John Tortorella managed to listen to two questions and answer one of them before walking off.
His post-Game 5 press conference didn't even last a full minute before he pulled the plug on it following the Blue Jackets' 5-4 overtime loss, which eliminated his team from the playoffs.
“You know what guys?” Tortorella said in response to the second question he was asked. “I’m not going to get into the touchy-feely stuff, the moral victories and all that. You guys be safe.”
Torts post game media availability. #CBJ | @pedialyte pic.twitter.com/xXzn8cNNuQ
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) August 19, 2020
The NHL evidently didn't appreciate his brevity.
On Tuesday, the league announced it fined Tortorella $25,000 for "his conduct during a media availability" after the fifth game of Columbus' first-round series with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella fined $25,000. https://t.co/sDrqjdvOHw pic.twitter.com/MS9sMfjWhM
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) August 25, 2020
The money will go to the NHL Foundation.
Tortorella has lost $162,000 due to fines from the NHL throughout his career as a head coach, per The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.
