John Tortorella and the Golden Knights Face NHL Penalties
John Tortorella avoided the media entirely on Thursday night.
The following day, the NHL took decisive action against the Golden Knights and their head coach.
The league penalized Tortorella by stripping the team of its second-round pick in the 2026 draft and imposing a $100,000 fine for skipping a postgame press conference after Game 6, which resulted in their advancement to the Western Conference finals against the Ducks.
Besides Tortorella’s absence from the press conference, the team’s locker room was also closed to media after the win.
The NHL released a statement indicating that Las Vegas had been forewarned about its breach of media policy.
“The National Hockey League announced today that the Vegas Golden Knights will forfeit their second-round pick in the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft due to a significant violation of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff Media Rules following Game 6 against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, May 14,” the league’s statement outlined.
Las Vegas has the option to appeal the ruling, and a hearing is scheduled in New York next week.
The Golden Knights acknowledged awareness of the decision but chose to refrain from further comments on the matter.
According to sources within the organization, the locker room’s closure was attributed to congestion in the Honda Center as teams boarded their buses.
Only three players spoke with the media, with Mitch Marner and Brett Howden appearing together at a press conference, while Shea Theodore handled inquiries separately.
Additionally, Elliott Friedman from Sportsnet noted that the team was unhappy with Brayden McNabb’s one-game suspension for an interference penalty, which contributed to the media shutdown.
Tortorella has had a number of contentious moments with the press throughout his career and was appointed as the Golden Knights’ head coach just a couple of months after Bruce Cassidy was let go.
This penalty coincides with the team’s preparations for the upcoming series against the Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals, which kicks off with Game 1 on Wednesday.
