Tortorella feels NHL has no place at Olympics

John Tortorella is a man of few words. But, when he chooses to string a few together, it's usually worth paying attention.

Such was the case Tuesday when Torts was asked his opinion on the upcoming men's Olympic hockey tournament.

"I'm not for going to the Olympics, as far as pro athletes. We have a bunch of money stuffed in our back pockets," Tortorella said, according to Steve Gorten of the Columbus Dispatch.

"You might go over and play for a few days here ... but I don't think it's the true meaning of Olympics. A lot of people disagree with me but I've always felt that way."

Tortorella has previously been behind the bench internationally for Team USA, serving as an assistant for the 2008 World Championship and as head coach for the 2016 World Cup, but has never coached in the Olympics.

However, he is obviously not a fan of having current NHL players take part, a fact that he reiterated Tuesday.

"It should be all amateur athletes," said Tortorella, per Gorten.

The men's portion of the Olympic hockey tournament kicks off on Wednesday.

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