‘Bulls–t’: John Tortorella explodes over ex-player’s ‘backhand slap’

Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella went ballistic after hearing the comments made by his recently departed defenseman, Jack Johnson, and Penguins GM Jim Rutherford at Johnson’s introductory news conference in Pittsburgh.

“I’ve been looking to be in a winning culture,” said Johnson, who inked a five-year, $16.25 million deal with the Penguins on Sunday. Johnson left Columbus, which has never won a playoff series, to join Pittsburgh, winners of two of the last three Stanley Cups.

Reached by The Athletic for reaction to Johnson’s comments, Tortorella, a notorious hothead, went on a profanity-laced tirade.

“All I know is this organization, from the lawyers, the front office, J.D. [John Davidson], the managers, the coaches, the players … has done nothing but try to help Jack. And for him to backhand slap us like this is utter bulls–t, and he should know better,” Tortorella said.

“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 bulls–t. And to have a general manager question our decision-making from three hours away, he must a be a f–king magician.”

The “magician” Tortorella is referencing is Rutherford, who responded to a question about Johnson’s playoff benching by hinting that he knew why Johnson was scratched during Columbus’ first-round loss to the Capitals.

“I don’t think he had a bad year. He was a healthy scratch at the end of last season,” Rutherford said. “I know the reason why. It wasn’t because of how he was playing.”

Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen told The Athletic he would be calling Rutherford for an explanation of the comment. He also said that Johnson’s benching was not performance-related.

“Jack didn’t play for us at the end, and obviously Jack’s a good player and that was a luxury for us,” Kekalainen said. “But he wasn’t in our top six at the end of the year and Jim Rutherford’s suggestion that he knows the reason, and it wasn’t his play … I’d like to see what he thinks the reason was…

“I can answer [Rutherford] by saying that I have no idea what he’s talking about. … If he thinks it was something else, he knows something me and Tortorella doesn’t.”

The 31-year-old Johnson, who had three goals and eight assists in 77 games last season, later told The Athletic that he never intended to insult his former team.

“I didn’t mean it in any way, shape or form as a backhand towards Columbus,” Johnson said. “Pittsburgh’s won two [Stanley] Cups in the last three years, and there’s a winning culture there. I didn’t mean it in any way to insult the Blue Jackets at all.”