Torts Named Top 10 Coach of the Decade

Sean Leahy at Puck Daddy gives us his Top 10 coaches of the last decade including John Tortorella...

7. John Tortorella - Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers
Barring a Carolina Hurricanes-esque losing streak, Torts will have started and ended the decade as coach of the Rangers. He'll also have seen his most success right smack in the middle of his coaching career when he was bench boss of the Lightning.

Tortorella was an experienced assistant coach in the American Hockey League and NHL before he was given the task of turning the Lightning into a bunch of winners. Tortorella changed the culture in the Tampa Bay locker room and his no-nonsense attitude worked as the Lightning improved in each of his four seasons behind the bench. The apex of Tortorella's time in Tampa was a victory in the 2004 Stanley Cup and the Jack Adams Trophy. The 2003-04 season was the only time the Lightning surpassed the 100-point total in the standings and was the second straight Southeast Division title for the franchise.

When Tortorella returned to New York in the final quarter of the 2008-09 season, the Rangers took 26 points out of a possible 42 and qualified for the playoffs which they were a win away from upsetting the Washington Capitals before collapsing and losing in seven games.

Like Wilson, Tortorella has a fondness for the media, especially New York Post columnist Larry Brooks and the two combined for one of the great coach/report spats of the decade (NSFW audio).

...Torts is lucky the decade ends next month because with the way things are going he might not have made this list if it was done at the end of this season.