\n Posted on: March 29, 2026, 05:00h.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n
\n Last updated on: March 29, 2026, 05:00h.\n <\/p>\n
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- The Golden Knights fired head coach Bruce Cassidy Sunday after a recent 1-6-0 skid<\/strong><\/li>\n
- John Tortorella was named head coach following a gold-medal Olympic stint<\/strong><\/li>\n
- With eight games remaining, Vegas aims to secure its Pacific Division playoff spot<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The Vegas Golden Knights announced Sunday that they fired coach Bruce Cassidy and replaced him with one of the NHL\u2019s most polarizing and accomplished bench bosses, John Tortorella.<\/p>\n
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Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy was fired Sunday. (Image: Ethan Miller\/Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n General manager Kelly McCrimmon announced the move hours after the Knights\u2019 sixth loss in seven games, a skid that dropped Vegas into a precarious third place in the Pacific Division. With only eight games left before the postseason, McCrimmon framed the decision as a necessary intervention for a team that has struggled to regain its championship form.<\/p>\n
McCrimmon praised Cassidy\u2019s tenure in a statement, calling him \u201cforever remembered with the utmost regard,\u201d but said the club needed \u201ca change\u2026 to return to the level of play that is expected of our club.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cassidy, brought on board in 2022, delivered the franchise\u2019s first Stanley Cup in 2023 and reached the playoffs in every season behind the bench. He had one year remaining on his five\u2011year contract.<\/p>\n
Torts Returns<\/h2>\n
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John Tortorella, shown coaching the Philadelphia Flyers in 2022, has a reputation for confrontation. (Image: Leon Redkoles\/NHLI via Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Tortorella, 67, becomes the Golden Knight\u2019s fourth head coach in the expansion team\u2019s nine-year history. His extensive r\u00e9sum\u00e9 includes coaching 23 NHL seasons for the New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Columbus Blue Jackets, and most recently the Philadelphia Flyers from 2022\u201325.<\/p>\n
He has one Stanley Cup championship under his belt, with Tampa Bay in 2004, which matches Cassidy\u2019s record. However, for every player who would run through a wall for him, there is another who would rather retire than play for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cTorts\u201d\u2019 reputation is built on a specific brand of old-school, confrontational leadership in which, if a star player refuses to dive in front of a puck, he will be benched regardless of salary or status<\/p>\n
Tortorella spent the 2025\u201326 season out of the NHL, serving as an assistant coach for the U.S. men\u2019s national team during its gold\u2011medal run at the Milan Cortina Olympics.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith John Tortorella, we bring in a Stanley Cup Champion as well as one of the most experienced and respected coaches in the NHL,\u201d McCrimmon said. \u201cHis guidance will be a great asset to our team at the pivotal point in the season we currently face. We look forward to welcoming John to Vegas.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Golden Knights\u2019 recent slump \u2014 punctuated by a 4\u20131 loss to the Washington Capitals on Saturday \u2014 has tightened the playoff race. Vegas trails Edmonton by three points for second place in the Pacific Division and faces a challenging closing schedule.<\/p>\n
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- John Tortorella was named head coach following a gold-medal Olympic stint<\/strong><\/li>\n