suspended. When he took the job with the Canucks, he hinted about being calmer. So much for that.

For better or worse, Tortorella became the Rangers when he was hear. Front and center. It worked to a point because it took the focus off his players. However, one wonders how long it will take for his new team to tune him out. His style isn’t conducive over the long haul. When you see how his former team has responded following a disappointing first half under new coach Alain Vigneault, it’s just about the team. The biggest difference is the power play which no longer is unwatchable. Not even your biggest Tort supporter can ignore that. I wonder about Tortorella. If maybe he should’ve taken a year off. Either way, he’s no longer the Rangers problem. It might be time for him to take a good look in the mirror. He’s not only embarrassed himself but the league.