Vince Comunale
The Vegas Golden Knights are the most hated team in the NHL, so it only makes sense that they would hire the coach that is widely regarded as the most hated, John Tortorella. In what was a shocking coaching change with just eight games remaining in the regular season, Tortorella was hired and Bruce Cassidy, who coached the Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup Championship just three seasons ago, was fired.
The Golden Knights went on to win seven of their eight final games of their season, putting Tortorella at exactly 777 regular-season wins for his career. That has to be some sort of good omen to land on that exact number of wins as a head coach of a team in Las Vegas. Those 777 regular-season wins rank him ninth all-time.
For Tortorella this is his sixth different bench boss job in the NHL after stints with the Lightning, Rangers, Canucks, Blue Jackets, and Flyers. Prior to joining the Golden Knights, Tortorella had coached 1,620 regular-season games, won 770 of them, and guided the Lightning to the 2004 Stanley Cup Championship along the way.
While the move by the Golden Knights was certainly unorthodox, it was on brand for them. In their brief nine-year existence, the Golden Knights have shown a relentless and unapologetic drive for success. There is no coach that embodies relentless and unapologetic more than Tortorella. After the series-clinching Game 6 victory of their second-round match-up with Anaheim, Tortorella declined to speak to the media and did not open the locker room for media availability. Most NHL coaches would never dream of blatantly violating NHL policy, but this was far from the first time that Tortorella pulled that type of stunt. Tortorella was fined $100,000 for his actions and the Golden Knights lost their 2026 second-round pick as punishment.
Being disciplined by the NHL is nothing new for Tortorella. He has accumulated a long history of fines and suspensions throughout his career. Some of his more notable transgressions include the following:
- While head coach of the Flyers in March of 2024 he was suspended for two games and fined $50,000 for refusing to leave the bench after being assessed a game misconduct during the first period of a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fGbHR-9_70
- While head coach of the Blue Jackets in January of 2020, he was fined $25,000 for abruptly walking out of a post-game playoff press conference. This fine was tied to a previously issued conditional fine for being difficult with the media.
- In May of 2009, while head coach of the Rangers, he was suspended for one game during the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a physical altercation with fans. After being heckled in the third period of Game 5 against the Washington Capitals, he threw a water bottle at a fan and attempted to poke them with a stick through a gap in the glass. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikMrh_EsYD8
- Perhaps, the most famous (or infamous) Tortorella incident occurred on January 18, 2014. Tortorella attempted to storm the Calgary Flames locker room to get to then-Flames head coach Bob Hartley because Hartley had started his goonish fourth line. Tortorella responded in kind and as soon as the puck dropped to start the game, a donnybrook ensued. The opening five minutes of the game alone resulted in 142 penalty minutes and several game misconducts. Tortorella made a beeline to the Calgary locker room after the first period ended, and chaos ensued. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp3jTm9JdCA
- Tortorella was suspended for 15 days (six games) without pay for his part in the fracas. Hartley was also fined $25,000 for starting his fourth line.
Despite the $100,000 fine and lost draft pick he has already been assessed in his short tenure in Vegas, this version of Tortorella seems to be a more reflective and gracious one. He knows that this could be his last shot at coaching in the NHL, let alone winning a championship. “I’ve been very fortunate in the opportunities that I’ve been given in the league,” said Tortorella in a recent interview with Elliotte Friedman of SportsNet.
In fact, there is a much softer side to Tortorella that many people might not realize. Tortorella and his wife Christine run the John and Christine Tortorella Family Foundation (TFF). The TFF website states that the mission of the foundation is, “Helping those who protect children, animals, and the environment from harm.” https://www.tortorellafoundation.org
His wife Christine is a children’s book author and song writer. You can learn more about her work at DoBugsHaveBellyButtons.com. All the proceeds from the sale of her books go back into the foundation to benefit literacy programs.
Arguably, the most noteworthy charity work that the Tortorella’s have undertaken falls under their “Bear’s Angels” initiative. Named after the Tortorella’s beloved dog, Bear, the foundation supports many efforts by underwriting unique programs that promote adoptions, emergency care for abused or abandoned animals, rescue and transport from high-kill shelters and the construction of animal housing and play yards to assist rescues caring for homeless dogs and cats. To learn more about “Bears Angels” click on the following link: https://www.tortorellafoundation.org/about-bears-angels/. Tortorella has joked in interviews numerous times, “I’d rather be with the animals than the people.”
As you can see, there is more to John Tortorella than the outward, rugged, and sometimes standoffish façade. While the version of Tortorella that is coaching the Golden Knights might be a more reflective and appreciative one, make no mistake that his desire to win is still as fierce as ever. His 68th birthday is on June 24th. The last possible game of the Stanley Cup Final is June 17th. While he won gold just four months ago as an assistant coach with Team USA, you can bet that winning that big silver trophy would be the greatest early birthday gift he has ever received.
