NHL

Golden Knights Make Coaching Change as NHL Regular Season Winds Down, Tortorella Welcomed to Vegas

Fired one year ago as coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, prior to joining the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, John Tortorella coached five other NHL teams.
Golden Knights Make Coaching Change as NHL Regular Season Winds Down, Tortorella Welcomed to Vegas
Head coach John Tortorella speaks during a news conference after his first game with the Vegas Golden Knights, a 4–2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 30, 2026. Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Donald Laible
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Game 1 is in the books for John Tortorella as the Vegas Golden Knights coach.

Monday’s home game with the Vancouver Canucks was the 75th on the Golden Knights’ schedule of this NHL season but the debut for the team’s newest coach. Tortorella was officially welcomed as the fourth coach in the team’s nine seasons in the league. Bruce Cassidy’s dismissal came quickly on an off day, less than 24 hours after Saturday’s 5–4 shootout loss to the Washington Capitals at home.

Donald Laible
Donald Laible
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Don has covered pro baseball for several decades, beginning in the minor leagues as a radio broadcaster in the NY Mets organization. His Ice Chips & Diamond Dust blog ran from 2012-2020 at uticaod.com. His baseball passion surrounds anything concerning the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and writing features on the players and staff of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Don currently resides in southwest Florida.