With Tortorella’s dog ailing, Gretzky becomes All-Star coach
LOS ANGELES — When Columbus coach John Tortorella had to drop out of the NHL All-Star weekend to take care of his ailing dog, the league turned to the Great One to replace him.
Wayne Gretzky will coach the Metropolitan Division team in the All-Star Game on Sunday as a last-minute fill-in for Tortorella.
“When he told me you’re going to get (Alex) Ovechkin and Sidney (Crosby), well, that’s a pretty easy decision,” Gretzky said.
Tortorella dropped out late in the week, forcing the NHL to scramble for a replacement to coach one of the four divisional teams in the 3-on-3 tournament format. Montreal’s Michel Therrien, Minnesota’s Bruce Boudreau and San Jose’s Peter DeBoer are the other three coaches.