Am I surprised that soon to be Lightning Owner Oren Koules would jettison Head Coach John Tortorella.  No, I'm not.  Do I agree with it.  No I don't, especially with Barry Melrose as his succesor.

  Can someone please tell what the heck Barry Melrose has ever done of any consequence as Head Coach in the NHL.  He's done nothing, and worst yet, off the top my head, he hasn't been behind the bench for over 10 years.

   Yeh, Melrose is a higher profile coach.  Only because of his ESPN gig.  Good luck, Barry.   We'll keep an open mind, but you have some fairly good sized shoes to fill here. Remember, under Torts, this team did win a Stanley Cup.  You haven't, even with Gretzky.

   As for Torts, personally I hope to get a chance to wish him well.  I can't tell you how refreshing it was to talk to him on and off camera.  He told it like he saw it.  I have tremedous respect for him and his family.  They have done quite a bit for this community, especially for kids. 

    I've been in this business too long to measure an athlete or coach solely on what they do in their profession.  Through the years, I've met great athletes and coaches who could care less about the community they play for.  I've meet great athletes who were well entrenched in their community.  And I've meant athletes and coaches who were average that spent a great deal of time and effort becoming the fabric of our community. 

    I tend to remember the ones that went above and beyond, stepping outside the lines of their profession to give back.  Torts is one, for sure.  I'm sure Torts will reload with another team.  I would love it if he got the Florida or Atlanta job. 

    Tom Korun