The Vegas Golden Knights are still licking their wounds after losing the Stanley Cup in what was the franchise’s third trip to the Final since the team’s debut in 2017.
That kind of success — and frankly, some, uh… other stuff — has led to the team getting its fair share of haters among NHL fans.
However, star forward Jack Eichel had a perfect response to this, and he’s certainly got a point.
Vegas Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel had a great response when he learned his team had been named the most-hated in the league. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images)
Back in May, Rotowire did a poll of all 50 states to find the most-hated NHL team in each of them. Vegas was the most-hated team in 11 different states, which was more than any other club.
Why? Well, like we already talked about, they’ve seen immense success since entering the league having won the Stanley Cup once, made the Final three times, and have only missed the playoffs once.
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But, they’re also known for being cutthroat and a little controversial. They’ve got no problem dealing players and axing coaches, in fact, they axed Bruce Cassidy just eight games before the start of the playoffs.
Then, they wouldn’t let other teams — including their division rival Edmonton Oilers — interview him.
But Eichel — who was traded to Vegas from Buffalo in 2021 — pointed out that the perception of the team is very different than it is among fans.
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“I’ll say this,” Eichel began after he was asked about the team being named the most-hated in the league. “If you ask guys in the league, Vegas ain’t on people’s ‘no-trade’ lists.
This is a place people want to be and (where) 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 (the locker room) are very proud to represent the city and play for this organization, and there are a lot of amazing things that come with that.”
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Jack Eichel fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Final this season, the club’s third appearance since debuting in 2017. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)
Man, he has a point.
Vegas has a knack for snagging free agents, and while it’s unclear if Eichel was referring to his old Team USA buddy Dylan Larkin when he talked about no-trade lists, but the Red Wings captain, who recently requested a trade, reportedly had the Golden Knights on his list of teams he was willing sign off on a trade to.
