The Loop

John Tortorella was extremely, disgustingly honest when asked why his star player was out

February 20, 2019

We haven't exactly been coy about our love for John Tortorella here at The Loop. Few NHL coaches provide the content he does on a regular basis, and we could never thank him enough for it. His blunt honesty is always refreshing, and often unintentionally hilarious. This once though, it'd have been a lot less gross had he not been so honest.

With the trade deadline looming, rumors have swirled around Columbus Blue Jackets star Artemi Panarin. Panarin, who is tied for 15th in the NHL in points, hits free agency this off-season, and he's as good as gone. But before that happens, plenty of teams still see him as an intriguing rental for the remainder of this year, so naturally there is plenty of speculation about where he'll end up within the next five days. That's why when it was announced he'd be held out of Tuesday night's game against the Montreal Canadiens, Tortorella fielded questions about whether or not he was getting dealt.

In the most Torts move ever, he quelled all the talk by saying exactly why Panarin was out with some good old TMI:

You wanted an answer, you got your answer. The guy sh*t himself. End of discussion.