fortable with his identity, and he knows what he brings to the Lakers. Hes a scorer, first and foremost, and he believes he wont

The Vancouver Canucks have named John Tortorella the 17th head coach in team history, replacing Alain Vigneault, who was fired following a first-round exit at the hands of the San Jose Sharks. The 55-year-old Boston native carries with him both a history of success and controversy over his time as a bench boss in the NHL. The question is; is he the right choice to coach the Canucks? Tortorella had his best season as an NHL head coach in 2003-04, when he led the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup. He also received the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year at the end of the campaign. He spent six seasons behind the bench for the Lightning, compiling a 239-222-36-38 record before being fired after missing the playoffs in 2008. After half a season away from the game, Tortorella was named head coach of the New York Rangers. He would spend five more seasons at the helm before once again finding himself out of a job. In 319 regular-season games with the Rangers, he went 171-115-29. He also reached the playoffs in four of his five seasons. His time as a head coach has not been without its controversies. In 2009, Tortorella was suspended one-game for squirting a fan with water and throwing a water bottle that struck a fan during the playoffs. He has also become known for colourful press conferences and run-ins with media members. The last seven seasons under Vigneault have been filled with near misses for the Canucks, as they have watched regular season success turn into playoff disappointment. The 2010-11 season was the closest the Canucks came to capturing the championship, as they were one game from the Stanley Cup before losing Games 6 and 7 to the Boston Bruins. General manager Mike Gillis said after the 2012-13 season that the team needed to head in a different direction if they were going to achieve at the level of their talent. "We lost consecutive games in the last two playoff years, and there comes a point in time where the message has to change and we have to be better," Gillis said at the year-end news conference. "And we simply didnt get the result we expected." Is Tortorella the right head coach to help the Vancouver Canucks get over the hump and finally win the Stanley Cup? Its Your! Call. Wholesale Rays Jerseys .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. Cheap Rays Jerseys Authentic . -- Aaron Murray threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, and led No. http://www.cheapraysjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-evan-longoria-jersey . -- Most satisfying to Russ Smith about No. Cheap Wade Boggs Jersey . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- As if?Brandon Ingrams slight frame needed any more weight on its shoulders, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft learned Tuesday that he will be taking over Kobe Bryants former practice locker.Talk about pressure.I saw where my locker was, and I definitely knew it was Kobes locker, Ingram said Tuesday at his introductory news conference at the?Los Angeles Lakers training facility. I know [general manager] Mitch [Kupchak] told me I had some big shoes to fill when I came in here, but I liked it. I like the pressure thats on me?right now. Its going to motivate me to do good things on the court. Its all good pressure for me.Ivica Zubac, the Lakers selection with the No. 32 overall pick in the draft, was introduced alongside Ingram, and he was asked if he is jealous that Ingram inherited Bryants locker, as Zubac was a die-hard Bryant and Lakers fan growing up.Zubac laughed. No, he can have that pressure, he said.Like Bryant before him, the 18-year-old Ingram plans on proving his doubters and skeptics wrong.While some top draft picks are gifted spots in the starting lineup or a set number of minutes, Ingram will have to fend off Luol Deng?--?a 12-year veteran and fellow Duke Blue Devil whom the Lakers reportedly signed to a four-year, $72 million deal in free agency -- for the teams starting small forward spot and minutes in the rotation. Yet Ingram claims he isnt intimidated by the challenge. He plans to win that battle while learning and growing under Dengs guidance and wisdom.I havent talked to him yet, but I plan to pick his brain on different things, Ingram said. Hes been in this league for a very long time. I hear nothing but good things about him. In practice, I plan on competing against him each and every day. Its up to the coaches who starts.If Ingram cant outperform Deng and earn his way into the starting lineup, he will be upset. At the end of the day, though, he said he will do whatever new head coach Luke Walton asks of him, including accepting a bench role or fewer minutes.Of course, from my competitive side, it matters to me, Ingram said. But if I have to be a reserve, Ill be coachable enough to do whateveer the coach tells me to do.ddddddddddddHis ability to be coached was Ingrams key talking point Tuesday. He seemed open to just about anything, as long as Walton suggests or supports it.At the same time, Ingram is self-aware and comfortable with his identity, and he knows what he brings to the Lakers. Hes a scorer, first and foremost, and he believes he wont have many issues scoring at the next level.I think if you can score the ball, you can play at any level, Ingram said. I dont think its a big adjustment for me. Just playing against stronger guys, I know I have to adjust a little bit, like I did at the college level.Ingrams ability to score will first be on display in the Las Vegas Summer League, which begins Friday at UNLVs Thomas & Mack Center. There, Ingram will get a chance to show the NBA world how he fits alongside teammate?DAngelo Russell?in Waltons new up-tempo system and how his rookie season might play out.Ingrams height (6-foot-10), weight (196 pounds), skill set and body type have drawn comparisons to another slender scoring wing, new Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant,?and Ingram couldnt escape another question regarding whether he sees the similarities between himself and a young Durant.Of course, because of the body type, Ingram said. I think anybody would want to be compared to Kevin Durant. Hes a little beyond my years, but that also gives me motivation to try to reach my potential.Ingrams potential remains unclear, though his ceiling is obviously high. There are countless factors that will determine how his career unfolds, most of which are impossible to project.That said, it appears unlikely from listening to him that Ingram will succumb to the immense pressure associated with his draft selection, taking over the Lakers franchise player mantle from Bryant or?his similarities to Durant.I can only do what I do well, Ingram said. There is no other Kobe Bryant. So I know coming into this that I just have to be coachable. If I do whatever the coach [wants] and I make him happy, then Im happy. ' ' '