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#CBJ GM Jarmo Kekalainen’s response to #Pens GM Jim Rutherford’s remarks that Jack Johnson’s benching for playoffs wasn’t performance-related... pic.twitter.com/dvZnUwkfLW
— Steve Gorten (@sgorten) July 1, 2018
The Athletic: Parting Shots | #CBJ, coach John Tortorella angered by comments from former Blue Jacket Jack Johnson and @penguins GM Jim Rutherford today https://t.co/ddmPTMpcOr pic.twitter.com/pptWFn2cNO
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) July 2, 2018
“All I know is, this organization, from the lawyers, the front office, J.D. (John Davidson), the managers, the coaches, players … has done nothing but try to help Jack,” Tortorella told The Athletic. “And for him to backhand slap us like this is utter bull---t, and he should know better.
“No one wishes anything bad to happen to him and his family. We wish him the best. But for him to put it the way he put it today is bullshit. And to have a general manager question our decision-making from three hours away, he must be a f---ing magician.”
“That’s what pisses me off,” he said. “He doesn’t have enough balls to call me back, because I’ve tried to get in touch with him. You don’t s--t on an organization that’s done nothing but try to help you. We all know Jack has had some problems along the way here; it’s very well-chronicled. All we’ve done is try to f---ing help him.
“The thing that pisses me off the most is a general manager in this league questioning and talking about our decision-making,” Tortorella said. “Shut the f--- up!
“But that can’t get in my way as far as making the right decisions for this hockey club, and that’s all we do, so Rutherford should shut the f--- up.”