Tortorella leaves door open for return to Vegas
Key takeaways
- "I haven't even [considered it]," Tortorella said.
- That was a different message than what Tortorella had conveyed just last week in an interview with Sportsnet.
- Vegas ultimately fell short of that goal, but Tortorella didn't immediately double-down on being done in the desert.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
LAS VEGAS -- The Vegas Golden Knights were still digesting their 3-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday when coach John Tortorella was asked what's next for him with the club -- and whether he'd be back behind the bench after a brief stint with the team that ended in utter disappointment.
"I haven't even [considered it]," Tortorella said. "I have to swallow [this loss] first."
That was a different message than what Tortorella had conveyed just last week in an interview with Sportsnet. At that time, Tortorella -- who was brought in to replace the fired Bruce Cassidy on March 29 and guide Vegas through its final eight regular-season games and into the playoffs -- said, "end of June, I'm done, as far as with Vegas." That seemed to reflect the arrangement Tortorella had with Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon in stepping in for Cassidy in the latter stages of the Golden Knights' regular season; he was a short-term solution to take the team through what they hoped would be a Cup-winning spring.