Golden Knights’ Eichel on team’s haters: “Vegas ain’t on people’s no-trade lists”
It’s no secret that the Vegas Golden Knights aren’t exactly the most well-liked team in the NHL.
Vegas has certainly done a lot to anger members of the hockey world. But as star center Jack Eichel spoke during the team’s media availability on Tuesday after their loss in the Stanley Cup Final, he mentioned that the players see the Golden Knights in a different light.
“There was a poll that came out that Vegas was the most hated team. Who voted on that? Random bunch of people?” Eichel asked. “I’ll say this. If you ask guys in the league, Vegas ain’t on people’s no-trade list. So this is a place people want to be, and people want to play, and this is an organization that people want to be a part of. And I would say all the players in here are very proud to represent the city and play for this organization, and there’s a lot of amazing things that come with that. I sure know that I’m proud to be a part of this, this city and this organization.”
Vegas has developed this reputation largely for how cutthroat they are with their own players, often disposing of them when they no longer need them. While it makes sense to be aggressive from a management standpoint, hockey culture also has a sense of loyalty that is expected from most teams, so Vegas going against the norm can be quite jarring, even if their own players don’t mind.
“Everywhere throughout this organization, I think people do an outstanding job of doing whatever they’re supposed to be doing. And I think, as players, it bleeds into letting us just do the things we need to do without worrying about other things,” Eichel said.
Vegas has also developed a negative reputation amongst NHL fans for more controversial reasons. Sometimes it’s for annoying hockey reasons like how they’ve blocked former head coach Bruce Cassidy from searching for another job, or how they neglected their duties with the media after their second-round series win over the Anaheim Ducks. Sometimes, it’s for off-ice issues like signing Carter Hart after a notable trial for sexual trial (which he was legally acquitted from) and sheltering him from the media instead of allowing him to be accountable. Regardless, it’s easy to see how some fans can be turned off from the organization.
But it’s also easy to see why players want to play in Vegas as well. Their constant drive to improve the team and be successful can be alluring to players who want to win, and specifically in Eichel’s case, it meant a lot for him that they took him on and allowed him to take a surgery he thought was necessary to return to playing, even if some risks came with it. While the Buffalo Sabres did not want to take that risk, the Golden Knights did, and that likely played a big role in winning over Eichel.