John Tortorella blames Dubois without mercy for benching him for 2 full periods!

Dubois ended up playing just 3:55 in the entire game!

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Published 3 years ago
John Tortorella blames Dubois without mercy for benching him for 2 full periods!
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Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella isn’t going to beat around the bush. When asked postgame why he benched his forward Pierre-Luc Dubois for two full periods in his team’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Torts wasn’t going to mince his words, saying it’s up to the players to earn their minutes by playing “the proper way.”

“I really don’t make decisions as far as minutes. It’s up to the player to show me,” Tortorella said, per Fox Sports Columbus. “If there’s one thing I’m pretty easy to read on is the minutes. You’re going to get out there if you play the proper way. …The onus is on the player. And it’s on all players - not just the player we’re talking about here that sat. It’s all the players. I’m not a hard guy to read as far as that’s concerned.”

Dubois remained on the bench for the entire game after he appeared to give up on a puck battle in the offensive zone in the first period.


We all know how the young centerman demanded a trade from the Blue Jackets after signing a two-year, $10 million contract in the opening days of training camp, but Tortorella said his request had nothing to do with why he benched him on Thursday night. 

“I’ve coached Luc like this for a couple years, as far as trying to get him to get some growth in his game and growth as a pro,” Tortorella said. “Nothing changes here. … I think you’re asking the wrong guy. I’m just a coach trying to make it work with a hockey club, trying to find a way to win games. The person that you keep talking to me about, you should ask him.”

The thing is that reporters could not ask the 22-year-old forward about it because he declined postgame interviews through a club spokesman.

This is not the first time Tortorella has however left Dubois intentionally on the bench. On Monday, Dubois logged a previous season-low 15:22 of ice, though Torts denied benching Dubois for prolonged stretches.

“You guys are really dissecting this benching and sitting,” Tortorella said on Monday. “I guess I benched Max [Domi] the other night, you said. Slow down, boys. You’ll know when I bench someone. I have to make decisions when the game is being played, when I think someone is going at certain times. But don’t try to manifest something as far as the benching. That’s all part of a three-period hockey game.”