(Photo Credit: USA Today)

NHL coach John Tortorella lands in hot water after rant

John Tortorella, the Columbus Blue Jackets’ head coach, went off on the referees after Sunday night’s game, saying they refused to “do their freaking job.”

“Toronto doesn’t step in, refs don’t do their freaking job and now we lose a game, and we lose our goalie,” Tortorella said after the referees refused to restore more than one second to the clock. “So the chain of events, if it was done right, we don’t lose our goalie, we win the hockey game.”

Tortorella then stormed out of the conference without taking questions.

On Monday, the NHL condemned Tortorella’s behavior as “unprofessional and unacceptable.”

“What John said in his press conference was unprofessional as well as unacceptable,” the NHL said in a statement, which also explained why time was not restored to the clock. “We are dealing with it.”

Tortorella was angry after the Blue Jackets’ winning goal was dismissed because time had run out, allowing the Blackhawks to steal a victory.

“An apparent goal by the Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski at the horn ending the overtime period seemed to seal a victory against the Blackhawks. Instead, it was waved off after a video replay showed the puck crossed the goal line after time expired. Tortorella reasoned that the goal would have counted if the extra 1.1 second had been restored,” USA Today reported.