Tortorella: Martin St. Louis was 'a pain in the ass to coach'
Classic Torts. #MSL26 pic.twitter.com/6g6ilqJQix
— #MSL26 (@TBLightning) January 13, 2017
John Tortorella has mellowed in recent years, but he can still channel his old self when the moment is right.
Such was the case Friday night, when the Columbus Blue Jackets head coach and former Tampa Bay Lightning bench boss opened his remarks ahead of Martin St. Louis' jersey retirement ceremony with a classic one-liner.
"I need to make something perfectly clear, and I want his kids to know this too," Tortorella said. "Marty was a pain in the ass to coach."
The quotable coach wasn't done there.
Tortorella: "He had a chip on his shoulder and all the way to his ankles."
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) January 13, 2017
Both men were critical cogs in the Lightning's Stanley Cup championship squad in 2004, and Tortorella coached St. Louis for seven of the forward's 13 seasons in Tampa Bay.
"He is a man who has been told 'no' so many times in his career," Tortorella added Friday night. "I just have so much respect for him in how he did it."
St. Louis' No. 26 will be the first number to ever be retired by the Lightning.