RateItAll: The Opinion Network

John has turned this team from cellar dwellars to stanley cup champs... i dont know what else to say about that but awesome..... as far as his attitude, his attitude is tough he is an all business coach who demands respect.. and nobody is free of that from our prodigy vinny lecavalier and our mvp marty st louis, to backstop khabibulin,,all have been sat for poor performance..and seeing him involved with the community here and and the fans just makes him that much better

Take a look at John Tortorella's coaching career from the Lancers to the Sabers to the Americs, Coyotes, Rangers and now Tampa Bay. His accomplishments speak for themselves. Yes, he was a rookie coach when he took the Tampa Bay job, but he was only the 4th American to win the Caulder Cup. He should win the Jack Adams Award this year, but he is an Amerilcan, as aman40 says, and limited in his ability. And, if you read the stats, in the entire time the Jack Adams Award has been around, there has been NO AMERICANS to win the Jack Adams Award, so the voters must agree with you; Americans are limited in their ability to coach. Runners up, yes, like last year when he came in 2nd to Canadian coach of the Minnesota Wild. Look at their recent accomplishments and see what you think. They were pretty even last year, but this year he has taken his team far beyond what the Wild's coach has. d I say Great because he has broken franchise records each year, taken his team 3 games from winning the President's Award, but in contention most of the season. If his team wins the Stanley Cup, they can't take it away because the team winning the best of seven wins it, whether your coach is American or Canadian. Both coaches are excellent, have surprised hockey fans and players with their accomplishments. John has done it all year long, setting records and beating great teams with great coaches.

Take a look at John Tortorella's coaching career from the Lancers to Nighthawks to Sabers, Rochester Americs, Coyotes, Rangers and now Tampa Bay. His accomplishments should speak for themselves. Yes, he was a rookie coach when he took the Tampa Bay job, but he was an assistant to the others and the 4th American to win the Caulder Cup. He should win the Jack Adam's Award this year, but he's an American, so he probably won't. There has never been an American coach to win this award. Runner ups, yes, like last year when he came in 2nd to the Wild Coach. Look at their recent accomplishments and see what you think. They were pretty even last year, but this year he has taken his team far beyond Wild's coach has. I say great because he has broken franchise records each year, taken his team 3 games from winning the President's Award. If his team wins this, they can't take it away because the team with the best record wins. But, they can pick another Canadian coach to win the hockey coach of the year award, and I'll bet they do!

he's not bad a bit too emotional but then again he's american, so he's limited in his ability.

Yes, the Lightning have alot of good players, but Torts deserves alot of the credit for getting his team to where they are now. His worry about this game only approach sets the tone for the Lightning, gets them focused and ready to compete full throttle every night. He should be applauded for finding a way for his team to win without using the trap or playing boring hockey. Face it, the Lightning are a young, fast, exciting team that can be good for years to come.

John has done a great job despite Lightning being one of the lowest paid teams in the NHL. Promises of spending more money on players "if they do well" have not been kept. Not "if" but "when" Lightning go to the playoffs, they should be recruiting some players like other contenders do, not sitting back waiting for their team to outperform because of great coaching and hard work. When players get injured, others have to work harder. The players and the coaches deserve better than they're getting. Let's help the coach do his job!

The Lightning are going to the playoffs for the first time in seven years, and are likely to win the southeast division. The team is loaded with very young players, yet they lead the NHL right now with FOUR 60 point scorers. This team plays 60 minutes of tough hockey every game and are currently on a 9 game unbeaten streak. Tortorella is coaching the Lightning in his 3rd season as head coach. Let's not forget that former Flyers head coach Craig Ramsey is an assistant coach for Tampa Bay; Tortorella was a rookie when he got the Lightning job, and has clearly taken the team under his own control, as witnessed by a former head coach (Ramsey) being regulated to his assistant. Plus, he looks just like Fonzie. This team is easily the most improved team in the NHL and Tortorella gets a huge pat on the back and an "atta boy!" from me.