The national hockey league title slipped away Sunday, and John Tortorella would not say whether he will be back with the Vegas Golden Knights next season. Vegas fell 3-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, closing the series on a shutout loss.
Tortorella said, "I haven't even … I've got to swallow this a little bit." The 67-year-old added, "I feel very fortunate how this all came about, and just kind of in a weird way at the end of the year."
Tortorella and the Vegas run
He arrived on March 29 to replace the fired Bruce Cassidy and helped push Vegas into a run few teams get to make. The Golden Knights finished the regular season on a 7-0-1 run, won the Pacific Division by two points over the Edmonton Oilers and then went 12-4 in the postseason.
That path included series wins over the Utah Mammoth, Anaheim Ducks and Colorado Avalanche before the Final. Vegas also avoided back-to-back losses throughout the postseason, a stretch that carried it into a 2-1 lead in the Final before the collapse against Carolina.
Carolina closes the series
The Hurricanes turned that 2-1 deficit into three straight wins, finishing with the 3-0 result in Game 6. For Vegas, the ending sharpened the coaching decision hanging over a team that had been in danger of missing the playoffs before Tortorella took over.
Tortorella said, "And then to get locked in with these guys, I just feel fortunate to get to know the team, get to know the organization, first-class organization, and just to have the opportunity." He added, "Like I said, I’ve wanted to coach, I want to coach. And to jump into this with this gang, I feel so fortunate."
Future for Vegas
The next call now sits with the Golden Knights’ leadership after a season that moved from uncertainty to the Final and ended with a shutout loss. Bill Foley, George McPhee, Kelly McCrimmon and Ryan Craig are part of the personnel picture around a team that reached the last round but finished without the Cup.
The coaching choice will shape whether Vegas keeps the same voice after a 12-4 postseason run or turns to another direction after the three-game finish against Carolina. Tortorella’s answer after Game 6 left the issue open, and that leaves the Golden Knights with a decision that goes beyond one loss.
