VANCOUVER -- John Tortorella was surprised the subject did not come up in the first question, but he did not get angry or yell. Replica Soccer Jerseys . Yes, the new Vancouver Canucks coach acknowledged Tuesday, his reputation needs some restructuring, and he vowed to improve it as he attempts to give the city a long-sought Stanley Cup. "This is the mess I put myself into, and this is the mess Im going to get myself out of," Tortorella said during a news conference. The Canucks named the fiery Boston native as their replacement for Alain Vigneault, the winningest coach in franchise history. Known for being abrasive, Tortorella is perceived as a bench boss who can lose his temper quickly, sometimes blasts players in public, and has little time for questions from reporters. Vigneault was known more as a cerebral coach who laughed on many occasions and had a rapport with the media. But Tortorella, dressed in a dark suit and tie and smiling at times, turned on the charm at a news conference, even thanking a reporter for her question. It was all part of Tortorellas effort to let people get to know him better and deal with the media more effectively. "I know how important that part of the job is here," Tortorella said. "When you lose your job, you crawl into a hole a little bit, you reassess yourself, you try to learn, and I have certainly gone through that process. "Have I made mistakes? Absolutely. I make my own bed in this type of situation with the perception of myself in the media. But I know how important it is with this job here, especially in this city and this province." He is also known for battling verbally on occasion with players. But Tortorella, who has 24 years of coaching experience and won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, still vowed to be demanding of his charges and hold everyone -- including scoring stars Henrik and Daniel Sedin -- accountable. "We have a really good leadership group ... but we have not won the Stanley Cup," he said. "Theres going to be more asked of (the players), and that starts from the twins right on down." Gillis indicated that Vigneaults tenure with the Canucks had run its course after seven seasons. "You have a shelf life as a coach in the National Hockey League," said Gillis. "And, occasionally, a different voice is necessary. "I think John just has a different voice than Alain. Alains a very good hockey coach. Johns a very good hockey coach. But they approach it from different places and they approach it in different ways, and I felt it was necessary to make a change." Gillis said the teams ownership group was involved in the interviewing process, but he dismissed the idea that the Aquilini family chose the new coach. "At the end of the day, we were both unanimous in our selection," said Gillis. The 55-year-old Tortorella has reached the playoffs on eight occasions and won the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year in 2004. He was let go four days after the Rangers season ended with a second-round loss to the Boston Bruins. An assistant with the Rangers in the 1999-2000 season, he took over for John Muckler as head coach for the final four games. Tortorella later spent seven seasons as head coach of the Lightning before taking over as head coach of the Rangers in February 2009. Vigneault was let go after the Canucks were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight year. He guided the Canucks to a berth in the Stanley Cup final in 2011 and helped the team win the Presidents Trophy on two occasions, as well as six Northwest Division titles. Tortorella, the career leader in wins by a U.S.-born coach with 410, served as an assistant for the American team that won silver at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and has also coached at the world hockey championships. He will attempt to rebuild his reputation while coaching for the first time in Canada -- something he has always dreamed of. "To be involved with this, I couldnt be more excited," he said. "Its always something I thought about and wanted the opportunity." But while Canadians are known for being tolerant and accepting, Tortorella will still not find it easy to deal with a loss while coaching north of the border. "Everybody says: Be a good loser," he said. "I think if youre a good loser, you are a loser." Meanwhile, some of Tortorellas former players credit him with turning them into winners and helping them extend their careers -- despite his temperamental ways. "Personally, I think hes a good coach, but it takes a special player to play under his coaching," said former NHLer Brad Lukowich, who played under Tortorella during two stints with Tampa Bay, including the 2004 Stanley Cup victory. "Hed come in and tell us what to do, and he held us to the highest degree of accountability. "Once we figured that out, we gelled and we became a good team." Lukowich