Family affair: Knights celebrate Cup with kids, parents, loved ones

Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud was discussing his team’s Stanley Cup championship on the T-Mobile Arena ice when suddenly he asked for a break.

Whitecloud had something important to do. He had to say hi to his dad.

The Knights players, coaches and staff weren’t the only ones who got to experience the joy of victory in the aftermath of the team’s 9-3 win over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday. Family and friends flooded the ice once each member of the team got a chance to hoist the Cup, giving everyone a chance to take part in the celebration.

The Knights wouldn’t have had it any other way. They knew the sacrifices their parents, significant others and so many other people in their lives made to get them to the top of the hockey world. It led to special memories for Zach and Tim Whitecloud right before Father’s Day, as well as the rest of the Knights and their loved ones.

“You get choked up, seeing your family,” center Jack Eichel said. “They’ve been with you since the beginning. You almost want to win it for them more than for you. You think about all the (expletive) you’ve been through. They’re by your side every day. It means a lot.”

Almost everywhere on the ice Tuesday, the Knights were taking everything in with someone they cared about.

Friends and family members poured into town throughout the final knowing the team was on the verge of its ultimate goal. That the Knights finished the job in T-Mobile Arena meant most were there to see it happen.

Right wing Jonathan Marchessault’s son Henry — one of the Conn Smythe Trophy winner’s four children — found him to say “You win daddy!” Left wing Reilly Smith grabbed baby daughter Isla and took photos with her in the Cup.

Center William Karlsson did the same with infant son Beckham, who was born last month in the middle of the second round. Center Chandler Stephenson’s 1-year-old son Ford got his turn, too, and also stole the show in his dad’s postgame TV interview on Sportsnet by grabbing and squeezing the microphone.

It was a fitting scene for a team that benefited from “dad strength” throughout the playoffs. Six members of the Knights — Karlsson, Smith, Stephenson, left wing Brett Howden, defenseman Brayden McNabb and captain Mark Stone — became fathers for the first time since the end of last season.

That they and other dads on the team — such as Marchessault, left wings Ivan Barbashev and William Carrier, right wing Phil Kessel, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and goaltender Jonathan Quick — got to share the moment with their children made victory that much sweeter.

“The feeling doesn’t get old,” said Pietrangelo, a father of four and two-time Cup winner. “Kids are a little bit older now, and now they understand what it’s all about and what dad was doing. It’s exciting. When you have a family, all you want to do is share it with them.”

The players made sure to pay back their parents, too.

Bob Hague lifted the Cup after buying new skates for his son Nic pretty much every year because the defenseman kept sprouting until stopping at 6 feet, 6 inches. Howden teared up thinking about everything his mother and father did, driving him back and forth from various rinks and still taking time to visit when he left home for junior hockey.

The Knights know they owe so much of their success to those labors of love. Not just in childhood but also this year. The fathers’ trip after the All-Star break was one of the turning points of the season. The Knights’ 2-0 swing to Minnesota and Nashville kicked off a 22-4-5 closing stretch that earned the team the top seed in the Western Conference.

“Just spending quality time with them brings the best out of you,” said coach Bruce Cassidy, a father of two himself. “Dads are proud of their kids, and kids want to make their dads proud, right? It brings out the little kid in you in the game. It worked well for us.”

It was only fitting the people who put the work in to get the Knights where they are took part in the spoils. A lifetime of memories were left on the ice when the players at last retreated to the locker room to keep the party going, all because they got to show appreciation to those who have been in their corner the entire journey.

“Everyone’s got stories of how they got to this point,” said Whitecloud, the first member of the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation to play in the NHL. “Obviously, it’s not an easy road, right? It’s a lot of people putting in hours and time and money for us to get through hockey and to get us to this point. Just thankful for everyone that’s helped me along the way and helped every one of our guys in this organization to be able to bring this to the city of Vegas and our fan base. They deserve it.”

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.