In a refreshing bit of candor and pro-Americanism for these troubled times, the coach of the US World Cup hockey squad has chimed in on the Colin Kaepernick controversy. John Tortorella – who also coaches the NHL Columbus Bluejackets – is having none of the nonsense that allowed the selfish San Francisco 49er player to hijack his team and become a national spectacle. The fiery ‘Torts’ is a no-nonsense kind of guy and he  expressed his thoughts that he would bench the ass of any of his players who put themselves before the team by pulling a silly stunt to grab attention.

According to CBS Sports “USA coach John Tortorella says he’d bench player for sitting during anthem”:

The national conversation surrounding San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s decision to sit or kneel during the playing of the national anthem as a form of silent protest is still rolling on. The latest place the much-debated issue cropped up was at Team USA’s training camp for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

With the U.S. in Columbus, Ohio, ahead of the tournament this week, with NHL players representing their country, the Kaepernick question has been a common one. Many of the players who have gone on record have looked to avoid controversy. Some who addressed Kaepernick’s decision talked their way around the issue while expressing their own respect for the flag and the anthem.

The U.S. squad is led by John Tortorella, a man who only bites his tongue when it comes to strategy on the ice. And the Columbus Blue Jackets coach, who also spent time with the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks, had some thoughts about what would happen if any of his players sat in a similar form of protest.

“If any of my players sit on the bench for the national anthem, they will sit there the rest of the game,” Tortorella told Linda Cohn of ESPN.

Tortorella’s comments once again show that the National Hockey League possesses a degree of class that is rarely found in other pro sports leagues. It is rare when a hockey player makes the police blotter and ends up with the negative headlines that are a weekly if not daily occurrence for the NFL as well as a sad fact of life. It’s inevitable that Mr. Tortorealla will be subjected to the smears of liberals and social justice scumbags over his values and respect for American tradition but he scored a winner on this one.