said the team succeeded because assistant coach Craig Ramsay, goaltending coach Jeff Reese and captain Dave Andreychuk acted as buffers between Tortorella and players. During the second stint, Ramsay, Reese and the retired Andreychuk had left the team, while captain Tim Taylor and key leader Dan Boyle were injured much of the season. The team was unable not achieve the same success and Tortorella continued with his abrasive ways. But Lukowich, now an assistant coach with the WHLs Lethbridge Hurricanes, credited Tortorella with extending his career by eight seasons. Lukowich also played briefly with the Canucks under Vigneault. While Tortorella tended to be serious and battled with players, Vigneault sometimes took a lighthearted approach to serious situations to help his players feel better. But the former Canuck and Lightning defenceman contended that Tortorellas temper should not be the thing for which he is remembered most. "Dont judge the guy on his emotions," said Lukowich. "Hes an incredible coach." Lukowich also advised Canucks to be ready for "Camp Tortur-ella" and the coachs demands for being in top physical condition. "If you think youre in shape now, start working out even harder," said Lukowich. "Its like the Navy Seals of the NHL. Its something else, Ill tell you. Im sure glad I dont have to do that again." Dixon Ward, who was a member of the Rochester Americans team that Tortorella guided to a Calder Cup title in 1995-96, also praised Tortorella with extending his career. "Torts was the head coach there and the assistant coach and, at the time, the trainer as well," Ward said. "He was the only guy on the bench that we had. "He brings a lot passion overtly to the game. What you see is what you get with John Tortorella ... and its infectious. At least, it was to us. I knew it was to me. He allowed me to learn different parts of the game that allowed me to go on and spend the next eight years in the NHL after that." Tortorella has already worked with Canucks centre Ryan Kesler, who was a member of the U.S. Olympic team in Vancouver. "(Hes) an intense guy and very detailed and wants his players to play hard," said Kesler. "Thats what I like about him. Hes going to hold us accountable. And if were not, were not going to play." But Kesler suggested Tortorella will not necessarily coach the same way that he has in the past. "Hes going to adapt once he figures us out," said Kesler. Henrik Sedin said Tortorella can help the Canucks become a better team. The Sedins are entering the option year of their contracts and hope to work out a new deal with the Canucks this summer. Henrik Sedin indicated the choice of Tortorella as coach will not change their desire to stay. The Canucks captain expects negotiations to begin in the next week or so. "If you produce and you play the way you can as a player, I dont think it matters what coach you have," said Henrik Sedin. Soccer Jerseys China . Just as the meeting was beginning, Major League Baseball unveiled Rule 7.13, an experimental rule for the 2014 season aimed at eliminating what the league calls “egregious” runner/catcher collisions at home plate. Stitched Soccer Jerseys . -- Lindsey Vonn squeezed in a little freeskiing on Thanksgiving morning, a step in the right direction for a return to racing after reinjuring her right knee in a recent training crash. https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/ .C. - Goodyear has warned teams that increased speeds at Charlotte Motor Speedway will put a heavy emphasis on the right front tires in Saturday nights race a€” a potentially key development for drivers trying to advance in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship.Canadas smartest person knows better than to rush back from injury. Peter Dyakowski is easily handling stairs and weighted squats five months after suffering a serious knee injury in the 2013 Grey Cup. Despite his progress following surgery for a torn patellar tendon, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats offensive lineman doesnt expect to be ready for the start of training camp June 1. "Ill be there and active but Im not going to be close to contact," Dyakowski said in an interview. "Im working on jogging the rest of this month and in May Ill be running and getting into football drills. "But with this injury, caution is very important to keep in mind. I want to be back playing better than I did before, thats my goal and motivation here." The six-foot-five, 325-pound Dyakowski has been a solid performer for the Ticats. He was their 2011 nominee for the CFLs top lineman award and the following season claimed East Division and CFLPA all-star honours. And last year, Dyakowski played in his first Grey Cup. But it wasnt necessarily a positive experience as Hamilton not only lost 45-23 to the hometown Saskatchewan Roughriders but Dyakowski left the game on a stretcher