Ducks' Zegras 'not really too worried' about Tortorella's criticism

Anaheim Ducks super rookie Trevor Zegras says he isn’t concerned after John Tortorella’s criticism of his highlight-reel assist last week.

“It’s one of those things where I’m not really too worried what (Tortorella’s) thinking or what he’s saying,” Zegras said Tuesday, according to The Athletic. “I thought it was just weird that he would try and kind of — I don’t want to say shoot it down — but I feel like it did so much good for the game.”

Zegras lit the sports world on fire in a game against the Buffalo Sabres, when he set up Sonny Milano for a goal by flipping the puck over the net in a remix of the infamous “Michigan Goal.” The assist, which even caught the attention of Hollywood star Michael B. Jordan among many others, was widely celebrated across the league as the next evolution in a game that is emphasising skill more than ever.

However, Tortorella — a former coach turned ESPN analyst — had a contrarian take, saying moves like the one Zegras made are not good for the game.

“I’m not trying to be a fool here, I’m just not so sure it’s great for the game,” Tortorella said Friday. “If you did that back in the 2000s, late ’90s, you would get your head taken off. It’s cool; it’s cool to watch and all that, but I’m not so sure it’s good for the game. And I stand by that.”

Zegras chose to take the high road Tuesday, saying he hopes his play inspires others the way the previous generation inspired him.

“Patrick Kane would spin-o-rama and all these guys doing cool stuff. I don’t know, I just could relate more to that aspect,” he said. “I didn’t really see where he was coming from. It’s just one of those things that he’s entitled to this opinion. I guess we got to just live with it.”

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