The Vegas Golden Knights shocked the hockey world in mid-January when the team fired head coach Gerard Gallant despite being just three points out of first place in the Pacific Division at the time.
“It was definitely a shock with that coaching change early but it’s something that we took upon ourselves that it was a message from management that we had to play better,” defenceman Shea Theodore told Hockey Central on Wednesday.
Just as surprising as the team parting ways with Gallant was the choice to replace him with Peter DeBoer, who had previously served as bench boss of the San Jose Sharks with whom the Golden Knights had developed a heated rivalry.
“That was the first shock having him come in but once they said his name that he was the guy coming in they back it up with all the facts, the stats from the teams he has coached, he’s been to the Stanley Cup Final, things like that, and sometimes I think you need that change of voice in the room and it ended up being great for us,” Theodore said.
After DeBoer took over, the team went 15-5-2 and became a dominant puck possession group.
“I think that’s just something that can happen with a change,” Theodore explained. “I think guys know that we weren’t playing up to par. Having a new voice come in and implement some different systems, and I think when you get a change in the practices and what you’re doing every day you’re definitely thinking the game a little bit more. We had the same drills over the first 2 1/2 years (under Gallant) but when you have a new voice come in in practice and you’re really thinking about things, we’re really working on our breakouts and our systems and stuff like that.”
Theodore, who overcame testicular cancer, was named a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy this week, given annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
The 24-year-old blueliner believes, despite the lengthy layoff, his team can build on the momentum they had generated in February and March.
“Down the stretch (before the hiatus due to COVID-19) we were playing a lot of our own Pacific Division teams and we were having good results, so I think coming out of this break having everyone healthy it’s going to be a lot of fun and it’s going to be interesting to see where these playoffs take us.”
When hockey resumes, the Golden Knights will compete in a round robin with the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars to determine Western Conference seeding for the first round of the playoffs.
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