Tortorella was previously the head coach of the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vancouver Canucks.

This system returned in the 2019–20 NHL season with the Columbus Blue Jackets, with the emergence of Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzļikins as the goaltender tandem.

Tortorella has been credited by ECHL founders Henry Brabham and Bill Coffey for coming up with the name for the league during a meeting at a Ramada Inn in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

At the end of the season he was also recognized as a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year, losing out to Minnesota's Jacques Lemaire.

In 2003–04, Tortorella's fourth season with the team, the Lightning ran away with the Southeast Division title, tallying 106 points—the second-best record in the league.

The Lightning were the top seed in the Eastern Conference and proceeded to defeat the New York Islanders, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Philadelphia Flyers to win the Prince of Wales Trophy.

On March 11, 2008, with the Lightning defeat of the New York Islanders, Tortorella passed Bob Johnson as the most successful American-born NHL coach with 235 victories.

Tortorella was named head coach of the New York Rangers on February 23, 2009, replacing Tom Renney, who was relieved of his duties earlier that day.

At season's end, Tortorella became a finalist for the Jack Adams Award for a third time, losing to Ken Hitchcock of the St. Louis Blues.

[citation needed] The Rangers fired Tortorella on May 29, 2013, four days after New York was eliminated from the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Boston Bruins.

[14] During the first intermission of a game on January 18, 2014, Tortorella entered the Calgary Flames dressing room area in an apparent attempt to confront Flames coach Bob Hartley; after a line brawl in the opening seconds of the 1st period, Tortorella angrily attempted to confront Hartley, accusing him of starting a lineup with intent to injure a star Canuck player.

Tortorella was criticized by his players for the inadequate amount of practice days, of which he would drive in for a brief appearance, then leave his assistants to handle everything else before returning home.

This arrangement frustrated general manager Mike Gillis who had a bed built into Tortorella's office so he could take naps there instead of driving home.

[20] As compensation for hiring Tortorella, the Vancouver Canucks received the 55th overall pick (used to select Jonah Gadjovich) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft from the Blue Jackets.

[25][26] On January 2, 2020, Tortorella was fined $20,000 by the NHL for negative comments he made about the on-ice officials on December 29, 2019, after they mishandled the clock in overtime, causing the Blue Jackets to lose 3–2 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

[30] On March 9, 2024, Tortorella was ejected from a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning following a verbal dispute with referees Wes McCauley and Brandon Schrader.

[31] Tortorella was the assistant coach of the United States men's national ice hockey team in 2008–2009,[32] replacing Peter Laviolette, which included leading the squad at the 2008 IIHF World Championship, where they finished sixth.