How John Tortorella turned the Golden Knights back...

John Tortorella is in the business of winning, and that's why the Vegas Golden Knights are his latest customers. He blends a brazen yet structured personality with decades of hockey acumen and a track record of success at multiple levels. Those qualities have led to him winning a Stanley Cup, multiple playoff series, more than 770 combined regular-season and playoff games, in addition to being a member of the coaching staff that led the United States to the nation's first gold medal in men's Olympic hockey in 40 years. Barring something unforeseen, this is why Tortorella will have a job for as long as he wants in this sport. Coaches usually get deeply involved -- it's what they do. That's what made Tortorella's recent admission about learning how not to be so heavily involved rather surprising. Prior to his arrival, a franchise defined by the need to win was struggling by its standards. Bruce Cassidy, who coached the team to a Stanley Cup in 2023, had Vegas in a playoff spot entering late March, but the team had lost six of its past seven games. Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon made a change. Firing Cassidy was just as surprising as the decision to hire Tortorella -- who last coached the Philadelphia Flyers in 2024-25 -- with only eight games remaining in the regular season. Tortorella's priority was to establish stability. He has succeeded, as evidenced by the fact that the Golden Knights are in the Stanley Cup Final after overcoming a first-round deficit to the Utah Mammoth, breaking a 2-2 deadlock against the Anaheim Ducks in the second round and going on to sweep the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference finals. They are tied 1-1 heading into Game 3 on Saturday. "I think he has a lot of confidence. I think that was something you can see," McCrimmon said before the Western Conference finals. "There are times when a change has some benefits. A really direct communicator. I think he's been able to catch them doing things right, and we've got the best of Torts. "He's really enjoying his time here. He'll speak to that himself. But I think he's loved every bit of it, so that enthusiasm is infectious. I've heard our players say that they feel we've got a swagger back to our team." It's hard to argue with the results, even if the stability he has provided comes from a place of knowing when to take a step back. How is he doing it? And what allows a 67-year-old coach whose job is about involvement to show restraint? "We're still involved, but I think you need -- especially with this team when I came here, I think you need to respect the athletes," Tortorella said. "I think I need to coach this team different than I was coaching in Philly. I loved coaching in Philly. I love the players there. But a lot of them, probably 80%, were still kids learning what it is to be a pro. I think you have different subjects that you need to go over when you're dealing with a young team. Some of it is not even on the ice. "Here, with the veteran group and some of the experience and winning that's gone on in the organization, you need to coach differently." THERE IS SOME TRUTH in comedy, and there's a joke among NHL coaches, that you're hired just to be fired. By the end of the 2024-25 season, there were 25 NHL head coaches who'd been fired in-season over the past five years. Major League Baseball, the NBA and the NFL had a combined total of 32 in-season head coaching/managerial changes in that same amount of time, according to ESPN Research. Watch your favorite events in the newly enhanced ESPN App. Learn more about what plan is right for you. Sign Up Now Vegas has contributed to that churn. Tortorella, who was among the coaches fired in that window, is the fourth coach the Golden Knights have had in their nine seasons, despite winning a Stanley Cup in 2023 and making the playoffs in all but one year of their existence. Shuffling through coaches and learning how to quickly get on the same page comes with being a player in the contemporary NHL. Having only an eight-game window to do so before going into the playoffs is a bit more extreme than most situations. But again, Vegas is not like most situations. "It was a little bit different, obviously, having a new voice come in so late in the season," Golden Knights center Colton Sissons said. "I don't think any of us had been through that, but it was great just to rejuvenate the energy, and obviously, it's worked out pretty well." Tortorella's personality seems to have struck a chord with the players. "I think he's hilarious," Golden Knights forward Keegan Kolesar smiled. "I laugh my ass off every day with him in a great way, a positive way. He's very encouraging. It's been great for the team, and obviously, we're here for a reason, and I think he's been a big part of that." Naturally, that led to Tortorella being asked if he heard how Kolesar described him. "I don't think I remember being called that," Tortorella said. "A few other names ar

How John Tortorella turned the Golden Knights back...

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