John Tortorella will miss the NHL All-Star festivities in Los Angeles this weekend because one of his dogs is sick.

The Columbus Blue Jackets coach, who was to fulfill the same role for the Metropolitan Division, also did not coach Thursday against the Nashville Predators.

“I appreciate so much the number of messages I have received since the announcement (of missing the event),” Tortorella told The Columbus Dispatch. “But this absolutely is not an emergency. I want to clear that up. read more