Marchessault receives warm welcome in return to Vegas

LAS VEGAS — Saturday was game No. 80 for the Vegas Golden Knights. But the focus on virtually everyone inside T-Mobile Arena was on No. 81.

Jonathan Marchessault made his long-awaited and highly anticipated return to the city where he became a star in the NHL and helped win a Stanley Cup in 2023. It’s where two of his children were born and where he packs a lifetime of memories within his 5-foot-9-inch frame.

“This place will always be special to me,” said Marchessault, who has been a member of the Nashville Predators this season after testing the free agency waters last summer and accepting a five-year, $27.5 million deal. “I’m excited to be back.”

It was quite a night. Marchessault was given a special video tribute in the first period that ended him with a stick salute to the 18,338 fans inside T-Mobile. Then he scored early in the third period to lead a Nashville comeback that saw the Predators rally from 3-1 down to tie the game 3-3.

But in the end, the Knights found a way to prevail as Noah Hanifin scored with 1:55 to play and Ivan Barbashev added an empty net goal with 1.7 seconds left to give Vegas a 5-3 win and, more important, the Pacific Division title. It was the fourth division championship in the franchise’s eight-year history.  

Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said Marchessault deserves the accolades he received Saturday.

“We did a lot of good things together,” he said. “Jon’s a real competitive player. He was a guy I enjoyed coaching. I saw growth in his game and as a coach, I thought I did my part in that regard.

“I miss him. I miss his competitiveness. I miss his personality in the locker room.”

It has been a tough year for Marchessault and the Predators. Nashville, despite beefing up its roster with Marchessault, Steven Stamkos and Brady Skjei, missed the playoffs and are 29-43-8 following Saturday’s match with the Knights, who are going back to the postseason for the seventh time in their eight-year history as a franchise. Marchessault, who had a career-high 42 goals with Vegas last season, has had just 20 this year, third-best on the Preds.

In addition, he lost his mother in September just prior to having his number retired by the Quebec Remparts, his junior hockey team.

“It’s been an up-and-down year,” said the 34-year-old from Cap-Rouge, Quebec. “A lot has happened.”

But despite everything that has happened, he doesn’t appear to have had buyer’s remorse about leaving the Knights. He and his family love living in Nashville, he says his four kids have adjusted to life away from Vegas and he believes the Predators will bounce back next season.

“We’ll use it as motivation to get back (to the postseason),” he said.

There were the usual jokes of making sure he didn’t make the wrong turn to the Knights’ locker room, about seeing old friends (he had dinner Friday with a couple of his former teammates) and reminiscing about the good times when he played here. Like when he would return to the ice after practice at City National Arena during the inaugural season and have some father-son time with his boy William and the two would have the rink to themselves and skate, pass the puck and practice hockey skills together.

“There were a lot of great memories,” Marchessault said in recalling those moments.

Same for when he brought his four kids up to the podium when he met with the media following his being named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy following the Knights’ Stanley Cup win. It was another special moment in his life because he got to share it with his family, something that is so important to him.

Not every moment made it into the tribute video the Knights showed of Marchessault in the first period. But there were plenty of goals, celebrations and happy times for the man the fans call “Marchy.”

He was an original “Golden Misfit” and his passionate style of play and energy endeared him to the fans of a city that was trying to pick up the pieces following the tragic shooting on Oct. 1, 2017 that saw 58 people die at the hands of a deranged gunman while attending a country music festival.

Despite being just 5-9, he never backed away from a challenge, such as when he challenged Washington Capitals tough guy Tom Wilson in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final after taking what he felt was a cheap shot from Wilson.

But Marchessault knew this day was coming and he was ready for it. He had nothing but praise for his former team’s management and for the city and its fans. He truly loved being a Golden Knight.

However, the business of hockey can be a difficult and frustrating one. And when Marchessault and his agent were unable to come to terms with Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon on an extension, he hit the open market last July 1 and headed from Sin City to Music City.

Still, he was excited to return to the scene of his greatest moments in the NHL.

“It’s such a great building,” Marchessault said of his being back at T-Mobile. “We had such great moments here as an organization. Not just because we won. But like all the other times. It’s something I never took for granted in the seven years I played here.

“I was part of building something here so that makes coming back here even more special.”