Las Vegas: Although Bruce Cassidy has only been the coach of the Golden Knights for a year, he is very familiar with the Misfits’ past.
Therefore, on Tuesday night, in a 9-3 victory over the Florida Panthers, Cassidy started five of the original Knights and sent the sixth one in for the second shift in the game that would win the Stanley Cup for Vegas.
“Are they the original guys?” stated Cassidy. “They serve as this hockey team’s backbone. They were the initial building blocks. Since the beginning, they have been here. Like me, they also lost in the final. I’m ecstatic for them because I understand how it feels.
When Cassidy was the Boston Bruins’s head coach, his team fell to the St. Louis Blues in Game 7 of the 2019 championship.
The half-dozen Knights played for the 2017–18 Golden Misfits, an NHL club comprised of players throughout the league.
The Washington Capitals defeated the original Knights in the championship game in five games. They were a crucial component of the champion squad that defeated the Panthers in five games this time.
One of the athletes who observed the Capitals’ celebration on the ice at T-Mobile Arena, Jonathan Marchessault, took home the Conn Smythe Trophy for postseason MVP.
“We waited a long time for that moment to come back,” Marchessault remarked. “We wanted to be sure that this time we cashed in.”
Although Bruce Cassidy has only been the coach of the Golden Knights for a year, he is very familiar with the Misfits’ past.
As customary, Captain Mark Stone was the first to skate with the Stanley Cup. The 37-pound trophy was then given to Reilly Smith, and shortly after that, it was passed to Marchessault, William Karlsson, Brayden McNabb, Shea Theodore, and finally, William Carrier.
Except for Stone, everyone is a genuine Knight.
We didn’t consider or plan for that, according to Carrier. “It was just a case of folks shouting out to one another on the spur of the moment. The guys have been here and have engaged in combat. It’s a testament to this group of six players that they are still here, considering how much hockey and practice there has been over the past six years. It is significant.
These six have advanced to at least four NHL playoffs, won the Stanley Cup, and competed twice.
Not a bad résumé for players that were primarily dropped by other teams.
When the club was founded, McNabb claimed he wasn’t considering winning the Stanley Cup. Vegas selected him from the Los Angeles Kings in the expansion draught.
“I was just hoping to make the team,” McNabb admitted.
Against the Panthers, McNabb started with Theodore on the blue line, and Karlsson, Marchessault, and Smith formed the Misfit line. The forward Carrier came on during the second period of play.
Although Bruce Cassidy has only been the coach of the Golden Knights for a year, he is very familiar with the Misfits’ past.
Karlsson admitted, “I’m not going to lie; it was fantastic. “It was nice to throw it back to the old school group, starting one shift with that original group.”
They also produced.
On a different Tuesday, Smith had a goal and an assist; Theodore finished with three assists, while McNabb, Marchessault, and Karlsson all contributed an assist. Only Carrier was not included on the scoreboard, but he received a plus-one.
The team’s owner Bill Foley immediately had great expectations for them, declaring that he wanted the Knights to win the cup in six years.
They succeeded in doing so, and even though the squad has seen significant changes in the years since that first season, the Misfits are still a vital part of the team.
“That was a magical year (in 2018),” Karlsson remarked. We came close, but sadly things didn’t work out for us. However, that team will always hold a particular place in my heart. I’m glad there are still six of us here, and it is fantastic to get to win it for (the original squad).
SOURCE – (AP)
