Tortorella brings baggage as Canucks’ new coach

VANCOUVER — John Tortorella will be the big centre-ring attraction Tuesday, but those side shows will also command attention.

The Vancouver Canucks will finally introduce the 17th head coach in franchise history to the media, who are either content, confounded, curious or critical of appointing a bench boss who carries some significant baggage into this third NHL gig as an in-your-face facilitator of fundamentals.

And because part of the extensive interview process to name a successor to Alain Vigneault was to see if Tortorella can temper his approach behind the bench and in front of microphones, who joins him as an associate will be just as critical.

Tortorella has a close relationship with his former New York assistant Mike Sullivan, who won’t return to the Rangers after four seasons, and the pairing of hockey minds dates back to Tampa Bay in the 200708 season. But they’re also cut from the same coaching cloth. If Vigneault is considering former Canucks coach Newell Brown as an assistant on Broadway, Tortorella may want the same continuity and have Sullivan in his corner, unless the Canucks want a softer sell. Craig Ramsay filled that white-hat role with Tortorella in Tampa Bay to critical acclaim.

Getting the Canucks back to a place of post-season prominence after winning just one series game the last two springs is the mandate. Two wins in the last 14 post-season games and just 20 goals in that run of futility soured ownership.

John Stevens, Lindy Ruff and Arniel were finalists here but Tortorella got the nod to change the message, change the comfort factor and piqué the city’s curiosity. After all, there were empty seats at Rogers Arena this season, even in the postseason.

“It’s going to be interesting,” an NHL source said of Tortorella. “Everything is black and white and you know where you stand.”

You would think that Chris Higgins. who played for Tortorella in New York, is one players who stands on solid ground. He did struggle with six goals in those 55 games before being dealt to the Flames, but his style should suit the demanding Tortorella.