Knights GM McCrimmon has had better days than Tuesday

Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon answers questions to the press during media day in advance of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. Tuesday wasn’t one of Kelly McCrimmon’s better days. Instead of celebrating his team’s participation in the Western Conference Final against Colorado, the Vegas Golden Knights general manager wound up apologizing for the missteps in Anaheim last week following the team’s series-clinching 5-1 win over the Ducks.

The NHL docked the Knights a second-round pick in next month’s draft for repeated violations of the league’s media policies and fined coach John Tortortella $100,000 for his failure to appear at the postgame news conference. The team appealed the decisions by the NHL but there was no change in the punishment. The loss of the pick and the fine to Tortorella stands.

“We were today in New York where we had a hearing with the National Hockey League regarding the events following Game 6,” McCrimmon read from a prepared statement. “We missed a great opportunity that night to connect with our fans and share with them a victory in a playoff series. I've always felt in a playoff series when you win a series, you galvanize the bond with your fanbase.

We missed that opportunity by not having John available to do postgame. That's on John for failing to do that, that's on me as a general manager of the hockey club. “That's not at the feet of our comms people who made other arrangements with each of you to accommodate the tight quarters in and around our dressing room postgame.