Tortorella likes direction Canucks are going

John Tortorella didn’t quite say I told you so, but it was close.

In case you were wondering, Tortorella has noticed that the Vancouver Canucks are suddenly a much younger team and that a couple of members of their core — the one he called stale — are no longer there.

“I said it to you guys when I left, I think that is what needed to happen there,” Tortorella said Monday. “They are in good hands. When you are going that route you need to stay patient because there are going to be some bumps.

“I am not going to lie to you. I have a lot of good friends in that organization. So sure, I keep an eye on it. I think they are going about it the right way.”

In fact, a couple of his old Vancouver friends dropped by to see him Monday at Nationwide Arena. Henrik and Daniel Sedin, on a team day off, walked over to the rink and spent some time chatting with Tortorella, the new coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“I had a chance to talk with Danny and Henrik in the building here today, which was just fantastic for me,” said Tortorella, who of course was criticized for over- working the Sedins during his one season in Vancouver. “I have so much respect for them and how much I leaned on them there and just a relationship. When you are gone from this [game] that is what you have, our relationships, and that is a relationship that I treasure and that I am going to keep whether I am in the game or not.

“Right from the get-go with those guys, we connected. I think we have similar philosophies on how you win. I learned from them. I just have so much respect, not just as players, but as people. That is what impressed me so much. They are just good people. I wish I could have [visited] a little bit longer, but I had to come and see you [media] guys. We have stayed in touch and it was great to see them face to face.”

Tortorella doesn’t pay quite as much attention to the Canucks as he was earlier this season, when he was doing some TV work for the NHL Network.

These days he is focused on the Blue Jackets, who were 0-7-0 when he replaced the fired Todd Richards on Oct. 21. Under Tortorella, the Blue Jackets are 4-4-0.

He said the fact his next game is against the Canucks does not make it any more significant.

“You know what, no, and that is no disrespect to the Canucks or the area there,” he said. “My whole mindset is we need to win games and it doesn’t matter who comes in here. We have a long way to crawl back. … We are 0-5 at home and we have to fix this as far as playing in our building. So it just happens to be Vancouver and I know there are a lot of storylines, I’m sure, but not for me. I am just worried about this team here and trying to find a way to get a win.”

Columbus centre Ryan Johansen said Tortorella has made an immediate impact.

“You hear a lot of stories about him, but he has been great with us,” said Johansen, a Port Moody native. “He has brought the most out of a lot of players on our team and I think the guys have responded really well to him. He brought in a mindset and identity that he wants us to play and we have been having success. We are are just going to try and keep building and become the team we want to be.”