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Tortorella will always be remembered for his wild one-year reign of error in Vancouver and the infamous ‘Torts Tunnel Tirade’ Jan. 18, 2014
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Published Mar 29, 2026 • Last updated 44 minutes ago • 3 minute read
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Eddie Lack, Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows watch Vancouver Canucks head coach John Tortorella as he exchanges words with players and coaches of the Calgary Flames on Jan. 18, 2014 at Rogers Arena. Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Imag /PNGArticle content
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John Tortorella won a Stanley Cup and Jack Adams Award in 2004 as head coach of the upstart Tampa Bay Lightning and membership in that exclusive club often ensures current and future NHL employment.
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Somebody is always going to take a chance on a bench boss who has won it all.
The Vegas Golden Knights are the latest to give Tortorella the keys to their car and he will either drive them to success or into the ditch with his sixth NHL coaching stop after replacing the fired Bruce Cassidy.
Tortorella, 67, was dismissed as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers a year ago, which led to the eventual hiring of Rick Tocchet, and he’s expected to face one of his former clubs Monday in Vegas when the Vancouver Canucks make their second stop on a four-game trip.
The hiring rationale for the Golden Knights, who are clinging to third place in the Pacific Division with a 32-26-16 mark but on a 3-5-2 slide is obvious: If you want to shake up your club, bring in somebody who will snap them attention in short order. He has reportedly agreed to a contract through the club’s remaining eight regular-season games and playoffs. Anything longer will be discussed when the Vegas season ends.
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“With John Tortorella, we bring in a Stanley Cup champion as well as one of the most experienced and respected coaches in the NHL,” said Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon. “His guidance will be a great asset to our team at the pivotal point in the season we currently face.”
Canucks head coach John Tortorella talks to Eddie Lack before the Heritage Classic on March 2, 2104 at B.C. Place. Roberto Luongo expected to play.
The Canucks said the same about Tortorella before his one-year reign of error in an erratic and entertaining 2013-14 season, in which the club missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign. He was fired on May 1, 2014 and replaced by Willie Desjardins.
Tortorella will always be remembered here for the infamous Torts Tunnel Tirade on Jan.18, 2014.
There was a fiery first-intermission fracas in the hallway outside the Calgary Flames locker room at Rogers Arena where Tortorella took exception to the coaching ploy of Bob Hartley.
It started with Hartley icing a physical lineup, Tortorella responding in the same manner and a 5-on-5 line brawl ensuing. However, the night won’t be remembered as much for that or the Canucks rallying for a 3-2 shootout victory.
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It would go down as one of the most bizarre incidents in franchise history that would either galvanize or further unravel a club struggling to make the playoffs. We know what happened. It was the beginning of the end.
Tortorella was suspended for 15 days without pay. He missed six games and wasn’t allowed to have any interaction with his club before, during or after games for his off-ice antics against the Flames. Hartley was fined $25,000 for icing his starting lineup.
If all that craziness was simply the art of deflection by Tortorella — nobody was talking about the 20th-ranked offence and 24th-ranked power play that crazy night — then it came at quite a cost. The heach coach said he would never do anything to embarrass the organization. He was wrong.
Tortorella has served as an NHL head coach for 23 seasons and coached in 1,620 NHL games, which ranks sixth all-time and first among coaches born in the United States. His 770 wins stand as the second-most for American coaches and ninth among NHL bench bosses.
In the post-season, Tortorella’s clubs have 56 wins. He has been part of 12 different trips to the Stanley Cup playoffs.
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