- McCrimmon answered a poll naming Vegas the most hated team with one word: jealousy
- He credited John Tortorella for saving the season before handing the job to Ryan Craig
- Read below for the full breakdown of McCrimmon’s year-end press conference
Kelly McCrimmon has a one-word answer for everyone who can’t stand the Golden Knights. Jealousy.
The Vegas general manager met with reporters Wednesday for his year-end press conference at City National Arena, days after the Knights fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in six games in the Stanley Cup Final.
Someone brought up a nationwide poll that voted Vegas the most hated team in hockey. McCrimmon didn’t dodge it.
“For me, it’s jealousy,” McCrimmon said. “People are uncomfortable admitting that we’ve done a hell of a job.”
Watch McCrimmon’s full year-end session:
He went further on why Vegas draws so much heat.
“I think people have a hard time explaining why we win as much as we do,” McCrimmon said. “We’ve been in the Stanley Cup Final three times in nine years, and it’s interesting. We went in 2018, 2023, 2026, and what that tells you is, that’s three completely different teams.”
Those numbers back him up. Since entering the league in 2017-18, Vegas has 401 regular-season wins, fifth most in the NHL, plus 76 playoff wins and 15 series victories, more than any other team over that stretch. They won the Cup in 2023.
Most of the hate traces back to how aggressive Vegas gets. McCrimmon fired Bruce Cassidy, the coach who won them that 2023 title, with eight games left in the season.
John Tortorella stepped in and went 21-8-1, dragging a fading team back to within two wins of another championship. McCrimmon didn’t hide what that run meant to him.
“He saved our season,” McCrimmon said.
Then Vegas moved on from Tortorella anyway and promoted Ryan Craig from its AHL affiliate in Henderson. The Knights made it official Wednesday:
Captain Jack Eichel took the same tone a day earlier when he shrugged off the most-hated label. McCrimmon isn’t backing off any of it either.
“People come here because we try to win,” McCrimmon said. “I’m not going to apologize for it.”
Craig inherits a roster that’s reached three Cup Finals in nine years and a front office that has no interest in playing it safe.
