John Tortorella expresses his respect for his team
Head coach John Tortorella of the New York Rangers leaves the ice following a defeat against the Ottawa Senators in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. (April 14, 2012) Credit: Getty Images
There were no long, pregame pep talks in John Tortorella's plans Wednesday night. Or messages or prayers, for that matter.
"I know I used the word 'pray' " Tortorella said at morning's briefing during practice at Madison Square Garden, surprised that the remark received so much attention. "It was a joke. There are a lot more important things to pray about than a win or a goal. So can I clear that up, please? I have total confidence in our guys."
Asked if he needed to change his motivational tactics or leave players alone, Tortorella added: "This time of year, with Gabby [Marian Gaborik] or Brian Boyle, it's not sending messages, it's not going in there and giving your big speech. I have too much respect for the hockey club. They don't need that. This team wouldn't be where it's at if they didn't know how to handle these situations. This time of year, a coach needs to be with them, not at them."
Prust returns after ban
Not only was Brandon Dubinsky (ankle) back in the lineup, Brandon Prust returned after serving his one-game suspension for a high hit on Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov. John Mitchell, who had one assist and was a minus-2 in the previous 18 post-season games, was a healthy scratch. But the fourth-line center had been valuable on faceoffs, winning 11 of 17 against the Devils.
With rookie Stu Bickel back on defense after being deployed as a forward to replace Prust, Steve Eminger was a healthy scratch. Eminger played 14:24 in the 4-1 Game 4 loss in New Jersey, with two hits and two blocked shots, and had subbed for Bickel in the 3-0 Game 3 win. Bickel had dressed in all the other playoff games this season.
DeBoer gets earful
Devils coach Peter DeBoer has been getting an earful from the crowd behind the bench at the Garden. "No language you can say on the record," DeBoer said yesterday. "That's what playoff hockey is about, fans screaming at you, the passion in the building. You try to tune that stuff out. I can't give you a specific insult, but there's lots of them."
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