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John Tortorella Being Fined $100,000 for Not Talking to the Media is the Most Torts Thing Ever
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The Vegas Golden Knights appealed their NHL-imposed sanctions in New York on Tuesday morning and it was determined shortly afterward that the punishment will remain as assessed, sources told ESPN.
The league fined coach John Tortorella $100,000 and stripped the team of its 2026 second-round draft pick for “flagrant violations” of the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoff media regulations.
The NHL dropped the hammer after the Knights beat Anaheim in the Western Conference semifinals. Torts didn’t speak to media after the game, the dressing room was closed, and the league says it gave Vegas several prior warnings about dodging media duties.
It’s funny because Torts just had to come out and do one of his patented 80-second press conferences. Just give out some one-word answers, or zero-word answers, like he did a few years ago after Felix Sandstrom had a stinker. Hell, all he really had to do was pull a Marshawn Lynch and say “I’m just here so I don’t get fined.” Then he scoots off to the next round to get hammered by the Colorado Avalanche.
As for the punishment itself – isn’t that pretty steep? A $100,000 fine and loss of a second round draft pick is crazy for this particular infraction. The CBA says what it says, but the media is not that important. We can create content without quotes, like clipping the video of that dirtball Evgeni Malkin committing two high sticking penalties at the same time. The NHL must have really wanted to send a message to Vegas because the punishment definitely doesn’t fit the crime. Tampa racked up like 400 penalty minutes in a preseason goonfest vs. the Panthers and they were docked the same amount of money.
How much is Torts making this year anyway? NHL coaches usually make a few million dollars, but he took the reins in Vegas on March 30th, so he hasn’t even been in charge for two months. Is his salary prorated? How long does it take him to make $100k with the new team? He was fined more than most of us make in a whole year. Outrageous!
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com