
John Tortorella delivers emotional tribute to Post ‘icon’ Larry Brooks: ‘He was a colleague’
NY Post
Former Rangers head coach John Tortorella described Larry Brooks as an “icon” and called his passing a “big loss” as he paid tribute to the longtime Post hockey writer and Hockey Hall of Famer.
Brooks died Thursday morning at the age of 75 after a brief battle with cancer.
Tortorella and Brooks were most closely associated for their passionate exchanges during the former’s five seasons as Rangers head coach. But Tortorella’s memories of the columnist go right to the respect he’s always had for Brooks.
“He’s an icon,” Tortorella said on Thursday evening during ESPN’s “The Point.”
“We had our disagreements along the way, but the thing I always respected about Larry is no matter what the day brought — we had a lot of disagreements, but we’d disagree and we’d go at it, but he’d be there the next day. Ready to ask another question, he’d be there face-to-face.
“I had so much respect for how hard he worked at his job. We’re both trying to do our business. I need to protect my hockey team sometimes, he has information — and he has information, that’s one thing, he worked at it, to get information.”

Suddenly, someone had hit a rewind button and everyone had been transported back seven months. It was early spring instead of late fall, it was broiling hot outside the arena walls and not freezing cold. Everyone was back at TD Garden. There were 19,156 frenzied fans on their feet begging for blood, poised for the kill.












