John Tortorella will not return to the Vegas Golden Knights coaching staff after leading the team to the Stanley Cup Final, the organization said Tuesday, June 16.
When John Tortorella walks out of the Golden Knights’ building now, his run in Vegas will be over—and the timing is the part that lands hardest.
The Vegas Golden Knights said John Tortorella is not returning to the coaching staff after he led the team to the Stanley Cup Final. The announcement came Tuesday, June 16, with general manager Kelly McCrimmon thanking him for the turnaround he helped deliver. McCrimmon said the move was made after the team needed “an immediate impact” at a pivotal moment in the season. when Tortorella joined in March.
McCrimmon said Tortorella’s experience and leadership guided Vegas to the Stanley Cup Final and credited him with helping steer the team during the stretch drive. He added that the organization was grateful for Tortorella’s “passion, sincerity, and commitment” and wished him and his family the best.
Tortorella, 67, was hired when Bruce Cassidy was fired with eight games left in the regular season. His tenure stabilized a slumping team that went on to win the Pacific Division title.
Vegas’ path to the championship series included series wins over the Utah Mammoth, the Anaheim Ducks and the Colorado Avalanche, sweeping the No. 1 overall team. In the Stanley Cup Final, the Golden Knights fell to the Carolina Hurricanes. Tortorella’s overall record in Vegas was 20-9-1.
His time in the playoffs came with sharp swings—big moments that energized the team, and controversies that left coaches and players at the center of scrutiny.
Down the stretch, Tortorella’s impact was immediate. The Golden Knights went 7-0-1 to clinch the Pacific Division title. After falling behind 2-1 in the series against the Mammoth, Vegas rallied by winning Game 4 through Game 6. They then won Games 5 and 6 against the Ducks. Against the Avalanche, the team twice mounted comebacks—once in the third period and once after trailing 3-0. In the Stanley Cup Final, they won Games 1 and 3, including an escape from a 2-0 deficit in Game 1.
But the lows carried real friction. The NHL docked the Golden Knights a second-round pick and fined Tortorella $100. 000 for not holding a media availability after the clinching win against the Avalanche. In Game 2 of the final. Tortorella unsuccessfully challenged a no-goal call. a sequence that led to a Hurricanes power play and a go-ahead goal. Carolina later won in overtime.
There was also a goalie decision that underscored how personal and high-stakes coaching choices can be. The Hurricanes made a goalie change from Frederik Andersen to Brandon Bussi to come back in the series. Tortorella stayed with Carter Hart. whom he knew from Philadelphia. even as Hart gave up four goals in each of the first five games. When asked if he considered a move in Game 5, Tortorella responded, “That could be the stupidest question I’ve heard.”.
Hart delivered his best game of the series in Game 6, but the Hurricanes still won 3-0 to end a 20-year championship drought.
The release now closes the chapter on Tortorella’s Vegas job just as quickly as it began—after Cassidy’s firing with eight games left and a late-season push that took the team all the way to the Cup Final.
Vegas Golden Knights John Tortorella Kelly McCrimmon Stanley Cup Final NHL coaching staff Frederik Andersen Brandon Bussi Carter Hart NHL playoffs