Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Reaves an unlikely, but appropriate, hero for Golden Knights

Golden Knights Ryan Reaves

Trevor Hagan/The Canadian Press via AP

Vegas Golden Knights’ Ryan Reaves (75) celebrates after scoring during second period NHL Western Conference Finals game 5 hockey action against the Winnipeg Jets, in Winnipeg, Sunday, May 20, 2018.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — When Golden Knights forward Ryan Reaves stepped to the podium to speak with media after his game-winning goal to send Vegas to the Stanley Cup finals, he took the half-eaten piece of pizza from his mouth and joked, “I can’t believe you guys even had a name card for me.”

Reaves isn’t the player anyone expected to be the hero of the Western Conference Finals. He hadn’t scored a goal since Feb. 15 — when he was still a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins — and has nearly 25 times the number of career penalty minutes (695) as he does goals (28).

Nevertheless, Reaves’ stick from Sunday afternoon’s game is on its way to be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Midway through the second period Reaves redirected a shot by Luca Sbisa past Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck to break a 1-1 tie. The Golden Knights went on to win the game 2-1.

“Every goal is special,” Reaves said. “I think every player on this team has something to prove. We call ourselves the Golden Misfits for a reason. I think we’re doing a good job of proving anybody wrong.”

This postseason has been a redemption tour for the Golden Knights. In the first round Brayden McNabb, who was left exposed by the Kings in the expansion draft, scored the game winning goal on April 17 to clinch a 4-0 sweep over Los Angeles. In the second round Ryan Carpenter, who was waived by San Jose earlier in the year, set up Cody Eakin for the clinching goal for the Golden Knights.

Then Sunday, in the Western Conference Finals, Reaves scored his first goal as a member of the Golden Knights to eliminate the Jets from his hometown of Winnipeg.

He grew up in Manitoba and even played for the Junior Jets as a youth.

“Hearing the boos after I scored was probably my favorite moment in the series,” Reaves said, smiling through a black eye. “It’s been a little weird. I have a couple cousins that came in Jets jerseys, and best friend that came in a white t-shirt so they’re going to hear about it after.”

Reaves was a healthy scratch for the first 11 games of the postseason after playing poorly down the stretch in the regular season, but he kept working on his game.

“He’s a character guy and when he didn’t play games he wasn’t sulking,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “He was the first guy in the locker room every day.”

He was also usually one of the last players off the ice every day at City National Arena. Most of the time he would stay late working tip drills with other scratches, which is exactly what led to his monumental goal.

“I think the whole mentality of this team is next man up,” Reaves said. “We have a deep team with a lot of good players and you look at the season that this team has had even before I got here and everybody is stepping up when there are injuries.”

Since being inserted into the lineup Reaves has brought physicality to the lineup.

“He plays the game the right way,” defenseman Deryk Engelland said. “He’s the first guy on every puck, he creates havoc down low and finishes every check. He is going to go to the dirty areas and get the job done.”

Sunday was Reaves’ 42nd career playoff game, and only his second goal but it was one he or the city of Las Vegas (and Winnipeg for that matter) will never forget.

“It’s been awhile since I scored, but the points for me don’t matter,” Reaves said. “If we’re getting the wins that’s enough for me, but it was definitely special.”

Jesse Granger can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Jesse on Twitter at twitter.com/JesseGranger_.

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