- Tortorella skipped the handshake line and the postgame podium after Vegas closed out Anaheim in Game 6
- Friedman tied the snub to Brayden McNabb’s one-game suspension
- Read below for the full breakdown plus Game 6 highlights and what’s next
John Tortorella’s postgame snub already has its leading theory.
Vegas head coach Tortorella skipped the playoff handshake line and refused to speak with reporters Thursday night after the Golden Knights eliminated the Anaheim Ducks 5-1 in Game 6. Elliotte Friedman tied the behavior directly to Brayden McNabb’s one-game suspension.
“I think it was a bit of a temper tantrum. They were mad about the McNabb suspension. I guarantee you that thing last night was in reaction to the McNabb suspension. They were really upset about it.”
Elliotte Friedman on The FAN Hockey Show
Tortorella appeared to shake hands with Anaheim’s coaching staff on the bench, then made a beeline for the team bus. The Knights also kept their dressing room closed.
Reporter Jesse Granger said it was a first in his nine years covering the league:
Only three Vegas players spoke after the win. Brett Howden and Mitch Marner took the podium, and a third player was pulled into a side room. Tortorella never showed.
McNabb caught Anaheim’s Ryan Poehling with a late hit in Game 5 that drew a five-minute interference major and a game misconduct. Poehling left with an upper-body injury and did not return to the series. The Department of Player Safety handed McNabb one game, ruling him out for Thursday’s clincher.
A coach skipping media after closing out a playoff series is a fineable offense under league rules. The NHL has not said whether it plans to act.
The Knights are 15-4-1 since Tortorella took over for Bruce Cassidy on March 29. Marner opened Game 6 with a goal 62 seconds in, Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice in the third, and Howden tacked on his third shorthanded goal of the playoffs. Watch the full highlights:
Colorado waits in the Western Conference Final. Game 1 is Wednesday at Ball Arena.
