John Tortorella changes opinion on kneeling
Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella has a reputation around the National Hockey League for being brutally honest, whether the media likes it or not. He always spoke his mind and never hesitated in doing so. In 2016, he even threatened to bench any player who protested during the national anthem.
“If any of my players sit on the bench for the national anthem, they will sit there the rest of the game,” he told ESPN at the time, while coaching Team USA at the World Cup of Hockey.
That mindset has now changed according to the 61-year-old. In an interview with the Athletic on Wednesday, Tortorella expressed his change in attitude after protests against racial injustice continue to erupt around the world.
“I would hope that if one of my players wanted to protest during the anthem, he would bring it to me and we would talk about it, tell me his thoughts and what he wanted to do. From there, we would bring it to the team to discuss it, much like it’s being discussed in our country right now,” Tortorella said.
Players kneeling or sitting during the anthem have been criticized for disrespecting the flag, country or military, despite arguing otherwise. However, since the senseless murder of George Floyd happened in Minneapolis, the conversation has started to shift with more players and coaches warming to the idea. Tortorella did not shy away from acknowledging his own change of attitude.
“I have learned over the years, listening and watching, that men and women who choose to kneel during this time mean no disrespect toward the flag,” he said.
Tortorella has been a head coach in the league on and off since taking over the New York Rangers during the 1999-2000 season and won the Stanley Cup in 2004 with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The fact that a veteran who has been in the league as long as he has is willing to change his stance, signifies a real paradigm shift.
None of the major North American sports leagues have started playing games again since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, but both the NHL and NBA have plans in place to resume play this summer. It will be interesting to keep an eye on just how many players and coaches opt to take a knee during the anthem going forward.
Tortorella is far from the only player or coach in the league to speak out, with others echoing many of the same sentiments.
“If you look back from three years, five years or far back as you want to go, there haven’t been this many athletes — especially in the NHL — using their platform to raise awareness and say that enough was enough. I know that there wasn’t that three years ago. But going forward, that’s what we need,” said J.T. Brown of the Tampa Bay Lightning during a TSN roundtable last week, via ESPN.
The Blue Jackets are set to meet the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening round of the playoffs this summer, under the league’s new 24-team playoff format. No dates or times have been confirmed yet, but the two teams are set to lock horns in a best-of-5 opening round series with the winner earning a date against either the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Philadelphia Flyers or Washington Capitals.
