The Golden Knights taking into account lessons from previous Cup appearances
Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore remembers the feeling of playing in his first Stanley Cup Final in 2018.
“A lot of us were definitely overwhelmed,” Theodore said.
The Golden Knights ultimately lost that series 4-1 to the Washington Capitals, but it’s an experience Theodore or any of the original Golden Knights will ever forget.
Now that they’re back in the Stanley Cup Final, Theodore and the Golden Knights are applying the lessons from both the heartbreak of losing and the joy of winning.
“It’s fun to get back here after what seems to be a long time,” Theodore said. “We’re going to be more prepared and we’re going to be ready for it.”
Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy has his own Stanley Cup Final heartbreak to learn from. He took the Boston Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019, eventually losing in seven games to the Alex Pietrangelo and Ivan Barbashev’s St. Louis Blues.
“It didn’t go our way. I learned getting 16 wins isn’t easy,” Cassidy said. “Getting 15 isn’t good enough.”
There are a lot of adjustments to be made when a team makes the Stanley Cup Final. The microscope on play is heightened. The communities and fan bases take note and start to dream. Media are extended beyond the usual faces in the locker room.
“You learn the ups and the downs. You learn the demands of the Final,” Cassidy said. “There’s outside influences and as well as the hockey people as well.”
But the most important thing Cassidy took from his first trip to the Stanley Cup Final is how to manage the time in between the games.
“Off days you’re allowed to think of the big picture and what’s at stake. The you get dialed into the details,” he said. “That’s what I’ve learned is use those days appropriate to mentally refresh and obviously gets your rest. … You have to use those off days to get [the players’] attention in the right place.”
While the original Golden Knights and Cassidy are learning from the dashed dreams of yesteryear, they can turn to a veteran core of players who have accomplished the dream of lifting the Stanley Cup.
The Golden Knights have six players who have their names engraved on the Cup: Alec Martinez, Pietrangelo, Barbashev, Phil Kessel, Chandler Stephenson and Jonathan Quick, and all played important roles in those title runs.
“We have to make sure we tap into that [experience],” Cassidy said.
Ultimately, Cassidy wants his team to not dwell too much on either the success or failures. He wants them to remain present and always put their best foot forward.
“To me, if you show up to work and prepare yourself to have success, you usually do,” Cassidy said. “I think this team has put the work in since September in training camp and it’s showing in the playoffs.”