Vegas Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella explained what makes his team so special as they close in on winning the Stanley Cup.
The Golden Knights won 5-4 in double overtime against the Carolina Hurricanes after Shea Theodore won the game for them. Mitch Marner also had a natural hat trick and 4 points as the Golden Knights took a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals, with Game 4 headed back to Vegas on Tuesday.
It was another impressive performance by Vegas, which needs just two more wins to earn the hockey club’s second Stanley Cup in its nine-year franchise history.
John Tortorella Explains Why the Golden Knights Are Special
Speaking to reporters after the team’s victory in Game 3, Tortorella was asked an excellent question. A media member noted to him that while we all see how great this team is on the ice, what is something that the rest of us who aren’t in the locker room know about the team? Here’s what the coach said, giving the Hurricanes some love as well.
“I’m sure they talk about it too, over there in Carolina — I think the intangible of teams getting this far (into the playoffs) is the camaraderie, the tightness of it. That’s what draws me into this game, just love being in the game, is to watch a team be a team. And not just on the ice, more importantly, off the ice before they get there. It’s there with the team, and I’m sure it is across the way. Those are some of the most important things if you want to get to a point of the year that we are at now,” Tortorella said.
Will the Golden Knights Extend John Tortorella?
When the Golden Knights fired former head coach Bruce Cassidy with just eight games to go in the regular season, the 67-year-old Tortorella was given the title of interim head coach, with the thought process that he could help spark the team to a playoff spot and potentially make a run.
Well, he’s done that and more.
After going 7-0-1 under Tortorella in his eight regular-season games, the Golden Knights stole the Pacific Division from the Edmonton Oilers by just two points. The Golden Knights then beat the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks in the first two rounds before sweeping the mighty Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals.
Now, in the Stanley Cup Finals, Tortorella has his team up 2-1 in the series, meaning they are just two wins away from hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup once again.
At 67, Tortorella is the second-oldest head coach in the NHL, right behind 71-year-old Rick Bowness of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Golden Knights may decide that they want to go with a younger coach for the franchise going forward, such as Ryan Craig, the 44-year-old head coach of the team’s AHL affiliate, the Henderson Golden Knights. Craig has been tabbed for a while now to be the Golden Knights’ head coach of the future, and the team was likely going to hand him the keys to the big-league club as early as next season.
But given what Tortorella has done in Vegas, it feels like he will be kept around for at least a few more years, especially if the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup.
Adam Martin Adam Martin is a sports journalist with over 15 years of experience. He has a speciality in MMA, while also covering the Big 4 Sports. Adam is currently a contributor to Heavy.com, with previous experience working for The Toronto Star, Sportsnet, theScore, Bookies, BJPenn.com, and MMAOddsbreaker.com. More about Adam Martin
