NHL strips Golden Knights of second-round pick, fines Tortorella $100k

Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella
Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella Melissa Majchrzak / CTK / AP

The NHL stripped the Vegas Golden Knights of a 2026 second-round pick and fined head coach John Tortorella $100k on Friday after violating league media regulations.

Tortella, 67, withheld from the press conference following his team's series-clinching win over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday. The team also closed off their dressing room to outside media for post-game interviews. 

Forwards Mitch Marner and Brett Howden spoke to the media for a brief 10 minutes, during which the former of the two said they only had a short time before Torts and the bus would leave them.

In a statement by the NHL, the Knights had been previously warned about violating media regulations. 

The Knights denied to comment on the harsh penalty. 

Following their Game 6 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, the Knights now head to the Western Conference Finals, where they'll be taking on the NHL's No. 1 team in the Colorado Avalanche, who beat the Minnesota Wild in five games. 

Game 1 is scheduled for Wednesday, May 20th.

The last time the Golden Knights made the WCF was in 2023, when they went on to win the Stanley Cup Final.