John Tortorella was back at Madison Square Garden with yet another team Monday, this time as the Blue Jackets came to town.
And while the former Rangers head coach has Columbus playing better — they entered Monday’s game against the Blueshirts at 6-1-3 in their last 10 — they remained in last place in the Metropolitan Division.
So it was no surprise Tortorella made it clear he still misses his old job on Broadway.
“It isn’t a hate thing,” Tortorella said of his memories of the Rangers.
“As I said the last time I was here [with Vancouver], did I want to leave? Absolutely not,” Tortorella said before Columbus’ morning skate at the Garden. “I felt there was some unfinished business. I felt we were going the right way. I don’t make those decisions. I was told to leave and you go about it. It’s part of our job as coaches and as players. … [But] I loved every moment here.”
His tenure ended after four-plus seasons at the helm, when Tortorella was let go shortly after the Rangers were knocked out of the second round of the playoffs by the Bruins in 2013.
They had made the Eastern Conference Finals the previous season, but his abrasive personality wore thin with players, and he ended up with the Canucks — basically trading places with Alain Vigneault, who has had far more success of late.
Tortorella said he took some pride over the Rangers’ sustained success over the last few years, including the development of Ryan McDonagh.
“When we first got him, you knew that was there,” Tortorella said. “When he first came in, he didn’t say a word. He respected the hierarchy of the locker room, and he’s grown into the captain of the New York Rangers.”
And Tortorella seemed to expect more from the Rangers following Sunday’s trade for Carolina’s Eric Staal.
“They made one deal already, getting a pretty big guy for them,” Tortorella said of Staal, set to make his Rangers debut Monday night. “They’re looking to make a run at the playoffs and are probably playing some of their best hockey.’’
He’s got his own issues with the Blue Jackets, a team he took over in October after Todd Richards was fired after just seven games. But Tortorella is pleased to have gotten a fourth head coaching position.
“If I did not get another job [after Vancouver], there would not be a complaint come out of my mouth,” Tortorella said. “I am very fortunate that I get another opportunity with this team here. … We’re trying to get in a position where we’re hunting for the playoffs again.’’
That won’t be this season.
“I loved my time here, and I loved the progress we made with the club here — not me, but as an organization,’’ Tortorella said. “I thought we did some really good things here.”