Ryan Reaves loves Golden Knights fans, but he hopes they boo him
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — New York Rangers forward Ryan Reaves earned the love and respect of Golden Knights fans during his four seasons in Las Vegas.
He hopes to work just as hard to draw their ire when he returns to T-Mobile Arena on Jan. 6.
“I definitely hope to get booed at some point,” he said last week at the Rangers’ practice facility. “I hope I get at least one little standing ovation and a nice video, maybe. I’m sure they won’t show too many of my hits or fights and get me too pumped up or anything, but hopefully I lay somebody out and get booed.”
The 34-year-old fan favorite was traded in July as part of the Knights’ efforts to get under the salary cap.
Former Knights coach Gerard Gallant took the job with the Rangers a month earlier and jumped at the chance to coach Reaves again.
Reaves and Gallant are just two of the more popular figures to depart the Knights, as the organization that quickly ingrained itself in the fabric of the Las Vegas community constantly turns over its roster in pursuit of the Stanley Cup.
Their departures are stark reminders that while players and fans share an emotional connection, major league sports is still about the bottom line.
It’s a reality Reaves learned when he was traded to Pittsburgh after spending his first seven seasons with St. Louis.
“I had a great time there,” he said of his stint in Las Vegas. “I owe a lot to the city and the organization, but it is a business, and at some point every player is going to find that out. I found that out, but I think the first time was a little bit harder for me because I had been there for seven years and it kind of came as a shock. That was tough. This one was tough because I was probably in the community more than I had been in any other city.”
The transition has been smooth except for one tricky part of life in New York.
“The driving is still driving me a little nuts,” Reaves said. “That’s something I don’t think I’ll get used to. But the group of guys here have made it really easy. When I got traded, I didn’t think I was going to get over Vegas quite as quickly as I did. When I got here, it was a very welcoming group and a very tight group. They love their fantasy football, which helps a lot. No offense to the guys in Vegas, but I got over them pretty quickly once I got here.”
Rangers defenseman Adam Fox said the team loves having Reaves, even if he is taking some of their money in fantasy football.
“You could tell from day one he’s got a lot of energy and a big personality,” Fox said. “He’s been on a lot of good teams, and he’s a guy a lot of our younger guys look to, and they know he’ll be the first guy to have their back if need be.”
Reaves continues to speak glowingly of his time with the Golden Knights and in the city where he became so popular he was able to produce and market his own brand of beer. He’s still looking for a distributor in New York.
“It was the best four years I’ve had in my career,” he said. “The city really took to me after my first couple games there. Vegas really kind of rejuvenated my career a little bit. When I was in Pittsburgh, I was struggling a little bit and not playing a lot. I got to Vegas and, all of a sudden, I was back as a regular player getting good minutes and playing in a Stanley Cup Final and just having a lot of fun.”
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.