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John Tortorella abruptly ends another press conference

Torts gon’ Torts.

Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella — almost as notorious for his steamy post-game antics as he is for his success behind the bench — blessed us with another press-conference spectacle after Columbus’ Game 4 loss at home to Washington.

Torterella’s resume is littered with glorious post-game pressers, animosity, beautiful quotes and even physical confrontation. Here’s some of the best from The People’s Coach:

During the 2011-12 season, then Rangers bench boss Tortorella had a heated back-and-forth with former Devils head coach Pete DeBoer after the latter put out the tough-guy line of Ryan Carter, Eric Bolton and Cam Janssen to start a game, resulting in three fights off the opening draw.

Later that season after Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against those very same Devils, Torts has another episode but, this time, against a reporter’s cell phone.

Verbal battles with longtime New York Post reporter Larry Brooks, AKA ‘Brooksy,’ became a postgame staple during Tortorella’s time in Tampa Bay and New York, but two battles in particular stand out above the rest.

In 2007 after the Devils went down 3-0 in a first-round series to New Jersey, the first battle of Brooksy-Torts took place, and it was spectacular.

Less than three years later as a coach of the Rangers, Tortorella dropped the infamous “You were probably beat up at the bus stop most of the time,” line on his ol’ buddy Brooksy.

Earlier this season, after a five-goal loss to the lowly Oilers, Torts lasted a mere 10 second before walking out of the press conference.

And, how could we forget maybe his finest work to date — an attempted shellacking of former Calgary Flames bench boss Bob Hartley when Torts was coaching the Vancouver Canucks in 2014. It happened during INTERMISSION after Tortorella once again felt like he was forced to start his tough guys after Hartley started his on the opening draw.

There’s a whole bunch more to choose from, but you get the point.

Sure, the media has a job to do and often rely on quotes from the head coach, but no generic post-game quote from the podium will ever provide us with as much entertainment value as these press-conference walkouts.

Time to embrace the Torts in all its forms, but especially angry Torts. That’s the best Torts.

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