Vegas Golden Knights dismiss head coach Bruce Cassidy, appoint John Tortorella
Las Vegas - The Vegas Golden Knights relieved Bruce Cassidy of his duties as head coach on Sunday, March 29, 2026, and named John Tortorella as his replacement with eight games left in the 2025-26 NHL regular season.[1][2]
General manager Kelly McCrimmon announced the change in a team news release. "We thank Bruce Cassidy for his dedication to our hockey club and community over the past four seasons," McCrimmon said. "Under Bruce’s leadership, we reached our ultimate goal in 2023 by bringing a Stanley Cup to Vegas."[1]
The decision follows a 5-4 shootout loss to the Washington Capitals on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.[1][2] The Golden Knights entered the day with a record of 32-26-16, placing third in the Pacific Division.[1]
If the standings held as of Sunday, Vegas would qualify for the playoffs as the second wild card in the Western Conference and face the Edmonton Oilers in the first round.[1]
Cassidy was hired as Vegas head coach on June 3, 2022.[3] He guided the expansion franchise, founded in 2017, to its first Stanley Cup title in 2023.[3][4]
Tortorella won the Stanley Cup as head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004.[5] He holds NHL career head coaching totals of 770-648-37.[1] Tortorella had not coached an NHL club this season after serving as an assistant for the United States at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, where the Americans claimed gold.[1]
McCrimmon added: "With John Tortorella, we bring in a Stanley Cup Champion as well as one of the most experienced and respected coaches in the NHL."[1]
Sources
- Fox News Digital, "The Vegas Golden Knights only have eight games remaining in the 2025-26 season, but decided to make the move to fire and replace their head coach", March 29, 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/sports
- Associated Press, "NHL hockey", March 2026, https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
- NHL.com, "Golden Knights name Bruce Cassidy head coach", June 3, 2022, https://www.nhl.com/news/golden-knights-name-bruce-cassidy-head-coach
- NHL.com, "Golden Knights win Stanley Cup", June 13, 2023, https://www.nhl.com/news/vegas-golden-knights-win-first-stanley-cup-in-franchise-history
- Wikipedia, "John Tortorella", accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tortorella
