NEW YORK — The National Hockey League has rejected the Vegas Golden Knights’ request to overturn penalties imposed for violating media access requirements, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The sources requested anonymity since the league has not publicly disclosed the appeal outcome.
Last Friday, the NHL stripped Vegas of a second-round draft selection and imposed a $100,000 fine on coach John Tortorella for what officials described as blatant violations of media policies. Following the team’s series-clinching Game 6 win at Anaheim on Thursday evening, Tortorella declined to meet with reporters and the organization failed to provide locker room access.
When announcing the penalties, league officials noted that the Golden Knights had received prior warnings about failing to comply with media and other organizational policies. The team was given an opportunity to present their case directly to Commissioner Gary Bettman this week, but their efforts to recover the draft pick or reduce the financial penalty were ultimately unsuccessful.
This marks the harshest penalty ever imposed by the league for media access violations. Vegas will begin the Western Conference Final on Wednesday evening against the Colorado Avalanche.
When questioned about the sanctions on Saturday, Tortorella responded to Las Vegas media members: “We put out a statement as an organization, and so we’ll go back that. We have no more comment on that.” The referenced statement merely acknowledged awareness of the league’s announcement and indicated no additional comments would be forthcoming.
Tortorella assumed coaching duties on an interim basis following Bruce Cassidy’s dismissal on March 29. Under his leadership, the Golden Knights posted a 7-0-1 record in their final eight regular-season contests, then defeated the Utah Mammoth and the Ducks to reach the Western Conference final for the fourth time in the franchise’s nine-year history.
At age 67, Tortorella previously guided the Tampa Bay Lightning to Stanley Cup victory in 2004. Throughout his NHL career, he has accumulated $262,000 in fines for various infractions.
