Gene J. Puskar / AP

The New York Rangers' John Tortorella is as intense a coach as you'll ever find.

OPINION

By Craig Custance

updated 2:34 a.m. ET Oct. 7, 2009

There wasn't an exact moment when the difference of a John Tortorella training camp hit Chris Drury. It was a combination of things. There was the testing to start camp, a series of physical sessions for which the smart players had spent the summer preparing.

When they weren't completing exhausting skating sessions, they were off the ice running.

As camp wore on, the focus shifted from the physically grueling to an in-detail focus on how Tortorella wants this Rangers team to play.

On the morning of the regular-season debut in Pittsburgh, Drury looked around a cramped visitors locker room and made his conclusion.

"If you're mentally weak, you're probably not in this room," Drury told Sporting News. "He stresses that. He puts your body in position that if you are mentally weak, you're going to have some trouble."

On Monday night, Tortorella's mission to mold the Rangers into a mentally tough hockey team took its most public form yet. His team came out sluggish against the New Jersey Devils and Tortorella later said he was shocked. He especially didn't like the way the Rangers were outplayed in their own zone.

So, 84 seconds into the game, Tortorella used his one and only timeout — and he lit into the Rangers.

"Anything you guys can think of, he probably said it," rookie defenseman Matt Gilroy told reporters after the game.

"It was classic John Tortorella," said Jay Feaster, Tortorella's general manager in Tampa when the two won a Stanley Cup together. "He'll take that timeout, and he loses his mind there behind the bench. But I guarantee this: When he was finished with that timeout, everybody was awake. He's the alarm clock."

The alarm clock went off. For those not ready to play for Tortorella, time is up. He has helped guide the Rangers to a 2-1 start while the players continue to learn what to expect from their coach.

Tortorella doesn't have time for players with nagging injuries. He doesn't have time for those who aren't mentally tough enough to meet his demands in training camp or in practice.

Drury is learning that Tortorella doesn't care about salaries or previous accomplishments. Only Marian Gaborik has a higher salary cap hit than Drury's $7.05 million this season. Drury also led the Rangers with 10 power-play goals last season.

Yet, so far, Drury hasn't become one of Tortorella's go-to guys on the power play. Feaster calls it Tortorella's meritocracy.

You want something from Tortorella, you have to earn it.

"With John, it's what have you done for me last shift," Feaster said. "Once you have that, everybody recognizes it. I think it's an exciting thing in the locker room. It rewards the hard workers."

Just as important as the time Tortorella finally is getting with the Rangers after joining them last year in midseason is the talent.

Last season's Rangers didn't have a game-breaker like Gaborik. The power play is already benefiting from Ales Kotalik's big shot. In Vinny Prospal, Tortorella has a player who understands him and his system. The 20:54 average ice time per game for Prospal so far reveals the trust Tortorella has for the former Lightning forward.

But perhaps the most exciting early development of the season has been the play of the young defensemen.

At 22 years old, Marc Staal already has established himself as one of the game's rising talents. But so far, rookies Michael Del Zotto and Gilroy have looked comfortable in their transition to the NHL. Del Zotto already has two goals and Gilroy one while showing considerable offensive upside.

That's an important development for a team that got only 25 goals from defensemen last season. Or six less than Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green scored by himself.

"This year he was able, with some moves in the offseason, to get a team more adept to play his style of game," winger Aaron Voros said. "He wants us to be harder to play against. I think he's obviously addressed that. We want to be a meaner team, tougher team in the hard areas to play — in front of the net and in the corners. I think he's made note of that."

Voros explained it this way. Tortorella broke the team down with a physically and mentally challenging camp, but by the time the season started, everyone was ready to go.

And when somebody is not ready, it's clear the coach is ready to pounce. He won't even tolerate 84 seconds of uninspired hockey.

"It's a work in progress," Tortorella said. "We have a lot of work to do."

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