Tortorella Coach Injured

USA Today

Jackets' coach John Tortorella breaks ribs in practice crash - Columbus Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella left practice in an ambulance Friday afternoon after being low-bridged by one of his players during a fan-attended outdoor morning skate.

The fiery 57-year-old crumpled to the ice when Rene Bourque, a 6-foot-2, 217-pound winger, took the legs out from under his bench boss. Tortorella sustained two broken ribs.

The incident occurred during a 3-on-3 drill early in Friday's session at Winter Park in McFerson Commons, across the road from Nationwide Arena.

"I hit a rut. There's big rut in the ice, a hole, and I went down," Bourque told NHL.com. "I fell into him and took his feet out. I didn't even see (Tortorella). It happened so fast. I knew I hit something but I didn't have time to turn around.”

Tortorella walked off the ice after being attended to by team medical staff and was later taken by ambulance to Riverside Methodist Hospital.

Blue Jackets defenceman Seth Jones described the hit as “nasty.”

"He's stubborn, but he needs to go (to the hospital)," Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said shortly after the incident, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

"His health is the most important thing."

That can be said for most of the Jackets' injury-riddled roster.

After losing 508 man-games to injury last season, the Jackets are currently without goalies Sergei Bobrovsky and Curtis McElhinney, defenceman David Savard and forward David Clarkson. Nick Foligno and Matt Calvert were activated Friday.

Tortorella didn't travel with the Jackets to Boston later in the day and isn't expected to coach against the Bruins Saturday night.