Rangers name Tortorella to replace Renney

NEW YORK: The New York Rangers have fired head coach Tom Renney and replaced him with former Tampa Bay Lightning coach John Tortorella, the NHL team announced on Monday.

The reeling Rangers had lost 10 of their last 12 games, tumbling into sixth place in the Eastern Conference, just two points clear of ninth-place Carolina, despite beginning the season with an impressive 10-2-1 start.

The top eight teams make the playoffs.