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Feaster On Bolts: 'This Is My Mess'

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 17, 2008

TAMPA - Lightning general manager Jay Feaster addressed some issues surrounding his last-place hockey team Wednesday, including instilling some peer pressure and potential deals that could be made.

He also reiterated that Coach John Tortorella is not in jeopardy of being fired.

"This is my mess, this is my problem. The responsibility rests with me," Feaster said. "I still like the team today. Having said that, I still believe John Tortorella is still the right guy to coach this team. There is no quit on this hockey team in terms of the coaching staff. For me, that's the only time you make that change unless you just want to be knee-jerk, and that's what I think it is nine out of 10 times, that it's a knee-jerk reaction because it's easier to fire the coach than it is to fire 20 players."

Other highlights of Feaster's discussion Wednesday:

•On Wednesday's exercise of the players watching game film without the presence of the coaching staff: "While I'm confident that everyone inside that room cares, sometimes peer pressure means you're not a nice guy. Sometimes that means to make that omelet you need to break that egg. I think we have such good guys that they struggle at ever being a bad guy. I don't mean that in a negative way, it's just that sometimes that's part of leadership. This exercise, perhaps, causes you to have to, because you are looking at it and if the coach isn't going to say it, someone has to say it."

•On trading to improve the team, not dismantle it: "We're not out of it. We win that game Tuesday night, we're within seven points and two games in hand on division leader Carolina. There is no sense of quitting. From my perspective, it's about improving the team and not fire-saleing."

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