Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella rips ex-player Jack Johnson in expletive-filled tirade
Defenseman Jack Johnson said Sunday that he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins in part because he wanted to "be a part of a winning culture."
And his former coach was none too pleased about that sentiment.
In an interview with The Athletic, Columbus Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella used a series of expletives while discussing Johnson's "winning culture" comments, likening them to a "backhand slap" to his former team.
"He doesn’t have enough balls to call me back, because I’ve tried to get in touch with him," Tortorella told The Athletic. "You don’t (expletive) on an organization that’s done nothing but try to help you. We all know Jack has had some problems along the way here. It’s very well-chronicled. All we’ve done is try to (expletive) help him."
Johnson told The Athletic that he did not mean to slight Columbus and that his comments were simply referencing the fact that Pittsburgh has won two Stanley Cup titles in the past three years.
Tortorella also took issue with Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford, who made a vague offhand comment about why Johnson was a healthy scratch for the Blue Jackets in the playoffs. In his comments to The Athletic, Tortorella said Rutherford should "shut the (expletive) up."
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Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.