NEW YORK -- Not only did the New York Rangers seek to change the message behind the bench, but the way it was delivered, too.

That left mild-mannered coach Tom Renney out of a job on Monday and blustery John Tortorella en route to a starring role on Broadway.

Renney was fired by Rangers general manager Glen Sather after he failed to turn around a once-promising season that suddenly spiraled out of control. New York is stuck in a skid that produced 10 losses in 12 games (2-7-3).

With only 21 games left in the regular season, Sather couldn't wait any longer to try to save it. The Rangers started 10-2-1 and were in first place for much of the first half of the season. Now their hold on a playoff spot in tenuous.

"We had lost our zip at some point," Sather said. "We were a fast, puck-possessive hockey club that was determined and worked very hard and moved the puck well. We've gotten away from that and that's why we made the change."

The Rangers (31-23-7) entered Monday in a fifth-place tie in the Eastern Conference, only two points above ninth-place Carolina.

Renney's calm, optimistic tones no longer worked, so Sather turned to Tortorella, the coach of the 2004 Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, who leads with an iron fist.

Tortorella was an assistant with the Rangers, and briefly served as interim head coach, going 0-4 at the end of the 1999-2000 season, before getting his shot with the Lightning. It didn't take long for him to hammer out a multiyear contract with the Rangers.

"Torts is certainly a lot more fiery and a lot different in his approach to the game and the players," Sather said. "He's going to bring that fiery attitude, and a lot of the games we seemed to be missing it."

Tortorella was let go by Tampa Bay following last season, and the Rangers were not required to provide compensation. In 6½ seasons, Tortorella posted a mark of 239-222-36-38.

Renney, a former coach of the Vancouver Canucks, was 164-121-42 with the Rangers in four-plus seasons and ranks fourth on the team's career wins and games coached lists.

Assistant coach Perry Pearn was also fired, but fellow assistant Mike Pelino was retained along with goalie coach Benoit Allaire, the Rangers said. Jim Schoenfeld, the team's assistant general manager, will also serve as an interim coach.

Sather said Tortorella wasn't the only candidate he spoke to Monday. Reached by ESPN.com via text message Monday night, Tortorella said he was "hopping on a plane" and didn't have time to talk. He's expected to meet the media in New York and conduct practice Tuesday morning.

"It's a great opportunity for him," said Dave Andreychuk, the now-retired captain of the Lightning's championship team. "It's a perfect scenario with the talent they have there, the leadership they have, I think it's going to be a good fit.

"He will make everybody accountable. It's brutally ugly at times, but it's also the right cause."