After a short stint with the Vegas Golden Knights, many wondered if it was time for former Tampa Bay Lightning coach John Tortorella to step away from behind the bench. In a recent interview with The Athletic's Joe Smith, Tortorella squashed that idea.

Tortorella, 68, took over head coaching responsibilities in Vegas with just eight regular season games remaining this past season. He led the powerhouse team to a Western Conference Championship and they fought hard against the Carolina Hurricanes for the Stanley Cup, but came up short.

Although Tortorella technically got his first NHL opportunity as a head coach during the 1999-00 season with the New York Rangers, it was his time in Tampa that elevated him amongst the sport's top bench bosses. He took over the Lightning job during the 2000-01 season and just a few years later, he helped the organization lift their first Stanley Cup.

Now, a quarter of a century after he took over behind the bench in Tampa, he's still on the market looking for a job. While it's abnormal for Tortorella to be out of a job for a long period of time, as some team in the NHL will always benefit from his ability to get the best out of his players during the regular season, he has had multiple points in his career where he has sat on the sidelines for a season or two.