Bruce Cassidy was fired. © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / ETHAN MILLER

A coaching earthquake shakes the NHL

Shortly before the end of the regular season, an NHL team has taken a drastic measure: The Vegas Golden Knights have parted ways with their coach, even though they are on track for the playoffs.

March 30, 2026

From: sn

Bruce Cassidy was fired on Sunday and replaced by John Tortorella. The Golden Knights currently sit in third place in the Pacific Division, but have lost seven of their last ten games. The Canadian coach was hired in 2022 and led them to the Stanley Cup in his first year. Cassidy, who played in Alleghe for three years, also served as an assistant coach for Canada's Olympic team at the 2026 Milan Games.

“We thank Bruce Cassidy for his dedication over the past four seasons,” said Kelly McCrimmon, General Manager of the Golden Knights. “Under Bruce’s leadership, we achieved our ultimate goal in 2023 by bringing the Stanley Cup to Vegas. Bruce will forever be remembered with the utmost respect by our organization for what he has accomplished here. With the regular season drawing to a close, we believe a change is necessary to get us back to the level of play expected of our team.”

Pure experience

“With John Tortorella, we are bringing in a Stanley Cup winner and one of the most experienced and respected coaches in the NHL. His leadership will be a great asset to our team at this crucial point in the season where we currently find ourselves. We look forward to welcoming John to Vegas,” said McCrimmon.

John Tortorella takes over in Las Vegas. © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / BRUCE BENNETT

The 67-year-old Tortorella was already behind an NHL bench as an assistant coach in 1989. Since then, he has been under contract with eight different teams – most recently the Philadelphia Flyers.