Checking in With Jonathan Marchessault

Jonathan Marchessault's neighbors love him. Guaranteed.

The kids can't wait for him to pull the road hockey net out in front of his house and signal an impromptu game. The parents peek out the windows hoping he'll wander outside with a coffee or a glass of wine and have time to talk. His laugh is infectious and just like he drags his team into the fight he does the same when it comes to friends and fun. He's a bon vivant and the bad days for Vegas Golden Knights winger are as rare as a lunar eclipse.

The dressing room is the players' place, but lots of others work there. Reporters, trainers, equipment managers and communications staffers are in and out. There's no hierarchy in Marchessault's world. Everyone gets a nickname or teased about a tie or blouse he finds amusing. Hungover? Look out. Bad hair day? Prepare to become a victim of the sword which is his tongue.

On a drive from St. George, Utah to Las Vegas last summer, Marchessault told a writer a condensed version of his life story. He willingly shared. Then he asked questions. He wanted to know as much about his companion as vice versa.

The 29-year-old from Cap Rouge, Quebec, has 112 goals and 139 assists spread out over 349 games in parts of seven NHL season. He's become synonymous with the Golden Misfits and what hockey in Vegas is all about. Fire, energy, passion and excellence.

It's been four weeks since the NHL paused its regular season and Marchessault, like all of us in Nevada, has been practicing social distancing with the walls of his Summerlin home. He and his wife Alexandra as well as their four children have been cooped up but Marchessault says they're making the best of it and using the time to grow closer as a family.

Here's Jonathan Marchessault in his own words:

Gary Lawless: What do you want to do first when social distancing is over?
Jonathan Marchessault: My first thing is I would like to go the rink and skate. The second thing I would like to do is go out to restaurants. I miss going to restaurants so bad. During the season, I always tell my wife I don't want to go out, because on the road I always go out to eat. I'll go for her, but if it was my choice I would stay home. But right now, I really miss going out to restaurants.

GL: Who is doing the cooking at home?
JM: If we do casual stuff it's always going to be me, like lunch and breakfast. But every few nights we try to make a nice dinner, so Alex will make those. The kind that take an hour or so.

GL: What are your kids up to?
JM: Two of them are napping. Two of them are awake right now and were just playing outside, but the landscaping people arrived so we went inside until they're done. My first son's birthday is April 6. James just turned six, so I bought him some roller blades and he's been doing that all day every day. He's into it and I'm getting my roller blades this week. Chris (Davidson-Adams) from our equipment staff is doing my roller blades right now, so they might be ready in the next few days.

GL: Where will you use them?
JM: There's a decent area in front of my garage. My daughter rides her scooter there and me and James use our roller blades. Don't tell her but I got her some roller blades too.

GL: Will the Easter Bunny make it to your house?
JM: The past few years we felt like the kids were a little young, but we're actually going to get involved tomorrow and start the preparations. We bought everything and the Easter Bunny is going to be there for egg hunting in the house and all of that stuff. We have time.

GL: How is all this family time treating you?
JM: Despite not going on the ice and going out right now, I really like that I'm able to spend time with them. It's quality time with the family that you just didn't have before. The only time we have that is when we go on vacation, and it lasts for a week or ten days. I've got to say for me and my wife, the adjustment that we had to do at first was unbelievable because we were so tired. We just weren't ready for adding four kids daily on our own. At first we were doing all of the schooling on our own and it was just too much at one time. We would put the kids to bed at 7:30, we would take a nap at 7:30 on the couch until like 9:30 or 10 and then one of us would wake up to go with the little one because he needs a bottle around 10. After that we would go back to bed until about 6:30. We were just gassed. I don't remember the last time I was that gassed. Now we've picked up the beat pretty good so it's not too bad.

GL: How much do you miss your teammates?
JM: A ton. We do FaceTime to get an update from Nate (Schmidt), and I can't wait to get out there and see everybody and joke around a little bit. Obviously, I miss Karly and Flower a lot, Nabber, Stoney, Patch. Guys that you're really close to in your daily stuff. Something I've realized, and we've always said it, but we really have a good group of guys. I really, really believe it. Me and my wife have been reorganizing a lot of stuff in the house and now we're done and have everything the way we want it. I just can't wait for the first day we go back on the ice. It's the best time of the year, so I can't wait to do that for sure.

