John Tortorella told Vegas to pack for a Game 7 and Carolina made him eat it

John Tortorella was confident Vegas was going to Game 7 and told the media he's leaving his clothes in the hotel and with a Game 6 loss - the Hurricanes shot back.

The Carolina Hurricanes are your 2025-26 Stanley Cup Champions after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 on Sunday night. Led by a stellar effort from Brandon Bussi and Jordan Staal's Conn Smythe-winning series, it felt inevitable that the Hurricanes would be able to pull things out and come away victorious.

All credit to Vegas though as they weren't really supposed to be here. Struggling for a playoff spot at the end of March, they fired Bruce Cassidy and hired John Tortorella who made it count, helping guide Vegas to a first-place finish in the Pacific.

But he couldn't get it done like he had previously, and while he was very gracious and praised the team, he's also only signed for this year and there's no reports yet on whether or not he'll be back with the club, but he at least felt he'd be back for Game 7.

John Tortorella's hotel comments come back to bite him after Vegas' Game 6 loss

That's why Tortorella told the media as such after Game 5, and even had himself a little cheeky statement regarding Vegas' chances heading into Game 6:

I'm going to leave my clothes here. At the hotel. We'll be back.

Well, it was not meant to be for 'Torts' and the Golden Knights, and the Hurricanes decided to have a little fun with the Vegas head coach as they mentioned they will send his suitcase back to him in due time - there may just be a delay for festivities first:

We'll send them to you. Might take a few days, though. A little busy.

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That's pretty solid timing from the Hurricanes social media team, as it came at 1:06 AM which was only a short while after the team secured the Cup and it also leaves Tortorella with a bit more than some egg on his face.

Now with no Cup and a lot of pride to swallow, Tortorella is now looking ahead to his next big venture though it's unlikely he changes his nature going forward - he's always going to have something to say.

Where John Tortorella goes now after losing the Stanley Cup

Now that Tortorella is no longer coaching Vegas, and that we have no public knowledge regarding an extension or him coming back, then it opens the door for the rest of the NHL to try and pounce on him.

The Maple Leafs are a team who could use his guidance, and he's had success in the past leading stars, rookies, and role players into success. Just because he's one of the loudest voices in the league doesn't overshadow his coaching acumen.

He holds a 777-648-37-166 record all time, holds a Stanley Cup, and is a name who commands respect. Yes, he doesn't have that playoff track record of a Bruce Cassidy, but he is someone who can help change the dynamic of the locker room (though another loud voice may not be the best choice).

If not Toronto then there's teams like Edmonton who are desperately seeking a coach. So desperate in fact, they are looking to Mike Babcock. If they want a brash, no-nonsense coach who just proved he can lead a team to the Finals, they can look to Tortorella as a much safer and less controversial option.

But wherever he goes, Tortorella has to understand that if he's going to be confident in his words then he has to make sure his team can back him up.

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