before halftime due to his injury. "When I woke up that morning, I was about to be a Grey Cup champion," he said. "Just before halftime Im loaded up on my right leg pushing on (Riders defensive tackle) Keith Shologan with everything Ive got and I get hit right in the back of the knee. "Youre supposed to get hurt, it happens to everyone but being carted off the field an unable to walk off was probably one of the most embarrassing, shameful moments of my life. I felt awful." Four days later Dyakowski has surgery. Then the real fun began. "The first couple of months were brutal, I was horizontal for the most part," he said. "Now Im doing several days a week at the Ticats headquarters and a couple days at McMaster because they have an underwater treadmill and its really coming along. "Ive got a bit more time ahead of me than behind but I feel like Im closer to the finish than the start." When Dyakowski returns to Hamiltons lineup, he wont have teammate Marwan Hage to lean on. The 10-year veteran centre retired this week, four months after being selected by Ottawa in the CFL expansion draft. "Its going to be different because aside from a couple times where one of us was injured, Ive played my entire seven years here next to Marwan," Dyakowski said. "Over the years I learned a lot from him so Ill be a better player for it even though hes gone." But the fun-loving 29-year-old Vancouver native is more than just muscle and brawn. In 2012, Dyakowski won CBCs "Canadas Smartest Person" show, beating out contestants in six categories of intelligence: musical, physical, social, logical, visual and linguistic. "Canadas Smartest Person" returns this year as a weekly series and Dyakowski says hes living proof anyone can win. "In some ways I personified that whole idea," said Dyakowski, who wont be defending his title on the show. "It was vindication, of sorts, tthat we football players arent all that dumb. Soccer Jerseys Outlet. quot; Then again, Dyakowski isnt a typical jock. He attended LSU, a traditional NCAA football powerhouse, on an athletic scholarship while majoring in mechanical engineering. In his third year Dyakowski had to switch to history and geography because football commitments prevented him from booking engineering labs, which were required for third- and fourth-year classes. "I started out with high aspirations, I was going to build bridges and machines," he said. "But football, especially in the SEC, is a year-round, full-time job and we didnt really have any time after noon to book classes and the engineering labs are only given in the afternoon. "So I was either looking at puttering around for my five years there taking courses I didnt need or biting the bullet and changing my major so I changed to history and geography. I shouldve stayed in hard science in hindsight but I love history and figured I might as well pick something I love." Dyakowskis success on "Canadas Smartest Person," is further proof in football circles that offensive linemen are the most cerebral players. "I went just for fun," he said. "I had a friend say, You should try out for this show, Canadas Smartest Person, and I thought, Its going to be embarrassing but why not? "When I won it, it was a total surprise." Dyakowski isnt done testing his wits on television. He was recently a contestant on "Jeopardy." "(Host Alex Trebek) is a Ticats fan so it was kind of cool," Dyakowski said. "One of the really neat things was at the start when they say, This is Jeopardy, actually seeing the guy (announcer Johnny Gilbert) doing it live because I always thought it was a recording. "Its very reassuring, very comforting to hear this familiar voice and see this kind, grandfatherly type figure saying it." So how did Dyakowski fare? "Im contractually obligated to maintain strict silence officially," said Dyakowski, who will appear on the show in June. "However, I will say it was a lot of fun and Ill have many stories when the time is right. "Unfortunately, there were no categories about Tim Hortons pastries. I think the other contestants wouldve cried foul if those had come up." Possessing a superior intellect has allowed Dyakowski to take a unique approach to dealing with trash talk on the football field. "I try to maintain a certain level of composure and have fun with that," he said. "I try to be very creative and target deep-seeded psychological anxieties that my opponents may have and exploit it. "Comments about their weight, for example, and theyre self-conscious for the rest of the game and worried if the cameras are picking up them in an unflattering light. Before they know it, theyre messing with their jersey and not thinking about sacking the quarterback. I also try to think up good nicknames and a few good comments. I go for humour and its usually appreciated by the opposition. Occasionally, though, youll meet a guy without a sense of humour." ' ' '