Golden Knights surprisingly had a John Tortorella reason for hiring Ryan Craig as HC

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Golden Knights surprisingly had a John Tortorella reason for hiring Ryan Craig as HC originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Usually, teams that have gotten so close to the Stanley Cup rarely change things up. They want to explore the team chemistry more and just patch up holes in the culture to get over the hump. The Vegas Golden Knights know better than this. They may have seen John Tortorella take over well for Coach Bruce Cassidy but this did not guarantee a long-term deal. Ryan Craig was instead given the role but their previous head coach still played a role on why the AHL head coach and former assistant took over the reins.

Golden Knights unveil Tortorella reason for hiring Craig​

A lot of NHL fans may not know this but Coach Ryan Craig used to play for Coach John Tortorella. From 2005 to 2008. Craig was on the same Tampa Bay Lightning squad that Tortorella coached. So, there needed to be a big endorsement from the tenured head honcho before the Golden Knights hired their new one. General manager Kelly McCrimmon unveiled how Tortorella became part of why they hired Craig as the next head coach, via NHL.com.

"Interestingly, Tortorella had Ryan Craig as a player. He's got the same opinion of Ryan Craig that most people do. I know he was disappointed because he did want to coach our team next year, but I know also he's got a lot of regard for Ryan and a lot of respect for him. We thank 'Torts' for the guidance he provided our team since joining the organization in March. When the decision was made to bring Torts to Vegas, we needed an immediate impact to help us at a pivotal point in the season," the Golden Knights general manager said. "Torts' experience and leadership proved to be the boost that we were looking for, helping guide us to the Stanley Cup Final."

Notably, there is still a chance that Tortorella lands with an NHL squad in the coming season. The Edmonton Oilers have yet to find a replacement for Kris Knoblauch after their disappointing first-round exit despite having Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard.

For the Golden Knights, hopefully, the endorsement and respect that Coach Tortorella dished out to Coach Craig translates into winning another Stanley Cup in the coming years.

More Golden Knights News:​

• Kelly McCrimmon reveals why Golden Knights hired Ryan Craig as next head coach​

• Why Golden Knights aren't bringing back John Tortorella as head coach​

• Golden Knights' Jack Eichel turned into Ben Simmons during Stanley Cup playoffs​

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