Vegas Golden Knights Fire Head Coach

• The Golden Knights fired head coach Bruce Cassidy Sunday after a recent 1-6-0 skid
• John Tortorella was named head coach following a gold-medal Olympic stint
• With eight games remaining, Vegas aims to secure its Pacific Division playoff spot

NHL side The Vegas Golden Knights announced Sunday the departure of coach Bruce Cassidy, immediately replacing him with one of the league’s most polarizing and accomplished bench bosses, John “Torts” Tortorella.

Knights’ General manager Kelly McCrimmon announced the move hours after the sides sixth loss in seven games, a decline 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.

McCrimmon praised Cassidy’s tenure in a statement, calling him “forever remembered with the utmost regard,” but said the club needed “a change… to return to the level of play that is expected of our club.”

Cassidy, brought on board in 2022, delivered the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in 2023 and reached the playoffs in every season behind the bench. He had one year remaining on his five‑year contract.

“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 explained. “His 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.”

Torts Returns

Tortorella, 67, becomes the Golden Knight’s fourth head coach in the expansion team’s nine-year history.

His extensive résumé 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 2022–25.

He has one Stanley Cup championship under his belt, with Tampa Bay in 2004, which matches Cassidy’s record.

“Torts” 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.

Tortorella spent the 2025–26 season out of the NHL, serving as an assistant coach for the U.S. men’s national team during its gold‑medal run at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

The Golden Knights’ recent slump — punctuated by a 4–1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Saturday — has tightened the playoff race. Vegas trails Edmonton by three points for second place in the Pacific Division and faces a challenging closing schedule.