I think it’s safe to say that coach John Tortorella isn’t afraid of speaking his mind. Equipped with a short fuse, Torts is ready to rumble in the jungle with words at a moment’s notice.
While he may be calmer in his approach of saying what’s on his mind, Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin has given his fair share of opinions over the course of his career.
Monday evening, the two collided verbally.
Columbus Blue Jackets’ forward Matt Calvert was given a match-penalty after butt-ending Ovechkin. The move dropped the Russian forward, and understandably so.
The topic of their argument: this scrum, for which Matt Calvert earned a match penalty. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/8zgXSr6iGI
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) February 27, 2018
The indecent occurred near the end of the opening frame. At the start of the second period, there were fireworks before the puck was even dropped.
Ovi skated over to the Columbus bench and started jawing at Tortorella. And, as you probably could have guessed, Torts gave verbal jabs right back.
Torts and Ovi embracing debate. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/00upfkYYTE
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) February 27, 2018
While we cannot prove that Tortorella told Calvert to get in the face of Ovechkin, it’s clear the sharpshooter believed Tortorella had some involvement in the incident.
Columbus would go on to drop Washington by a score of 5-1.
