Great Blunt Remarks By NHL Coaches

Peter Horachek

“The whole give-a-s--- meter has to be higher,”—after his slumping, lethargic Maple Leafs lost 5–4 to the Rangers on Feb. 10, 2015.

John Tortorella

“I focus on the dumbness of [Carl] Hagelin … He played a hell of a game but that’s all washed off from dumbness.”—after his favorite whipping boy (62) drew a too-many-men penalty in a 2–1 win over the Flyers on Jan. 29, 2013. Also on Hagelin: “He stinks. I don't know why. I wish I could put him on the power play, but every time I put him on, he stinks.”—May 18, 2013

John Tortorella

“We sucked from head to toe and we need to move by it.”— after his Rangers lost 2-0 to the Oilers on Oct. 22, 2011. Also: “We sucked, and we sucked at a time that you can’t suck.”—after a 3-1 loss to the Sabres on March 12, 2013

Harry Neale

“I know my players don’t like my practices, but that’s OK because I don’t like their games.”—on his Canucks after a loss during the 1981–82 season. Also: “Last season we couldn’t win at home and we were losing on the road. My failure was that I couldn’t think of any place else to play.” Also: “Our system of forechecking is to shoot the puck and leave it there.”

Don Cherry

“Once, during a practice, Bobby Schmautz tested [goalie Hardy] Astrom with four shots from the blue line. Each one of them went right along the ice and beat Astrom. I doubt that my wife, Rose, would have missed more than two of them!”—on Colorado Rockies starter Hardy Astrom in 1979-80

Terry Crisp

“The only difference between this and Custer’s last stand was that Custer didn’t have to look at the tape afterward.”—after his Lightning’s particularly ugly 10-0 blowout loss to the Penguins on Nov. 1, 1995. Also: “If our goalies were in a divorce case they could sue for lack of support and be millionaires tomorrow.”

Ron Wilson

“We're not going to win the Stanley Cup this year. There’s a news flash for you.”—on his Maple Leafs after an exhibition game in September 2008

John Brophy

“It’s a disgrace, I’m sick and f-----’ tired of makin’ excuses for all these f-----’ guys that’s gettin’ paid on this f-----’ hockey club, blamin’ it on someone else all the f-----’ time. Who are these f-----’ people who drag that f-----’ uniform through the f-----’ mud? For Christ’s sake, there have been great players play in the thing, and then [they] act like this here. Who are they? It’s embarrassing. It’s f-----’ embarrassing.”—part of Brophy’s rant—which included 72 f-bombs—about his Maple Leafs in 1988.

Mike Milbury

“The kid’s playing like he’s sniffing glue.”—on Islanders defenseman Eric Brewer (inset) in 1998.

Ted Nolan

“That was like an NHL team playing against a pee wee team. They dominated us from start to finish. They did all the right things and everything that we could do wrong, we did wrong.”—after his Sabres were outshot 44–12 in a 5–1 loss to the Ducks on Oct. 13, 2014.

Mike Keenan

“They're standing around and looking at each other, saying, 'We've got a hell of a lot of talent so we don't have to work.’ ”—about his Blues, April 1995