Blue Jackets' Tortorella suffers two broken ribs after practice collision
Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella suffered two broken ribs during a collision in practice Friday morning.
The 57-year-old coach did not travel with the team to Boston and appears unlikely to coach Columbus' game against the Bruins, the Blue Jackets announced.
Torts down #CBJ pic.twitter.com/8jPgAqtr2u
— Shawn Mitchell (@smitchcd) January 22, 2016
Tortorella was taken to Riverside Methodist Hospital following a collision with forward Rene Bourque during an outdoor practice in Winter Park, the Columbus Dispatch reported. The coach was said to have remained on the ice for several moments before skating off under his own power with an injured back.
Bourque was skating up the left wing with considerable speed when he collided with the fiery coach.
Bourque was rushing up left wing. Torts there, standing at half wall, head turned. They clipped, and Torts unable to brace much. #CBJ
— Shawn Mitchell (@smitchcd) January 22, 2016
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told the newspaper that Tortorella needed a medical checkup, leaving the coach's availability in question for Saturday's road game against the Boston Bruins.
The cellar-dwelling Blue Jackets (17-27-4) have been plagued with injury this season, most notably former Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky, who missed 17 games with a groin ailment.