Ryan Craig's Path from Player to Golden Knights Coach

A New Era for the Vegas Golden Knights

LAS VEGAS — Ryan Craig’s journey from player to head coach has been a long and winding road. In the early 2010s, while playing in Pittsburgh's organization, he began keeping a journal that explored how he might navigate different situations as a coach. This was a sign of his leadership potential, which others also recognized. Craig was named captain of an American Hockey League team nine times, showcasing his ability to lead on and off the ice.

Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon has known Craig for nearly 30 years, and he saw the potential in him early on. Craig joined the Golden Knights as an assistant coach in 2017, just before the franchise's first NHL season. Even as the team changed head coaches, Craig remained involved in some capacity. Now, he has taken on the role of head coach, a position he was formally introduced to in a news conference on Thursday.

“I’ve seen firsthand what he does to people around him, how he treats people,” McCrimmon said. “I’ve said to him many times, ‘Craig, you’re going to be a really good NHL head coach if you’re not in a hurry. You need to do it in the proper steps.’ He’s done exactly that.”

Craig replaces John Tortorella, who led the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final this season but was let go after eight games remaining in the regular season. Craig expressed his readiness for the new opportunity, saying, “I’m ready for this opportunity. I’m grateful for it. I'm ready to get to work.”

A Unique Path to Leadership

McCrimmon has known the 44-year-old Craig since he was 15, when they were both involved with the Brandon Wheat Kings, a Canadian junior team, where McCrimmon was the owner and GM. “Craig has been 40 as long as I've known him,” McCrimmon joked.

Craig's hiring is a departure from the Golden Knights' usual approach. The franchise has typically hired coaches with established NHL success, such as Gerard Gallant, Pete DeBoer, Bruce Cassidy, and Tortorella. However, Craig is the first to come through the organization's system, having worked his way up from the AHL's Henderson Silver Knights.

After the Golden Knights won the 2023 Stanley Cup, McCrimmon believed it was important for Craig to gain head coaching experience. The Henderson Silver Knights set a franchise record with 90 points this season, finishing with a 39-21-12 record and reaching the second round of the playoffs.

Leading with Vision

As the new head coach, Craig has learned that he must control the "temperature of the room" and take a more big-picture approach. “As a head guy, you go to bed every night thinking about what the message is and you wake up thinking about the message and what your team needs and what individuals need,” Craig said. “And until you experience that, I believe that's foreign to you. You have to live it.”

Craig has an advantage over previous Golden Knights coaches because he intimately understands the organization and has coached many of its players. Vegas captain Mark Stone attended the news conference, highlighting the connection between Craig and the team.

Because of his deep knowledge of the organization, Craig knows there isn't a true honeymoon phase. The Golden Knights have made the postseason in eight of their nine seasons and expect to go deep into the playoffs each year. They came within two victories of winning the Stanley Cup this season and are listed at 10-1 at BetMGM Sportsbook to win it all next year, behind only Colorado (7-1) and Carolina (7 1/2-1).

A Commitment to Excellence

Craig understands the pressure that comes with being the head coach in Vegas. “Our organization from day one has always tried to hire the best people for their jobs, whether it’s our players, whether it's coaches,” McCrimmon said. “We’ve always hired the best available coach, and that’s exactly what we’re doing today — hire the best available coach that’s going to lead our organization.”