Golden Knights fire Cassidy, hire Tortorella as replacement

The Vegas Golden Knights fired head coach Bruce Cassidy and tabbed John Tortorella as his replacement in a stunning move, the team announced Sunday.

Cassidy led the Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup title in 2023. He posted a 178-99-43 record across four seasons with the club.

"We thank Bruce Cassidy for his dedication to our hockey club and community over the past four seasons," 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 eight games left in the regular season, the Golden Knights currently hold a playoff spot but have just one win in their last seven contests. They've largely underwhelmed for most of the season despite boasting a highly talented roster, ranking tied for 23rd in the league in both wins and regulation wins.

"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," McCrimmon said. "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."

Tortorella last served as an NHL head coach with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2024-25. He was also an assistant coach for Team USA's gold-medal run at the 2026 Olympics.

The 67-year-old is a two-time Jack Adams Award winner (2004, 2017) who won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004. His 770 career wins rank ninth all time.