LAS VEGAS -- The Golden Knights weren't the only ones who needed to relearn about themselves when John Tortorella took over as coach on March 29.
Turns out, the grizzled veteran coach who's been known to ruffle some feathers with an abrasive approach became a student, too.
"In the short time I've been with them, I watched them and listened to them," Tortorella said Tuesday night after the Golden Knights clinched a berth into the Stanley Cup Final. "I've learned a ton from them. I've learned ... I think coaches overcoach. I think we overcoach, and I think we get in the way sometimes.
"This group here, especially after me being with younger teams prior to this, I hope to be a better coach and learned more to have some listening skills when you're dealing with veteran players."
The Golden Knights were on the brink of being eliminated from playoff contention after losing 19 of 27 when former coach Bruce Cassidy was fired and Tortorella was brought in to spark life into the team.
Vegas closed the regular season on a 7-0-1 run, won the Pacific Division, won 12 of 16 in the playoffs - including their last six - and now return to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in the team's nine-year existence.
Vegas beat the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche in four games, taking Games 1 and 2 in Denver and then sealing things at home in Games 3 and 4, including Tuesday's 2-1 clincher at T-Mobile Arena.
"I think it's just the way that he communicates with us on a day-to-day basis, his message, his demeanor," Vegas star center Jack Eichel said. "I think it's definitely felt like a group effort, and he's constantly coming to us for feedback, and I think his message has been received really well."
Eichel said it's been the cohesiveness between Tortorella and the players that made the transition from Cassidy, who led the team to its first Stanley Cup title in 2023, seamless with eight games left in the campaign.
"I think the guys have a lot of confidence in him, and really believe in what he's saying," Eichel said. "And I think he's done a good job of getting the most out of the group, so it's definitely been a collective group effort."
Tortorella also said coaching an elite group with playoff experience and great chemistry allowed him to differentiate between two coaching philosophies.
"I think in the regular season, I wasn't here much during the regular season, sometimes you coach at them," Tortorella said. "During the playoffs, you coach with them. So it gave me an opportunity to be with them and understand what they see. And with such a veteran group, I learned a ton.
"Hopefully, we play a few more games and continue to learn more and succeed together."
The Knights await the winner of the Eastern Conference Final between the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes, who lead the series 2-1.