Advertisement

Blue Jackets' John Tortorella fined for fiery comments, fans start GoFundMe page

UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 23: John Tortorella, head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets handles bench duties against the New York Islanders at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on December 23, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. With the game, Tortorella tied Jacques Martin for 13th place in the NHL in games coached with 1294. The Blue Jackets defeated the Islanders 3-2. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

John Tortorella is kicking off the new year $20,000 poorer after he was fined by the NHL for comments he made post-game on Dec. 29, the league announced Wednesday.

Tortotella was incensed after his Columbus Blue Jackets lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in a game steeped with controversy. According to the 61-year-old head coach, the clock ran down an extra second or so in the final minute of overtime with the score tied at two. As a result, Zach Werenski’s shot that found the back of the net a fraction of a second after the extra frame’s final buzzer was negated.

As a result the game extended to a shootout, where Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo suffered a torn meniscus while trying to make a save on Jonathan Toews’ attempt. It was announced by the team on Tuesday that Korpisalo underwent surgery on Monday and will be out 4-6 weeks.

Before he even knew the extent of the injury, Tortorella went on a fiery rant during the post-game press conference.

The two-time Jack Adams Award winner has now been fined nine times and suspended three in his NHL coaching career, according to John Shannon.

In a show of support, fans have made a GoFundMe page to raise money for Tortorella’s Family Foundation and it’s rapidly gaining traction. As of Wednesday evening, it has raised nearly $1,000. Comments on the page have praised Tortorella for calling out the league and standing up for his team.

Hilariously, the name of the fundraiser is “The whistle was blown at 19.2” — Torts’ first line of his latest infamous rant.

More NHL coverage from Yahoo Sports