Sunday, May 31, 2026 | 2 a.m.
John Tortorella is having the clip of his life.
The sharp-tongued manager celebrated for blowups with the media, players and opponents is headed backmost to the Stanley Cup Final for the archetypal clip since starring Tampa Bay to the 2004 title. He has been with Vegas for all of 9 weeks — much than capable clip to turn the Golden Knights into a improbable title favourite successful what could beryllium a bruising series against Carolina.
The 67-year-old Tortorella insists the Knights didn’t request overmuch from him, but it’s wide this is presently arsenic adjacent arsenic a emotion matter arsenic you tin find betwixt manager and NHL team.
“I similar being with the group,” Tortorella said. “It was specified a brainsick concern (several) weeks ago. I deliberation they person benignant of accepted me. I deliberation they recognize maine better. I surely recognize them better. I consciousness much comfy successful changing arsenic a manager successful bid for this to work. The bottommost enactment is we’re trying to win. I request to springiness them what I deliberation they request to assistance them and get the obstacles distant truthful that they tin conscionable play.”
Don't expect Tortorella to instrumentality the signifier astatine 1 of Las Vegas' drama clubs, but helium has shown a broadside to the players the nationalist doesn't see.
“I deliberation he’s hilarious,” helping Keegan Kolesar said. “I laughter my (butt) disconnected each time with him successful a large way, a affirmative way. He’s precise encouraging. It’s been large for the team, and we’re present for a reason. I deliberation he’s been a large portion of that.”
A stunning coaching change
Tortorella shockingly replaced Bruce Cassidy in precocious March with conscionable 8 games remaining successful the regular season.
He made it wide to his caller players helium was on for the thrust with them and they would enactment unneurotic to execute what astatine the clip seemed much similar a phantasy than a realistic extremity of playing for the Stanley Cup. Vegas had dropped from archetypal to 3rd successful the Pacific Division by the time Tortorella took over, successful information of missing the postseason for conscionable the 2nd clip successful the franchise's nine-year history.
But this is simply a seasoned and talented squad led by players specified arsenic Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, who had guided the Golden Knights to the Cup conscionable 3 years earlier and had immoderate different apical endowment specified arsenic Mitch Marner and Rasmus Andersson inactive chasing their archetypal rings.
“You’ve got to manager the squad that you have,” Tortorella said. “I deliberation if you manager an older squad similar you’re processing a young squad and spell done the aforesaid stuff, I deliberation you’re disrespecting the athlete. So I deliberation that’s got to beryllium a work connected the coach’s portion connected however you spell astir it. I spent 1 week here, my archetypal week, and I knew what this radical was, arsenic acold arsenic that’s concerned. The manager has to enactment accordingly.”
So Torts, successful describing himself and the unit arsenic much similar “guidance counselors,” coached with the players and Vegas went connected a tear. The Golden Knights are 19-4-1 nether Tortorella, winning the Pacific and past dispatching Utah, Anaheim and Colorado to acceptable up a day successful the final. Game 1 successful Carolina is Tuesday night.
Tortorella and Cassidy not truthful different
For their evident differences — Cassidy volition gladly spell into large item with the media astir the intricacies of hockey portion Tortorella makes it wide determination are definite topics helium won't sermon — determination are galore similarities.
Cassidy took the Golden Knights to the 2023 Cup by emphasizing a defence that forced shots to the outside, full-team information successful blocking shots and scoring beyond the archetypal and 2nd lines. That's the exact constitution of this year's team under Tortorella.
Plus, some teams received fantabulous goaltending successful the postseason.
But messages tin rapidly autumn connected deaf ears successful the NHL, and astatine the clip of the coaching change, Stone said “the locker country had gone a small stale.”
More than simply a caller dependable was needed. A caller direction. A caller narration with the players. General manager Kelly McCrimmon stunned the league by bringing successful Tortorella, unapologetic and brusque, but besides with a past of bonding with immoderate players easier than others. Torts is an acquired taste.
With Vegas, it seems, the full country is successful sync.
“His message, his demeanor, it’s decidedly felt similar a radical effort," Eichel said. "He’s perpetually coming to america for feedback, and I deliberation his connection has been received truly good due to the fact that of that. I deliberation the guys person a batch of assurance successful him and judge what he’s saying, and I deliberation he’s done a bully occupation of getting the astir retired of the group.”
Confidence successful the clutch
A squad with truthful overmuch title acquisition wouldn't look to person a assurance problem, but Tortorella rapidly diagnosed that arsenic an issue. He made it a precedence to get the players to judge successful themselves.
It's evident successful their play that assurance — “swagger,” arsenic defenseman Noah Hanifin called it — has returned, the players stepping up erstwhile the situations demanded it most.
Vegas' play hung by a thread successful the archetypal circular erstwhile it appeared the Mammoth would instrumentality a 3-2 bid pb and the accidental to adjacent retired astatine home. Then Pavel Dorofeyev's six-on-five goal with 52.7 seconds near forced overtime, and Brett Howden scored connected a short-handed accidental successful the 2nd OT to flip the series.
Dorofeyev came done again successful Game 5 of the second-round bid against the Ducks, scoring successful overtime to again debar playing a imaginable elimination crippled connected the road.
Then determination was Game 3 against the league's champion regular-season squad successful the Avalanche. Colorado scored 3 goals successful the archetypal play and appeared good connected its mode to cutting the bid shortage to 2-1. The Golden Knights answered with 3 goals of their ain successful the 2nd play and 2 much successful the 3rd to acceptable up a jaw-dropping expanse successful the Western Conference Final.
Playing for his 2nd Cup
Four much wins and Tortorella tin adhd to the Cup helium won with the Lightning. He doesn't similar to dwell connected the past, but Tortorella acknowledged helium wondered if helium would ever marque the last circular again arsenic the hold reached 22 years and 8 trips to the postseason fell abbreviated of the final.
Vegas is his sixth squad successful that agelong and the 5th since the tally with Tampa Bay ended successful 2008. His past team, Philadelphia, fired Tortorella with 9 games near successful the 2025 play astir precisely a twelvemonth earlier Vegas did the aforesaid thing.
“It's 1 of the hardest things to bash is to get back,” Tortorella said. "Just to get in, it's a pugnacious league, particularly wherever it's gone to with truthful overmuch parity. Sure, you deliberation astir that. Some large players and immoderate of the champion coaches successful our crippled haven't gotten there. When you're successful it, marque definite you're successful it due to the fact that you whitethorn ne'er get backmost there.”
Tortorella has 777 wins and has doubly won the Jack Adams Award arsenic the NHL's apical coach. Still, the Boston autochthonal was doing broadacast appearances lone a fewer months ago. Now helium is coaching for hockey's eventual prize.
Tortorella has much than erstwhile expressed appreciation to proprietor Bill Foley, president of hockey operations George McPhee and McCrimmon for giving him this accidental and to Cassidy for putting the squad successful presumption to marque the modulation easier from a competitory standpoint.
From the beginning, Tortorella said helium would marque tweaks, but permission the basal operation successful spot and trust connected feedback from his players.
“In the abbreviated clip I’ve been with them, I’ve ticker them and perceive to them. I’ve learned a ton from them," Tortorella said. “I deliberation coaches overcoach. I deliberation we get successful the mode sometimes. This group, particularly aft being with younger teams anterior to this, I learned much to person immoderate listening skills erstwhile dealing with seasoned players. That’s what they brought to me. Sometimes you manager astatine them. During the playoffs, you manager with them.”
In a reminder of his combustible nature, Tortorella failed to look astatine the mandatory quality league aft the Golden Knights eliminated Anaheim and was fined $100,000 by the NHL. Vegas besides was docked a second-round draught prime for not making its players much available. It volition beryllium forgotten if Vegas wins a 2nd championship.
“I admit the sincerity successful John,” McCrimmon said. “I've ever felt you tin beryllium hard connected radical if they spot you and they cognize you care. I tin spot however John does that successful spades.”
Under Tortorella, the wins person travel successful spades, too.
“I emotion the room,” Tortorella said. "I deliberation it’s a radical that has fun. I deliberation it’s a country that knows erstwhile it’s clip for business. But successful the grind of a regular play and however agelong the play is and each the things that spell on, if you’re not having fun, it sucks. So it’s a bully radical to beryllium that way, and it’s been amusive for maine to get backmost successful the playoffs, wherever I haven’t been successful for rather a while. And to beryllium with this group, I consciousness precise fortunate.”
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