johnIn a not so surprising move the New York Rangers have announced that they have fired head coach John Tortorella.

The NY Rangers President and GM Glen Sather announced today via the team’s official website that ‘head coach John Tortorella has been relieved of his coaching duties.’

Rumors had surfaced this past week that John Tortorella and Henrik Lundqvist’s relationship may actually been a catalyst in the decision, no word on if that is true or not as of yet. Tortorella was entering the final year of his contract, and he took a large amount of the blame for a second-round loss to Boston in the playoffs.

Under Tortorella’s guidance, the Rangers posted their second most wins all-time in a single season with 51, and tied for second in franchise history with 109 points in 2011-12. He became the 30th coach in NHL history to coach 800 games on March 27, 2012, at Minnesota (3-2 win), and won his 100th game as Rangers Head Coach with a 5-3 win on November 5, 2011, vs. Montreal.

[NY Rangers]