The Vegas Golden Knights showed ruthless pragmatism when they fired head coach Bruce Cassidy on Sunday.
They replaced him with 67-year-old John Tortorella, who was behind Vegas’ bench right away on Monday against the Vancouver Canucks at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. He was also shown on the broadcast during the game, along with a hilarious description.
John Tortorella in a suit for Game 1 with the Golden Knights. pic.twitter.com/rWm0nqggEg
— Adam Kimelman (@NHLAdamK) March 31, 2026
There are other ways to describe Tortorella, as he’s one of the most colorful figures in hockey, but calling him an “old wise man” isn’t inaccurate either.
The mercurial head coach has won a Stanley Cup before, having guided the Tampa Bay Lightning to the top of the NHL in 2004. He is also ninth all-time in coaching wins in the league with 771 to his name, including the Golden Knights’ 4-2 win over Vancouver, another team that he coached before.
That being said, Tortorella has some big shoes to fill in the wake of the Vegas’ stunning decision to fire Cassidy, who steered the franchise to its first-ever (and still only) Stanley Cup win in 2023.
The Golden Knights decided to let Cassidy go amid the team’s pursuit of a spot in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. They sit third in the Pacific Division standings with 82 points on a 33-26-16 record, with seven games remaining.
