John Tortorella disappointed by Vegas Golden Knights coaching call
John Tortorella told The Athletic he wanted to stay with Vegas after its Final run, but the Golden Knights promoted Ryan Craig.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
The John Tortorella Vegas run was brief, wild and almost golden. After taking over the Golden Knights with eight games left in the regular season, Tortorella helped drive them all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, then learned two days after Game 6 that he would not be staying.
Tortorella told The Athletic this week that he was “disappointed” by the Golden Knights’ decision, while also saying he respected the organization’s direction. ESPN reported that Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon kept to the club’s plan to promote Ryan Craig, who had been coaching the team’s AHL affiliate.
The 68-year-old coach stepped in after Vegas fired Bruce Cassidy late in the regular season. Under Tortorella, the Golden Knights closed the regular season 7-0-1, then made a postseason charge that included a sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference finals, according to ESPN.
Vegas led the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 in the Stanley Cup Final before losing the next three games and the series. Two days later, the Golden Knights announced that Tortorella would not return.
Why did Vegas move on from John Tortorella?
ESPN reported that McCrimmon followed through on the Golden Knights’ plan to elevate Craig to head coach. Tortorella told The Athletic that McCrimmon was direct in their meeting the morning after Game 6 and told him quickly that Craig would coach the team next season.
Tortorella said he gave McCrimmon his view in what he described as an honest conversation. He also praised Craig, calling him a good coach and a good man, and said the two have spoken.
According to The Athletic, Tortorella said he wants to help Craig however he can. That puts a tidy public bow on a decision that still clearly stung.
Tortorella also made clear that he is not ready to drift away from the bench. He told The Athletic he wants to coach now, though he acknowledged he does not know whether another NHL job will come.
His résumé is already long. ESPN noted that Tortorella has coached six NHL teams and won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2003-04. The Vegas run also ended a stretch of more than 10 years in which teams coached by Tortorella had not advanced beyond the second round.
What happened with Tortorella’s missed news conference?
Tortorella also addressed his decision to skip a postgame news conference during the second round against the Anaheim Ducks. He told The Athletic that Ducks coach Joel Quenneville’s media availability ran long and that he chose to leave with his team rather than keep them waiting.
ESPN reported that Tortorella was fined $100,000 and that Vegas lost a second-round pick in last month’s draft as punishment. Tortorella told The Athletic there was no deeper issue behind the missed appearance and described it as bad timing.
For now, Craig gets the Vegas job, and Tortorella is back on the market after a near-miss with the Cup. He told The Athletic he was still processing how close the Golden Knights came, and how much he wanted to keep coaching that team.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.