Tortorella Unsure After 3-0 Game 6 Loss National Hockey League
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.
