Golden Knights GM breaks silence on stunning John Tortorella hiring

The Vegas Golden Knights stunned the hockey world on Sunday when they fired head coach Bruce Cassidy. Firing Cassidy in and of itself isn’t necessarily the shocking aspect, though. It’s the man tabbed to replace the 2023 Stanley Cup champion. Former Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella is stepping in behind the Vegas bench.

It’s a move that caused a ton of reaction within the hockey world. Tortorella returns to the NHL a little more than a year removed from being fired by the Flyers after three seasons. Many did not envision his return to the league. But general manager Kelly McCrimmon explained why his team made this move so close to the end of the season.

“We believe that a change is necessary for us to return to the level of play that is expected of our club,” McCrimmon said in a statement, via NHL.com. “With John Tortorella, we bring in a Stanley Cup champion as well as one of the most experienced and respected coaches in the NHL. His guidance will be a great asset to our team at the pivotal point in the season we currently face.”

Tortorella has been behind a bench in recent months. He was an assistant coach with Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The United States won Gold at the event, defeating Canada 2-1 in overtime in Milan, Italy.

His experience behind an NHL bench goes back decades. He was first named head coach in January 2001 when he took over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tortorella led that franchise to a Stanley Cup in 2004. In addition to Tampa, Philadelphia, and now Vegas, he has also coached the New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, and Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Golden Knights are currently third in the Pacific Division on 80 points. Tortorella will make his team debut on Monday night against the Canucks at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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