Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – John Tortorella will not return as head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights after guiding the club’s run to the Stanley Cup Final, team general manager Kelly McCrimmon announced Tuesday. The 67-year-old American, who won an NHL title leading Tampa Bay in 2004, had coached more than 1,600 games over 25 years before Vegas called upon him after firing Bruce Cassidy as coach with only eight games remaining in the regular season.
Tortorella, on an interim contract through the end of the campaign, guided the Golden Knights to seven wins and a playoff berth that became a whirlwind run to the Western Conference title by beating Utah, Anaheim, and Colorado, sweeping the Avalanche, who had the NHL’s best regular-season record. Vegas lost to Carolina in six games in the Stanley Cup Final, but Tortorella earned high praise from players for his direction and attitude.
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“We thank ‘Torts’ for the guidance he provided our team since joining the organization in March,” said McCrimmon. “When the decision was made to bring Torts to Vegas, we needed an immediate impact to help us at a pivotal point in the season. Torts’ experience and leadership proved to be the boost that we were looking for, helping guide us to the Stanley Cup Final. We are grateful for Torts’ passion, sincerity, and commitment to our organization, and we wish him and his family the best.”
In 24 seasons coaching, Tortorella is 777-648 with 166 overtime losses and 37 drawn for Tampa Bay, the New York Rangers, Vancouver, Columbus, Philadelphia, and Vegas, with a 70-72 playoff mark. Three NHL teams are without head coaches — Vegas, Edmonton, and Toronto, which owns the first pick in the June 26-27 NHL Draft.
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