How John Tortorella made a quick impact on the Golden Knights - ESPN

John Tortorella is in the business of winning, and that's why the Vegas Golden Knights are his latest customers.

He blends a brazen yet structured personality with decades of hockey acumen and a track record of success at multiple levels.

Those qualities have led to him winning a Stanley Cup, multiple playoff series, more than 770 combined regular-season and playoff games, in addition to being a member of the coaching staff that led the United States to the nation's first gold medal in men's Olympic hockey in 40 years.

Barring something unforeseen, this is why Tortorella will have a job for as long as he wants in this sport.

Coaches usually get deeply involved — it's what they do. That's what made Tortorella's recent admission about learning how not to be so heavily involved rather surprising.

Prior to his arrival, a franchise defined by the need to win was struggling by its standards. Bruce Cassidy, who coached the team to a Stanley Cup in 2023, had Vegas in a playoff spot entering late March, but the team had lost six of its past seven games. Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon made a change.

Firing Cassidy was just as surprising as the decision to hire Tortorella — who last coached the Philadelphia Flyers in 2024-25 — with only eight games remaining in the regular season.

Tortorella's priority was to establish stability. He has succeeded, as evidenced by the fact that the Golden Knights are in the Stanley Cup Final after overcoming a first-round deficit to the Utah Mammoth, breaking a 2-2 deadlock against the Anaheim Ducks in the second round and going on to sweep the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference finals. They are tied 1-1 heading into Game 3 on Saturday.

«I think he has a lot of confidence.