John Tortorella just stunned the hockey world after Colorado's collapse
John Tortorella backed Jared Bednar hard after Vegas finished off Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche in four straight.
That was one of the biggest moments to come out of the Western final, even after the Golden Knights punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.
Vegas beat Colorado 2-1 in Game 4 and completed the sweep.
So the heat was always going to turn toward Bednar.
Instead, Tortorella stepped in and shoved back at it.
That was not subtle.
That was not accidental.
And it said plenty.
Tortorella kept going in his full availability too.
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The hockey world is buzzing after John Tortorella's latest comments on Colorado
Then he said what really mattered.
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That is a strong public stance from a coach who had every reason to just enjoy the sweep and move on.
Instead, he made sure Bednar was not left alone to absorb the whole mess.
And honestly, the timing matters.
Colorado just finished a Presidents' Trophy season and then got swept off the ice in the conference final. That is the kind of ending that gets coaches torn apart fast, especially when the team blew a three-goal lead in Game 3 and never recovered.
Tortorella clearly saw that wave coming.
He also saw the fuller picture.
The Avalanche were still dangerous, still had stars playing hurt, and still pushed enough that this series was not some joke. The final result was brutal for Colorado, but Tortorella was not about to pretend Bednar suddenly forgot how to coach because Vegas was better for four games.
That is why those quotes landed.
They sounded like respect.
They sounded like a coach protecting another coach.
And they sounded earned.
Cale Makar already made it clear after the loss that Mackenzie Blackwood deserved better from the team in front of him. Tortorella's comments fit that same lane. He was not blaming one man for the collapse.
He was saying the sport is harder than that.
Vegas got the sweep.
Tortorella got the handshake line.
Then he gave Bednar something else too.
Cover.
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YESTERDAY
MAY 26, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Gabriel Landeskog | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Cole Smith | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mark Stone | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Dylan Coghlan | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nic Dowd | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nazem Kadri | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brayden McNabb | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Martin Necas | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Shea Theodore | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | - | - | |
| Mackenzie Blackwood | - | - | - | |
| Brent Burns | - | - | - | |
| Ross Colton | - | - | - | |
| Pavel Dorofeyev | - | - | - | |
| Jack Drury | - | - | - | |
| Jack Eichel | - | - | - | |
| Noah Hanifin | - | - | - | |
| Carter Hart | - | - | - | |
| Tomas Hertl | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||