The NHL punishes John Tortorella and the Golden Knights for their postgame violation

Vegas advanced past Anaheim in Game 6, but the bigger story became what happened after puck drop ended.

Tortorella did not speak to the media. He also did not go through the handshake line after the Golden Knights-Ducks series.

That choice carried a real price. The NHL sanctioned Vegas for media-policy violations, and the club lost a second-round pick.

Tortorella was also fined $100,000, turning a postgame absence into one of the loudest discipline stories of the playoffs.

This wasn't a small protocol issue. The league treated access as part of the product, not a courtesy.

The NHLPR post made the ruling public, and the language left no room for spin.

Eric Engels cut straight to the point, noting the second-round pick and Tortorella's $100,000 fine.

This is the danger with Tortorella. His edge can sharpen a locker room, but it can also drag the organization into the blast radius.

Vegas finished the season 39-26-17 and won the Pacific Division, so the bench change did work on the ice.

But playoff teams are judged by more than results. They're judged by control, discipline, and how much noise follows them into the next round.

For Kelly McCrimmon, this is now a management issue as much as a coaching issue. A second-round pick is a real asset, not pocket change.

The Golden Knights got through Anaheim. They also handed the NHL a chance to draw a hard line around media access.

That's the real consequence here. Tortorella's silence did not stay in the hallway. It reached the draft board.

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