Things might be a bit awkward in Vegas right about now.
The NHL’s newest active franchise fired their coach Gerard Gallant on Wednesday and replaced him with… their rival’s former head coach Peter DeBoer. The whole thing happened pretty quickly and it sounds like some of the players were caught off guard by the hire, including Vegas enforcer Ryan Reaves. The 32-year-old acknowledged he didn’t share the best track record with his new bench boss, but is open to patching their relationship up with a smile and hug.
Let’s not forget… Reaves is basically public enemy number one in San Jose. The man has openly feuded with San Jose forward Evander Kane (on numerous occasions) and is pretty open about how he feels towards him.
Reaves’ teammate Mark Stone also expressed his (former?) feelings towards DeBoer and re-emphasized the team’s hatred for the Sharks. Yeah, things are probably going to be a bit weird at first.
Vegas currently sits tied for a Wild Card spot with the Jets and Canucks, so time will tell if he’s able to lead them to the playoffs.
(H/T Brent Wallace)
