City National Arena was packed with Vegas Golden Knights fans on a Wednesday. Mind you, there was a baseball game next door, which was drawing plenty of people in. However, the main attraction at the Golden Knights practice was none other than the new head coach, John Tortorella.
After Bruce Cassidy was relieved of his duties on Sunday, the new Golden Knights head coach took the reins and made his intentions clear. The change was coming from the mindset, where the team felt the most defeated.
No major changes to the structures or the lines (at least on Monday). The team needed a kick in the pants. Lo and behold, that was apparent during Wednesday's practice, when a packed house watched the Golden Knights play. Better warn the 31 other teams because the Golden Knights are coming.
Okay, maybe we should pump the brakes a little. But you get the point.
Anyways, here's what the Golden Knights were doing with their new head coach in tow. Fans witnessed what the new coach brought to the rink and how his style affected the team. Let's look at what the fans witnessed and what style Tortorella brought to the table.
John Tortorella places a massive emphasis on tempo
Throughout Wednesday's practice, the Vegas Golden Knights were zipping up and down the ice. They steered away from doing clunkier line rushes and focused more on speed and an up-tempo offense. That's the type of style that Tortorella hopes to bring to the Golden Knights for the remainder of 2025-26.
He talked about not changing too much in terms of the team's current style, focusing on changing the team's overall mindset instead. That starts with giving the team more space during the rushes segment and letting them roam more freely in a north-south style.
Tortorella believes in a more old-school approach
After the rushes were done, Tortorella had the entire Golden Knights team doing a couple of laps around the rink. The move was meant to get the team stimulated and awake, having them snap out of a slumber.
Honestly, that's not a bad approach to take with a team that hasn't been feeling the emotion lately. The Golden Knights were far too complacent with coasting through games and playing comfortably in games. With Tortorella, that style changed and he's getting the team active throughout the practices.
Overall, a nice change from Tortorella with the Vegas Golden Knights
Tortorella is more of an old-school head coach than people believe. That style was apparent throughout the practice, where the players skated laps around the rink to wake them up. It was also apparent when the team did more rushes throughout the practice, practicing a north-south style.
Judging from the fan reactions at City National Arena, the change was greatly needed. Yes, Cassidy's style was based on execution and fundamentals. But the team seems to respond well to Tortorella's style, moving at every juncture. That could help Vegas down the stretch and awaken it from its slumber.