Tortorella helped build winning culture in Columbus

Seth Jones remembers the moment where he truly found out what it meant to be on a team coached by John Tortorella.
Acquired in a trade midway through the 2015-16 season to be the linchpin of the CBJ defense, he logged big minutes down the stretch during Tortorella's first season. That is, until the last game of the year against Chicago, when a player who had been skating for nearly 30 minutes in a game some nights was relegated to just over 13 minutes, including none in the second period.
"I don't know if everyone remembers the story," Jones said recently. "Last game of the season against Chicago and I got benched for the whole second period. I think my whole first period was atrocious."

But that was Tortorella. If a star player wasn't holding up his end of the bargain with his play or his effort, the head coach wasn't afraid to make a point.
"I think he's helped me tremendously," Jones added. "He's always on top of me, treats me the same as anyone else in the dressing room, and that's what I appreciate about him the most. He's going to be open and honest and it's something that's really helped our organization and the culture change with this team."
The results were impressive on the ice, as Tortorella took a team that for years had been searching for an identity and created one with his passion, fire and force of will.
Sunday, the team and Tortorella announced
they would be mutually parting ways at the conclusion of this past season that saw Columbus finish in the Central Division cellar, but before that, there were four postseason appearances, the best four seasons in franchise history, postseason series wins in two campaigns and a Jack Adams award.
"He's definitely been one of if not the most important person in this organization," Cam Atkinson said.
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But all good things come to an end, and that's what Tortorella seemed to indicate as he addressed the media after Saturday night's win vs. Detroit. The head coach said he and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen had discussed his future throughout the year, and his conclusion was that it was time for some different.
"I don't think there is shelf life for a coach, but what I believe in, 'Is it the right fit?' " Tortorella said. "I think the fit of the coach and the players and personnel, I think that's the most important thing, and that's something that Jarmo and I have discussed very honestly, quite honestly. I get it. Am I the right fit? These are the things Jarmo and I have talked about."
Kekalainen said he wouldn't get into the discussions he had with Tortorella but did say he appreciated how the winningest U.S. born coach in NHL history evolved during his time in Columbus.
"I really enjoyed working with him," the general manager said Monday at his postseason media availability. "I think that Torts in his five years here, six years almost, showed qualities where he was able to change and evolve with the staff that we have, with the players we have, and just become a better coach every day. That's what you would expect from a real good coach. They don't get stale and just evolve and get better and find ways to get better every day."
Over the years, that led to the blossoming of a number of players, from Atkinson, who became a trusted player in every situation after years of finding his game at the NHL level; to Jones, who is perennially in the running for the Norris Trophy; to Oliver Bjorkstrand, who has worked his way from a third-round pick into one of the most consistent and underrated players in the league; to Zach Werenski, Jones' trusted partner whose defensive game rounded out to match his offensive exploits over the past few seasons.
Those players had a consistent message -- while it wasn't always easy (the honesty tended toward brutal at times), they appreciated how Tortorella pushed them to become better versions of themselves.
"I would just say he's got a competitive edge and he just wants to win at the end of the day just like all of us players," Jones said. "He may not do it in a fashion that you appreciate in the moment. Sometimes it may be overboard, but I think at the end of the day he's just doing it how he knows how to do it and how he sees best for the team. At the end of the day that's all that matters. I think the older you get, the more you appreciate that."
Now will be a time of transition as the Blue Jackets undergo the first coaching search since Tortorella -- the fourth-longest tenured coach in the league by the end of his tenure -- was hired in October 2015. But it's fair to say there will long be mutual admiration between the franchise and the coach who won his last game to become the 12th winningest coach in NHL history.
"The players in there, I grew up with them," Tortorella said. "I started at a very old age with this team, but I still grew with those guys. So it's been an honor to coach them. It's a special relationship when you grind through it and you go through the number of years that we did. I'll never forget that, and it's just been an honor to be with them."