Team USA Hockey Coach John Tortorella Threatens To Bench Any Player Who Sits During The National Anthem

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From Colin Kaepernick to Megan Rapinoe, protesting the American flag seems to be the hot new craze in sports. But that won’t be happening at the World Cup of Hockey. That’s because Team USA coach John Tortorella is going to bench any social justice warrior hockey player that even thinks about it.

From ESPN:

ESPN’s Linda Cohn reports: When I asked Team USA coach John Tortorella about Kaepernick protest he told me ‘If any of my players sit on the bench for the national anthem, they will sit there the rest of the game.’

This fucking guy.

Torts is a real “no-bullshit” type of coach, and it’s absolutely refreshing. We have him to thank for quite possibly the greatest start to a hockey game ever — a full line brawl off the faceoff. No surprise, but he also hails from Boston.

Something tells me Torts won’t have to put his plan in motion. Hockey players aren’t concerned with petty microaggressions. They eat, drink, sleep, breathe hockey. They’re more worried about achieving the always elusive Gordie Howe hat trick (goal, assist, fight in the same game) than they are about protesting.

I still haven’t figured out what everyone’s yelling about in regards to this Kaepernick situation. He lives in America, and he has every right to kneel during the national anthem if he wants to. He also has the right to focus more on being a social justice warrior than he does being a starting quarterback. Kaepernick will have plenty of time to kneel and sit on Sundays after the pride of Mizzou, Blaine Gabbert, won the starting job this offseason.

Have fun this NFL season, Kap. I’ll be watching hockey, a real man’s sport.

Image via YouTube

  1. Edgar_Allen_Bro24

    Strong move, though it’s worth noting he’s a coach for a sport that has no black players, so it won’t do much.

    9 years ago at 12:22 pm
    1. GeorgeH31

      Well if you think about it a lot are foreign players who still stand during the anthem.

      9 years ago at 12:57 pm
      1. Theregalrattle

        Yeah unless you don’t count one of our best defensemen, Dustin Byfuglien

        9 years ago at 1:12 pm
      2. GeorgeH31

        Wayne simmonds, Trevor Daley Joel ward the Subbans just to name a few black players

        9 years ago at 1:46 pm
      3. Theregalrattle

        He said on the USA team. A lot of people on here don’t know how to hockey. Figured I’d give em the learn to skate version

        9 years ago at 10:27 am
    2. Edgar_Allen_Bro24

      Next up, team USA lacrosse does the same.

      Now if Coach K said it, THAT would be bold.

      9 years ago at 2:06 pm
      1. SimplySouthern94

        Greg Popovich coaches the USA basketball team now, and he donated to Hillary this election cycle. Good luck seeing him pull off that one

        9 years ago at 3:24 pm
  2. ImHereForTheGangbang

    Serious question – For people who want “anthem sitters” to be punished by their teams, what is their position on Jehova’s Witnesses? JW’s consider national anthems to be a form of nationalist prayer which is blasphemous, and therefore they refuse to participate in the anthem or flag ceremonies on religious grounds. A lot of the same people criticising those who don’t stand for the anthem are big supporters of those “religious freedom” bills that protect people who refuse to participate in workplace activities that violate their religious beliefs.

    9 years ago at 12:42 pm
    1. LSD

      I didn’t feel like reading all of that, but this is America so stand for the flag or gtfo.

      9 years ago at 12:49 pm
    2. Bluto_Brotarsky

      Well for starters, the JWs don’t advocate for a racialist quasi-terrorist organization.

      Ball’s in your court, buddy.

      9 years ago at 12:51 pm
      1. ImHereForTheGangbang

        So your objection is not with the act itself but with the motivation behind it?

        9 years ago at 2:43 pm
  3. FrattyWap

    don’t know a damn thing about this man or his sport, but God bless this patriot

    9 years ago at 12:59 pm
  4. kyping9311

    He shouldn’t have to worry about it. Hockey players usually have more class

    9 years ago at 1:02 pm
  5. Reasonable_man

    Torts is a man of conviction – doesn’t give a fuck what anyone thinks. I’ve always been a fan.

    Fuck anyone that doesn’t stand for the flag. SJWs with their micro aggressions and safe spaces and LBGTYUPTDQR2D2 pride and white privilege protests are ruining America. Anyone, like Torts, that stands up and says fuck you to the PC-Police-state is A-Okay in my book.

    9 years ago at 11:18 pm