From one New York Rangers head coach to another, Mike Sullivan and John Tortorella seem to have a strong relationship.
When Sullivan was building his staff for the 4 Nations Face-Off last season, he recruited Tortorella to the team, as he had a specific goal in mind when bringing him in.
“I said to him, ‘I would like you to take on a different role than you are as a head coach,’” Sullivan said. “‘I don’t want you to be the hammer. I’ll be the hammer. I want you to be the old wise man.’
“‘I want you to reveal yourself to the players and the other coaches. I want you to show the John Tortorella that I know, that my wife knows, that my kids know, that your kids know, that you don’t show the world very often.’
Tortorella, who’s used to being the so-called hammer, had one simple, yet sarcastic response to Sullivan’s request.
Mike Sullivan Will Be Tasked With Bringing Excitement Back To Madison Square Garden
For years, Mike Sullivan has been a division rival of the New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/">Rangers</a>, coaching the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“Tell ‘Sully’ to [bleep] off,” Tortorella said, as he would not consider himself to be old.
From 2009 to 2013, Sullivan served as an assistant coach under Tortorella for the Rangers; now, the roles are reversed with the U.S. Olympic team.
Sullivan and Tortorella helped lead Team USA to a silver medal at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and they are hoping to capture the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.