Vegas Golden Knights Fire Coach Bruce Cassidy, Hire John Tortorella

The Golden Knights are making a coaching change with eight games left in the regular season.

Mar. 29, 2026 at 10:33pm

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The Vegas Golden Knights have fired head coach Bruce Cassidy and hired veteran coach John Tortorella to take over the team. Cassidy led the Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup championship in 2023, but the team has struggled this season and sits in third place in the Pacific Division with eight games remaining.

Why it matters

The Golden Knights have been one of the most successful expansion teams in NHL history, making the playoffs in all but one season since their inception in 2017. The decision to fire Cassidy and bring in Tortorella signals that the team's ownership and management are not satisfied with the team's current performance and are looking to make a change to get the team back on track for a playoff push.

The details

The Golden Knights announced Cassidy's firing on March 29, with general manager Kelly McCrimmon citing the need for a change to return the team to its expected level of play. Tortorella, who has 770 career wins as an NHL head coach, will take over the team. Tortorella last coached in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2025 before being fired with nine games left in the season.

  • The Golden Knights announced Cassidy's firing on March 29, 2026.
  • Tortorella's debut as Golden Knights head coach could come on March 30, 2026 when the team hosts the Vancouver Canucks.

The players

Bruce Cassidy

The former head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, who led the team to a Stanley Cup championship in 2023.

John Tortorella

The veteran NHL head coach who has been hired to replace Bruce Cassidy as the head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights.

Kelly McCrimmon

The general manager of the Vegas Golden Knights, who announced the decision to fire Bruce Cassidy.

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What they’re saying

“Bruce will forever be remembered with the utmost regard by our organization for what was accomplished here.”

— Kelly McCrimmon, General Manager, Vegas Golden Knights

“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.”

— Kelly McCrimmon, General Manager, Vegas Golden Knights

What’s next

Tortorella's debut as Golden Knights head coach could come on March 30, 2026 when the team hosts the Vancouver Canucks.

The takeaway

The Golden Knights' decision to fire Stanley Cup-winning coach Bruce Cassidy and hire veteran John Tortorella signals that the team's ownership and management are not satisfied with the team's current performance and are looking to make a change to get the team back on track for a playoff push.