Eichel, Hanifin to miss Golden Knights’ first game back from Olympic break
The Vegas Golden Knights will be shorthanded returning from the Olympic break, as center Jack Eichel and defenseman Noah Hanifin are expected to miss their first game back on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Kings, according to Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy.
Bruce Cassidy confirms that Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin are out tomorrow. Plan is for them to join on Friday. Mitch Marner, Mark Stone and Shea Theodore are TBD.
Eichel and Hanifin will miss the game due to attending the White House on Tuesday for the State of the Union Address, along with most of their United States’ Olympic teammates. They were invited to the White House by U.S. president Donald Trump after their 2-1 overtime win over Canada in the gold-medal game at the Olympics. The invitation became known to the public after a video from the locker room celebration showed the team on a call with Trump via FBI director Kash Patel, who was at the tournament and celebrating with the players in the locker room.
While there could technically be time for Eichel and Hanifin to travel from the White House to Vegas for the game by Wednesday night, the NHL has mandated players get at least one day off upon returning from the Olympics and the celebrations following it. Since Eichel and Hanifin won’t be returning until Wednesday, that day will be their day off, causing them to miss Wednesday’s game.
The decision to attend the White House has come with plenty of controversy. On top of the fact the decision has caused the Golden Knights to be without two key players for an important Pacific Division matchup as Vegas looks to secure the top spot in the division, there has been criticism regarding the players associating themselves with Trump, a controversial figure in the world due to both his actions as a person and as the U.S. leader.
Additionally, the statuses for the three Golden Knights who played for Canada, that being wingers Mitch Marner & Mark Stone and defenseman Shea Theodore, for Wednesday’s game are not known. Cassidy mentioned the team will have a better idea about if they’ll play on Wednesday earlier on that day.
The Golden Knights currently find themselves in first place in the Pacific Division with a 27-16-14 record. They’ll look to start the post-Olympic stretch off on a good note when they visit the Kings on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT.