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Vegas Dismisses Coach Tortorella After Cup Final Run

6/17/2026

28 6 Full Breakdown

Summary

Tortorella Departs

The Vegas Golden Knights announced on June 16, 2026 that head coach John Tortorella will not return for the 2026-27 season.
Hired in March 2026, Tortorella guided the Knights to a 7-0-1 regular season and a 14-8 playoff run before falling in the Stanley Cup Final.
The franchise was fined $100,000 after Tortorella missed post-game media duties in the second-round playoffs.
AHL head coach Ryan Craig is the leading candidate to replace Tortorella.

Summary

Tortorella Reboots

Shea Theodore, Noah Hanifin, Mitch Marner and Ivan Barbashev said Coach Gerard Tortorella rebooted the locker room, added energy and helped them improve.
Rasmus Andersson, Carter Hart and Tomáš Hertl praised his leadership.
The remarks arrived less than an hour before the season-ending media session.
Owner Bill Foley’s Black Knight Sports and Entertainment LLC has not named a replacement.
The Golden Knights must select a head coach for 2026-27.

History

Historical Context

After the 2004-05 lockout—triggered when owners shut down play at 12:01 a.m. on September 16, 2004—the NHL and NHLPA signed a new collective bargaining agreement in 2005 that introduced a league-wide salary cap and other enforcement mechanisms. That agreement set precedents for disciplinary rules, which the Vegas Golden Knights invoked in June 2026 when they fined coach John Tortorella for skipping post-game media duties.

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Tortorella Departs

The Vegas Golden Knights announced on June 16, 2026 that head coach John Tortorella will not return for the 2026-27 season.
Hired in March 2026, Tortorella guided the Knights to a 7-0-1 regular season and a 14-8 playoff run before falling in the Stanley Cup Final.
The franchise was fined $100,000 after Tortorella missed post-game media duties in the second-round playoffs.
AHL head coach Ryan Craig is the leading candidate to replace Tortorella.

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