It's been over two decades since John Tortorella led the Tampa Bay Lightning to the first Stanley Cup in franchise history in 2004. Since then, Tortorella has led the New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Philadelphia Flyers. During that time, he became one of the most well-known coaches in the NHL and registered the ninth-most wins by a coach in NHL history, while also becoming the second-winningest American coach. With that being said, it all began when the Lightning took a chance on him during the 2000-01 season and gave him his first head coaching role in the NHL. On Sunday, Tortorella joined a new team in a shock move. The Vegas Golden Knights fired Bruce Cassidy with just eight games remaining in the regular season and replaced him with Tortorella despite sitting in a playoff spot. The following night, Tortorella was behind the bench as a member of the Golden Knights organization for the first time. In his debut, Tortorella led the Golden Knights to a victory as they defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-2. As things currently stand, Vegas will likely be heading back to the playoffs, as they sit third in the Pacific Division with 82 points, but it is far from guaranteed.
