The NHL has decided to uphold its sanctions against the Vegas Golden Knights and head coach John Tortorella for violating playoff media rules.

Following their Game 6 win against the Anaheim Ducks, Vegas lost its 2026 second-round draft pick, and Tortorella was fined $100,000. The sanctions were imposed for “flagrant violations” of media regulations during the postseason.

In the announcement, the NHL permitted the Golden Knights to appeal the decision on May 19 in New York.

According to USA Today and NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the organization met with the league yesterday. The penalties, however, will remain as assessed.

The situation has drawn attention due to the severity of this punishment and the NHL's refusal to reduce it.

After beating the Ducks on May 15, Tortorella did not attend the postgame press conference. Furthermore, reporters were not given access to the players’ locker room.

Several reports linked the team’s unavailability to the frustration regarding defenseman Brayden McNabb's suspension during the playoff series.

In the announcement, the NHL stated that the Golden Knights had already received multiple warnings regarding the media policies before the incident. The Knights subsequently refused to comment on the penalties.

Tortorella himself has not talked about the punishment. During a presser on May 16, he declined to comment on the fine and echoed his team's statement.

Following the hearing, Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon spoke about the meeting with the NHL and expressed regret over the entire incident.

"When you win the series, you galvanize the bond with your fanbase," he stated, as per Mark Lazerus. "We missed that opportunity by not having John available to do postgame."

McCrimmon also assumed responsibility for the violation and mentioned Tortorella's decision not to speak at the post-fight presser.

"That's on John for failing to do that; that's on me as a general manager of the hockey club," he stated.

Concluding his statement, McCrimmon asserted that the incident won't be repeated and refused to take any further questions.

"We have no explanation other than to say we were wrong," he stated. "And to assure you that it will not happen again."

The organization will aim to regroup ahead of the Western Conference Finals against the Colorado Avalanche.

Vegas opens with a win against Colorado

The Vegas Golden Knights opened the Western Conference Finals with a 4-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche.

On Wednesday night at the Ball Arena, Vegas scored three goals in the first three periods after weathering Colorado's early onslaught. The Golden Knights were heavily outshot, as goaltender Carter Hart made 36 saves to maintain the lead.

Defenseman Dylan Coghlan broke the deadlock before Winger Pavel Dorofeyev added another. Brett Howden scored early in the third period to establish a healthy lead.

Colorado's offensive efforts finally bore fruit, with winger Val Nichushkin and captain Gabriel Landeskog scoring to reduce the deficit. Vegas forward Nic Dowd sealed the win two minutes before the end.

The Avalanche clearly missed its star defenseman, Cale Makar, who was out due to an injury.

The series will now move to Denver, with Colorado hoping to level the tie.

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Sijo Paul