GL: What if the season is over?
JM: Oh, it's impossible that it's over. It's just impossible. Honestly, I don't play 70 regular season games to not play in the playoffs. I just don't do that. I think the NHL thinks the same, because that's why every hockey player is playing. A lot of guys will say that the playoff check is great, and when you're a nonplayoff team that's what you think of, but when you're a playoff team you don't think of the paycheck. You think of the Stanley Cup. We have a legitimate chance to win it this year. I know that 16 other teams think the same. I think they have to have a playoff format. They have to have something that we play for. There is no way we're just playing the regular season for one year. I don't care if we play the Stanley Cup in September or October and we push back the regular season after. You've got to have a way to play the Stanly Cup Playoffs.

GL: What do you miss about hockey?
JM: Winning. I miss winning the most. I like helping my team to be successful. I know that if they're successful, then I'm successful. Obviously, some nights we have bad nights, but we're successful because we pick up each other. When one guy is not having his best night, another guy is having his best night. Winning teams find a way. That's what I'm missing the most, winning.

GL: How are you getting better right now?
JM: Two hours a day I work out. Right now I'm dedicated to not being far from my conditioning standpoint for when we come back. When I have time, that's what I do. I only work out in the morning typically from 9:30-11:30. After, it's pretty much survive mode with four kids. Drink a couple cups of coffee and try to stay awake to entertain them. Entertain them and their passion. Obviously my two younger ones need more entertainment with little games. My eight-month old is sitting up, so just trying to be there for him. For my oldest one, I play baseball, roller hockey and tennis. With my daughter, tennis on the garage door and she likes scootering. Just doing little stuff like that to keep entertained, but it's also a lot of cooking. You have a few hours before the next meal so you clean up and then get ready for the next meal.

GL: What is your wife cooking?
JM: We follow a website that's in English and French. It's called Ricardo Cuisine. We do a lot of chicken thighs, big fan of that right now. Steaks, salmon and shrimp stuff like that. All recipe-related. He's a chef in Quebec City and has a website and nice books. We've probably done at least seven of his recipes.

GL: What are you watching?
JM: We watch Vikings and Power. We watch the news once in a while, but we don't watch too often. Don't want it to get too much into our head. We want to be informed, but not paranoid. I watch The Office in my spare time a little bit.

GL: How do you envision a return to hockey?
JM: Perfect scenario is we play the 11 games remaining and after that we play the playoffs like regular. Everything is delayed and we pretty much have no summer. I'm fine with that. It would be best if we could play two or three games before playoffs, that would be best-case scenario. If not, I would not want to play a format where a couple of teams play for the last playoff spot and things like that. I think they would get an edge because they would get to play a few games. I would say get the 16 teams right into playoffs. I think that would be more fair for everybody because everybody is in the same boat. Honestly, the best case scenario is we play hockey. I don't care whatever it is they decide. I'll respect it. As long as we get to play hockey and get to play for the Stanley Cup. That's all I'm asking for.

GL: How strong a team are the Golden Knights?
JM: Our team is not just good, it's great. I think we have everything we need to be successful so I'm not worried about my team. I'm just worried about getting the OK to play. Obviously we want to play in front of our crowd but if that's not the case, I'm willing to play just on a sheet of ice against the opposing team. I'm willing to do that.

GL: What would it be like for your team to make its return to T-Mobile Arena?
JM: There's no feeling like scoring at T-Mobile. It's just bananas. There's no feeling like winning at T-Mobile too. There's something that's indescribable. It's a playoff atmosphere at T-Mobile and we were just so close to that and it's sad that we might not get to see it again this year. If we do, we're definitely going to appreciate it even more when we get there. That's for sure. I just miss everything really. The things that I don't like are those first few practices where we'll have to go on and have bag-skates to get back in shape and those first few shifts of the first game are going to be tough. That's something I dislike but I know that our team reaching the end result will make us all happy. I'm pretty positive about the end result and I'm thinking a lot more about the process of getting there more than the end result. I know that process will be satisfying.

GL: Is this the longest you've ever gone without skating?
JM: This must be it. Normally when I finish a season, I don't take more than two to three weeks. Like I'll go on vacation and come back and when I get home, my friends are all in men's league and they ask me if I want to come. I love just being in the locker room with them so I'll go play and just get back into shape a little bit. I don't think more than two or three weeks go by without skating. That's why I bought roller blades. I want to get back skating a bit.

GL: What's your message to fans?
JM: Everybody be safe. Stick together and do what is best for everyone. We have a safe place right now but we're not in the best situation. I really miss the fans at T-Mobile and the vibe of just going out of the house. The vibe when you go out of your house in Vegas and in Summerlin, it's great. I just can't wait to see everybody back and until then everybody needs to be safe.