Jack Eichel and John Tortorella are now part of the biggest news regarding the Vegas playoffs. The NHL has made it known that the Golden Knights had already been warned about following their media guidelines and other rules.
The Golden Knights are still in the playoffs, but they will face a penalty that will impact their future draft picks.
On Friday, it was reported that Vegas lost a second-round draft pick because they seriously broke the league’s media rules. Tortorella was also fined $100,000.
This decision came just one day after Vegas won against Anaheim with a score of 5-1, guaranteeing their place in the Western Conference Final.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Usually, winning a playoff game is the main focus. But the fact that the coach didn’t show up after the game grabbed the headlines the next day.
Coach John Tortorella is facing a fine of $100,000 too.
Vegas won the playoff round but lost some goodwill because of the NHL penalties. This is a tough spot for a team that has just reached the Western Conference Final for the fifth time in nine years. Instead of talking about their next games against Colorado and their game plans, they now have to answer questions about discipline.
This situation is really hard on Tortorella. He was hired on March 29 to motivate the team for the playoffs. On Friday, conversations about him changed from being about excitement to feelings of embarrassment.
Within the team, it’s obvious that this challenge is significant. Players can handle a loud coach, but they want to avoid any distractions that might lead to penalties from the league during this important playoff time.
Kelly McCrimmon is currently managing two significant tasks: making sure Vegas advances to the next round and dealing with a penalty that costs them something important. Losing a second-round draft pick matters, even for a team that wants to win now.
That’s why this situation matters a lot. The Golden Knights are still in the game, still a challenge, and still pushing ahead. However, what happened on Friday proved that skipping even one press conference can create more issues than just playing poorly in a game.
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