The NHL has dropped a hammer on the Vegas Golden Knights.
The league has taken a 2026 second-round draft pick away from the Golden Knights and fined head coach John Tortorella $100,000 for "flagrant violations of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Media Regulations."
Tortorella did not make himself available to media after Thursday's Game 6 win over the Anaheim Ducks and the Golden Knights did not open their locker room to reporters. Mitch Marner and Brett Howden took questions from media at the podium, with them quipping the team bus was leaving in 10 minutes.
Neither the Golden Knights nor Tortorella provided an official explanation Thursday as to why they ducked reporters.
However, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Golden Knights were frustrated by Brayden McNabb's one-game suspension for interference, leading to the stunt.
In a statement announcing the punishment, the NHL said: "The imposition of these penalties comes after previous warnings were issued to the Club regarding their compliance with the Media Regulations and other associated policies."
The Golden Knights have been offered a chance to appeal the penalty to the office of commissioner Gary Bettman. The appeal would be held next week in New York.
In a statement, the Golden Knights said they "are aware of today's announcement from the NHL" and that "the organization will have no further comment." The statement did not say whether or not the team would appeal.
The Golden Knights advanced to the Western Conference Final with Thursday's win. They open the series on the road against the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.
