Marchessault gets standing ovation in his emotional return to T-Mobile Arena to face Golden Knights

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nearly a dozen fans stood outside Saturday morning, waiting for Jonathan Marchessault and his teammates to appear so they could get autographs.

It was a normal sight outside the Golden Knights practice facility, but this was at T-Mobile Arena as the Nashville Predators had their morning skate in preparation for that night’s game against Vegas.

That game was Marchessault’s first in that arena in an opposing uniform. One of the most beloved players in Vegas’ short history — part of the inaugural team that called itself the Golden Misfits — received a rousing ovation when the 1 1/2-minute video tribute was played at the first media timeout. Marchessault then skated alone on the ice as fans chanted, “Marchy! Marchy!”

Marchessault, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL playoffs MVP in leading the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup championship two years ago, appeared to tear up during the tribute.

“I’m an emotional guy normally, so we’ll see how it goes,” Marchessault said before the game. “Obviously, it’s going to be an exciting time for me. It’s such a great building, great organization and definitely happy for their success still. I’m not even surprised a little bit. I think the structure and the organization is so great from top to bottom.”

Marchessault scored a goal early in the third period, but the Golden Knights won 5-3 to clinch the Pacific Division title.

“It never happened scoring in ‘The Fortress’ and being that silent,” Marchessault said afterward. “It was a great atmosphere, great building. Happy to see the fans and the organization. I couldn’t say more good things about top to bottom here.”

He played seven seasons with the Golden Knights and is the career leader in goals with 192 and points with 417. Marchessault, 34, had hoped to sign a new contract to stay in Vegas, but he and the club failed to reach an agreement and Nashville signed him to a five-year, $27.5 million deal.

But it has been a difficult season. Marchessault’s mother died in September at 70 from a heart attack, just a day before his number was retired by the junior hockey Quebec Ramparts.

“It was a challenging year,” Marchessault said. “A lot of things. Moving a family of four, I expected it to be hard, but not that hard.”

Two of his sons were born in Las Vegas and another began playing youth hockey here.

Marchessault was such a key part of the Golden Knights’ success, and it wasn’t only the production by a player who delivered in many clutch moments. He was the club’s emotional leader as well, who even at 5-foot-9 commanded a big presence in the locker room.

“I miss him,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I miss his competitiveness. I miss his personality in the locker room.”

This hasn’t been the kind of season Marchessault hoped for, especially considering the free-agency splash the Predators made in signing not only him but Steven Stamkos, who helped lead Tampa Bay to two Cups.

The Golden Knights, meanwhile, are headed back to the playoffs with home-ice advantage for at least the first two rounds.

“The position his team is in is in a much different position than our team right now, and I think that takes away a little bit of it,” Golden Knights forward Reilly Smith said before the game. “But he’s a competitor. He’ll want to put on a good show and so will we. I expect nothing but his best effort tonight. He scored a lot of goals in this building, so we got to make sure he doesn’t get one more.”

This may be Marchessault’s first time back in Vegas as an opponent, but not the first time facing the Golden Knights. The teams played twice in Nashville, splitting the games. Marchessault had an assist in the first meeting.

“It was just nice to see them,” Marchessault said. “You spend a lot of years with those guys and so much memories, so much battling through adversity together. Out of nowhere, you see them twice a year. It’s unfortunate, but it’s a tough business.”

___

Freelance writer W.G. Ramirez contributed to this report.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl