Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Golden Knights’ McPhee relishes rare opportunity to watch son play hockey in Las Vegas

George McPhee

Associated Press

Washington Capitals former general manager George McPhee, right, stands after talking with Washington Capitals player Troy Brouwer, in Arlington, Va., Monday, April 28, 2014.

Vegas Golden Knights General Manager George McPhee has watched quite a few hockey games at T-Mobile Arena, but Friday’s was special.

The Golden Knights were playing 1,500 miles away in Chicago, but McPhee stayed behind to watch his son, Graham McPhee, play for Boston College in the inaugural Ice Vegas Invitational college hockey tournament.

To say the elder McPhee has a busy schedule is an understatement, so watching his son play in person is a rarity.

“NHL executives don’t get to see their kids play live very often, so it’s a treat when it happens,” McPhee said in a text message. “We simply try to enjoy the journey with our boys.”

The event itself is a special occasion for all of the players, affording them the opportunity to play in a brand-new, state-of-the-art building on the same ice as the NHL’s newest franchise. But for Graham McPhee that was magnified playing in front of not only his father, but an assortment of supporters.

“It was an awesome experience,” he said. “Having a bunch of friends and family in the building was pretty cool, too. I had my siblings, three friends and their dads, my mom and dad, and my grandparents.”

Midway through the second period of Boston College’s game against Michigan Tech, McPhee got the puck on the side of the Huskies’ net. He made a move and attempted to pass the puck across the crease, but it hit the goaltender’s leg and bounced into the net for Graham’s sixth goal of the season.

“It means a lot when (my dad) gets to watch me play because he’s such a busy guy,” Graham said. “I really appreciate it when I get the opportunity.”

Graham McPhee, 19, has six goals and five assists through 20 games of his sophomore season at Boston College, where he plays under legendary coach Jerry York.

York, who is the only Division I hockey coach with more than 1,000 wins, coached the elder McPhee at Bowling Green in 1982 when George won the Hobey Baker Award, which goes to college hockey’s top player.

Graham McPhee was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the fifth round of the 2016 draft after playing for the U.S. Under-18 team in 2015-16.

Boston College fell to Michigan Tech 4-3, but the loss didn't dampen the experience.

“It was awesome just looking at all of the electronics and everything and how special the building really is,” Graham McPhee said. “This was the second time I’ve been in the building. I actually got to watch the (Washington) Capitals play here a couple weeks ago.”

The younger McPhee was in the building to watch his father’s new team (the Golden Knights) blank the team he managed for 17 years (the Capitals) 3-0 on Dec. 23.

Playing in the home of the Golden Knights, McPhee and his Boston College teammates got VIP treatment. The tournament’s other three teams (Arizona State, Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech) used generic locker rooms, while the Eagles enjoyed the amenities of the Golden Knights' locker room.

“We are pretty fortunate,” Graham said. “Pretty spoiled. All of the guys are having a blast. It’s nice being able to use the facilities and we are really blessed.”

The two-day tournament, which concludes tonight with a consolation game between Boston College and Northern Michigan at 5 p.m. and the championship match between Michigan Tech and Arizona State at 8:30 p.m.

While this year’s squads have a combined nine national championships, the tournament organizers hope to attract even higher-level teams in the future.

“We want to have the premium programs like Denver, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Notre Dame,” said Jon Albaugh, senior associate director of BD Global, the event’s promoter. “We want everybody around the country to want to play in this event.”

The tournament is already scheduled through the next two years. Future teams will be announced soon, and, according to Albaugh, Las Vegas hockey fans can expect college hockey’s elite to be here by the third season.

They weren’t able to attract top teams right away because teams schedule two to three years in advance, but Albaugh hopes they can ride the momentum the Golden Knights have created for the sport of hockey in Las Vegas.

“It’s a process and it takes time to grow,” Albaugh said. “We’ve seen it grow for basketball here in the market with college conference tournaments, the NBA Summer League and USA Basketball. Ultimately, we want to grow the event to where the local hockey community embraces it and comes out to see the best in college hockey.”

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