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Canadiens: 5 Associate Coach Candidates For Next Season

By Patrick Lortie

MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 10: Newly appointed interim head coach, Martin St. Louis of the Montreal Canadiens makes his way towards the bench in his first career NHL game as a coach prior to the game against the Washington Capitals at Centre Bell on February 10, 2022 in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 10: Newly appointed interim head coach, Martin St. Louis of the Montreal Canadiens makes his way towards the bench in his first career NHL game as a coach prior to the game against the Washington Capitals at Centre Bell on February 10, 2022 in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – JUNE 21: Head coach John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets poses after winning the Jack Adams Award as “the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success” during the 2017 NHL Awards and Expansion Draft at T-Mobile Arena on June 21, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – JUNE 21: Head coach John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets poses after winning the Jack Adams Award as “the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success” during the 2017 NHL Awards and Expansion Draft at T-Mobile Arena on June 21, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Ok stop laughing. Like I said, stranger things have happened and don’t dismiss the potential of seeing John Tortorella in Montreal too quickly.

Despite his legendary sound bites with the media (most notable with Larry Brooks in New York), Tortorella has an impressive NHL resume. He won the Stanley Cup with Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier in Tampa Bay in 2004 and he is a two time Jack Adams trophy winner (2003-04 with Tampa Bay and 2016-17 with the Columbus Blue Jackets).

Tortorella and St. Louis also had a working relationship in Columbus when St. Louis served as a Special Teams Consultant for the team in 2019, two years after turning Jeff Gorton down after he was offered the Head Coach position of the Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers.

The 63 year old has been linked to many available Head Coaching jobs after leaving the Blue Jackets at the conclusion of last season after 6 seasons behind the bench. Tortorella famously laughed at the idea of coaching the Canadiens claiming that he doesn’t speak French. However now that his old protege and friend Martin St. Louis is there, it would be very interesting to see him behind a Habs bench.

Antics aside, this is a very good coach who can only be a valuable asset to any team’s staff.

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