An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella speaks to his players on the bench, Image 2 shows Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy holding a water bottle and hockey stick
John Tortorella is an NHL head coach once more.
Torts was named the new coach of the Vegas Golden Knights as the club simultaneously announced they had fired Bruce Cassidy on Sunday afternoon in a shocking move that was announced with just eight games left in the regular season.
The Golden Knights had underperformed this season, but remained in a playoff spot after losing 12 of their last 16 games prior to the coaching change, which could prove to be a massive risk for general manager Kelly McCrimmon.
Tortorella takes over behind the bench after not having coached this season — other than serving as an assistant coach for Team USA during the Olympics — and having been fired from his previous head coaching stint in Philadelphia.
“With John Tortorella, we bring in a Stanley Cup champion as well as one of the most experienced and respected coaches in the NHL,” McCrimmon said in a statement. “His guidance will be a great asset to our team at the pivotal point in the season we currently face.”
John Tortorella was hired as the coach of the Golden Knights on Sunday. USA TODAY Sports
The Golden Knights will be Tortorella’s sixth NHL coaching job.
“We thank Bruce Cassidy for his dedication to our hockey club and community over the past four seasons,” McCrimmon said.
“Under Bruce’s leadership, we reached our ultimate goal in 2023 by bringing a Stanley Cup to Vegas. Bruce will forever be remembered with the utmost regard by our organization for what was accomplished here. With the stretch run of the 2025-26 regular season upon us, we believe that a change is necessary for us to return to the level of play that is expected of our club.”
Cassidy led the Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup championship in 2023 during his first season behind the bench and went 178-99-43 during the regular season during his tenure.
Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy was fired. AP
Vegas had won 50 games twice during Cassidy’s tenure and the franchise had made the postseason in all three seasons, and was on the road toward another postseason appearance this year.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that prior to Sunday, there had never been a sense that Cassidy had lost the locker room or that his message had been getting stale.
Tortorella arrives in Sin City following a contentious exit from Philadelphia that ended during the final stretch of the 2024-25 season.
Tortorella went 97-107-33 during his three seasons with the Flyers.