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John Tortorella came in to be the Vegas Golden Knights’ savior, and he was oh-so-close. But now his time with the team is over.
Two days after falling in the Stanley Cup Final to the Carolina Hurricanes, the Golden Knights announced that Tortorella would not be returning to their bench next season.
The Golden Knights fired Bruce Cassidy on March 29 after a 12-of-17-game losing streak prior to the playoffs and hired Tortorella. Vegas then went 7-0-1 in its final eight games of the regular season and won the Western Conference before falling in the bowl final in six games.
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John Tortorella of the Vegas Golden Knights arrives before game six of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 14, 2026. (Christopher Trim/Icon Sportswire)
“We thank Torts for the guidance he has provided our team since joining the organization in March,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said in a release.
“When the decision was made to bring Torts to Vegas, we needed an immediate impact to help us at a crucial time in the season. Torts’ experience and leadership proved to be the boost we were looking for and helped guide us to the Stanley Cup Finals. We are grateful for Torts’ passion, sincerity and commitment to our organization, and we wish him and his family the best.”
Head coach John Tortorella of the Vegas Golden Knights watches the first period against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina on June 11, 2026. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
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The Golden Knights defeated both the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks in six games before a stunning sweep of the Colorado Avalanche, whose 121 points were the most in the NHL.
Vegas jumped out to a 2-1 series lead in the Cup final, with its first loss coming from blowing a 2-0 lead in the third period in Game 2 before dropping three straight to hand the Canes their first Cup since 2006.
Head coach John Tortorella leads practice on Media Day prior to the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina on June 1, 2026. (Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)
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The Golden Knights were Tortorella’s sixth NHL team – this was his first Cup Final since winning it with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2003-04. He is a two-time winner of the Jack Adams Award for the NHL’s Coach of the Year, winning in 2004 and 2017.
