NHL insider reveals Elliotte Friedman Vegas Golden Knights coach John Tortorella punished after Gary Bettman approved major NHL disciplinary action

The Vegas Golden Knights have been handed one of the toughest recent NHL penalties following alleged breaches of the league’s media policies. Multiple disputes over media access requests reportedly have resulted in a $100,000 fine for head coach John Tortorella and a loss of a second-round draft pick for the franchise.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman later provided more details as to why commissioner Gary Bettman reportedly was in favor of strong disciplinary action. The debate has quickly become one of the major NHL news roundup items on league governance, media cooperation and organizational discipline.

Elliotte Friedman explains John Tortorella and Vegas Golden Knights NHL controversy details

According to Elliotte Friedman, the National Hockey League had warned the Vegas Golden Knights about media issues before the penalty was announced.

“The league had indicated that they had warned Vegas about some stuff before... I did hear that there were a couple of requests that were turned down, and you're not supposed to turn down rights holder requests unless there's a good reason,” Friedman said. This particular incident was a big reason for the league’s response, the insider said.

The controversy intensified because Gary Bettman was reported to have spoken directly to teams about the issue in previous league meetings. “I think another reason Bettman did this is that it became an annoyance that was too big. Somebody compared it to waiving a red cape in front of a bull named Bettman, eventually he was going to say 'Enough of this” Friedman said.

The punishment was reportedly a result of league offices growing frustrated with the Vegas Golden Knights organization’s repeated resistance. NHL officials also said they found coaching cooperation needed under league media agreements, and also included John Tortorella as part of the disciplinary action.

Insiders to the league are said to believe that the Vegas Golden Knights crossed a line after repeated run-ins with rights holders and league officials. Friedman also said some executives viewed the organization’s moves as a direct challenge to Gary Bettman’s authority.

While the Vegas Golden Knights haven’t laid out every aspect of the disagreement publicly, the controversy remains one of the most talked-about NHL news stories regarding league discipline this season.

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