Dan Girardi on Tortorella's Impact

**Corey** (0:00)
It's June 12th. This is New York Rangers News Today, powered by AI Everything happening with your team. I'm Corey with the story. Dan Girardi, a defenseman who played a decade with the New York Rangers, recently spoke about his time under coach John Tortorella. Girardi credited Tortorella with boosting his confidence and teaching him how to be a professional, calling him a key figure in his career. Development. He also mentioned assistant coach Mike Sullivan, now the Rangers head coach, for his contributions. Girardi's game evolved significantly under Tortorella, transforming from a two-way player into the gritty, defense-first defenseman he became known as. While Tortorella's demanding style helped Girardi, it wasn't always smooth sailing.
Girardi shared a story about a power play practice where he was struggling, leading to a tense exchange with Tortorella that ended with Girardi, sheepishly admitting he wasn't shooting at the coach. He also recalled a tough game in Anaheim where Tortorella singled him out during a video review. Despite the coach's probing, Girardi remained composed, refusing to escalate the situation further, demonstrating his ability to handle criticism and maintain professionalism even under pressure.
Despite these intense moments, Girardi emphasized the overall positive relationship he had with Tortorella and the strong bond within the team. He believes they had a great group of guys who consistently made deep playoff runs, reaching the Stanley Cup final in 2014 and the conference final multiple times.
Now, Tortorella is back in the Stanley Cup final with the Vegas Golden Knights, and Girardi isn't surprised by his success. He noted that Tortorella's ability to get players to fully commit and buy into his system is what makes him a special coach, capable of inspiring fierce loyalty and effort.