Vegas Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella reacted after his team lost the Stanley Cup Finals to the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Golden Knights’ miracle playoff run ended in six games when the Hurricanes beat them 3-0 in Game 6 and won the Stanley Cup Finals with a 4-2 series record.

For Vegas, it’s a tough loss to the season after they went on such an amazing run following the team’s hiring of Tortorella in March, after they let go of former coach Bruce Cassidy. After a 7-0-1 regular-season record to finish the year under Tortorella, the Golden Knights won the first three rounds of the playoffs to make it to the finals.

But Carolina proved to be the better team and knocked Vegas out in six games to end their chance of hoisting the Stanley Cup for the second time in three years after winning it in 2023.

John Tortorella Reacts to Golden Knights Losing SCF

Speaking to reporters after the Golden Knights lost in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, Tortorella shared his reaction to the team facing a bitter end to the season.

“I thought their goaltender was really good tonight. Since he’s come in, he’s been very good,” Tortorella said of Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi.

“(Carolina) is a good hockey team. It’s a well-coached team. It’s a team that checks. Their goalie gives them a really good opportunity in the second part of the series to win the Stanley Cup. I’m not going to take anything away from Carolina. That’s a good club, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for (Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour) and his staff.

“But we put some good minutes in, too. But we couldn’t find our way, and they did. As I’ve always said, it’s a find-your-way league. It’s just trying to find a way. They did tonight, and they beat us.”

What’s Next for John Tortorella?

Tortorella was the interim head coach for the Golden Knights, so there is no guarantee that he will be back with the team next season.

When asked if he wants to return to the Golden Knights next year, the veteran coach said he hasn’t thought about it yet, as he’s been fully locked in the moment of being in the Stanley Cup Finals.

“I haven’t even (thought about it). I’ve got to swallow this (loss) a little bit,” Tortorella said, while also praising his team’s roster.

“I like the team. It’s a good group of guys. Driven, as I said, experienced, they’re good pros. It’s a really good team.”

At 67 years of age, Tortorella is one of the oldest NHL head coaches right now. But he showed that age is just a number with a terrific coaching performance for Vegas during his eight regular-season games with the team and then during the four rounds of the playoffs.

It will be interesting to see what the Golden Knights do here, as Tortorella is clearly still a top coach in the league. But the club may want to go with someone younger and someone who can be with the franchise long term instead.