Golden Knights fire Bruce Cassidy, hire John Tortorella

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe Vegas Golden Knights fired coach Bruce Cassidy on Sunday and turned to John Tortorella to replace him.The move comes with Vegas having lost six of its past seven games, the latest setback a 5-4 defeat in a shootout to the Washington Capitals on Saturday night."We thank Bruce Cassidy for his dedication to our hockey club and community over the past four seasons," Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said in a statement. "Under Bruce's leadership, we reached our ultimate goal in 2023 by bringing a Stanley Cup to Vegas. Bruce will forever be remembered with the utmost regard by our organization for what was accomplished here. With the stretch run of the 2025-26 regular season upon us, we believe that a change is necessary for us to return to the level of play that is expected of our club."With John Tortorella, we bring in a Stanley Cup Champion as well as one of the most experienced and respected coaches in the NHL. 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."The Golden Knights are 32-26-16 on the season, third in the Pacific Division, with eight regular-season games remaining as they look to earn a berth to the Western Conference playoffs.Tortorella last coached the Philadelphia Flyers, who fired him in March 2025 amid his third season with the team.