What appeared to be a desperate move by the Vegas Golden Knights when they dismissed Bruce Cassidy and hired John Tortorella late in the season actually follows a pattern that has produced championship results before.
After Tortorella led the Golden Knights through a sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado team on Tuesday night, he now stands on the verge of becoming just the eighth coach in NHL history to capture the Stanley Cup following a mid-season hiring.
Since 2000, this feat has been accomplished five times, with Larry Robinson’s journey with the New Jersey Devils in that year bearing the strongest resemblance to Tortorella’s situation, as Robinson also assumed control with only eight games left in the 1999-00 campaign. The other successful mid-season coaches had significantly more time to implement their systems.
Vegas turned to Tortorella following a disastrous stretch in March when the team dropped six of seven contests. Under his leadership, the Golden Knights posted a 7-0-1 record to close the regular season and have dominated the Western Conference playoffs with a 12-4 mark.
The most recent championship team to achieve success after changing coaches mid-season was St. Louis in 2018-19, when Craig Berube replaced Mike Yeo early in the campaign. Kris Knoblauch nearly accomplished the same feat in 2023-24 with Edmonton, falling just one victory short after losing Game 7 of the Final to Florida.
Should Tortorella successfully guide the Golden Knights to their second championship, the six instances of mid-season coaching changes leading to titles in the NHL since 2000 would match the combined total from the NFL (0), NBA (4) and Major League Baseball (2) throughout their entire histories.
This accomplishment occurred only twice in the NHL during the 20th century, with Toronto’s Dick Irwin achieving it in 1932 and Montreal’s Al MacNeil doing so in 1971, before becoming more common in recent years.
The NBA coaches who have won championships after mid-season hirings include Jack McKinney with the Lakers in 1980, Pat Riley twice with Los Angeles in 1982 and Miami in 2006, and Tyronn Lue with Cleveland in 2016. In baseball, Jack McKeon led the Florida Marlins to a World Series title in 2003, while Bob Lemon accomplished the same with the Yankees in 1978.
A detailed examination of the five most recent NHL coaches who captured Stanley Cup championships after taking over during the season reveals:
After firing Yeo just 19 games into the 2018-19 campaign, St. Louis promoted Berube. The Blues plummeted to last place by early January before mounting a remarkable comeback.
St. Louis secured second place in the Central Division and overcame a 3-2 series deficit against Dallas in the second round, winning in double overtime in Game 7. They then erased a 2-1 series deficit in the conference final, defeating San Jose in six games to reach their first Stanley Cup Final since 1970.
Berube then guided St. Louis through a seven-game series victory over Boston, delivering the franchise’s first championship.
Pittsburgh was struggling in the early portion of the 2015-16 season and appeared ready to squander another prime year of Sidney Crosby’s career when they dismissed Mike Johnston and elevated Sullivan from the AHL.
Energized by crucial midseason acquisitions and exceptional performances from Crosby, Pittsburgh surged into playoff contention and maintained that momentum. The Penguins dropped only three games total in the opening two rounds before rallying from a 3-2 deficit in the conference final to eliminate Tampa Bay.
They dominated San Jose in a six-game series, claiming the Stanley Cup for Crosby’s second championship.
The Kings sat in 11th place in the Western Conference during December and were struggling offensively when they fired Terry Murray and eventually convinced Sutter to leave his Alberta farm for his first coaching position in over five years.
Sutter’s direct approach and focus on fundamentals proved exactly what the Kings required, helping them secure a playoff berth as the eighth seed. They stormed through the playoffs, stunning top-seeded Vancouver in five games during the first round and winning 15 of their initial 17 playoff games.
Los Angeles ultimately defeated New Jersey in six games for the franchise’s first championship, with their four losses tying for the second-fewest in a Cup-winning playoff run since the first round expanded to best-of-seven format in 1987.
Following their Final appearance in 2008, the Penguins were barely above .500 by February the following season, prompting GM Ray Shero to dismiss Michel Therrien and promote Bylsma from the AHL.
Pittsburgh compiled an 18-3-4 record down the stretch to claim the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Penguins then navigated challenging series against Philadelphia and Washington before sweeping Carolina in the conference final.
This established a rematch opportunity against Detroit, and Pittsburgh prevailed this time, capturing Game 7 on the road for the franchise’s first title since 1992.
Despite holding first place in the East and owning the third-best record league-wide with eight games remaining in the regular season, GM Lou Lamoriello made the surprising choice to fire Robby Ftorek and elevate Robinson from his assistant coaching position.
New Jersey had managed just one playoff series victory over the previous four seasons and was faltering late in 2000 when Lamoriello determined a change was necessary.
His decision proved brilliant.
Robinson intensified practice schedules and emphasized defensive commitment, which proved crucial during a playoff run that included a comeback from a 3-1 deficit in the conference final against Philadelphia and a 2-1 double-overtime victory on the road in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against defending champion Dallas.
