COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Left with almost no other choice, the Columbus Blue Jackets fired coach Todd Richards on Wednesday following the team's 0-7-0 start, a source confirmed.
TSN earlier reported the news of Richards' firing.
The Blue Jackets replaced Richards with veteran bench boss John Tortorella, the source said. Tortorella last coached the Vancouver Canucks in 2013-14.
Richards was named head coach of the Jackets in May 2012, leading them to a playoff berth in 2013-14, when they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a hard-fought, opening-round series. He went 127-112-21 as the Jackets' coach.