If a hockey player passed through Brandon, he was impacted by McCrimmon. He's a paternal figure in the province's hockey circles and most players who came up in Manitoba have a connection to McCrimmon.
Looking at the rosters for tonight, the matchup between the Golden Knights and Flyers could be considered the Kelly McCrimmon Cup.
Let's have a look…
1. Flyers GM Ron Hextall played for the Wheat Kings and later was a teammate of McCrimmon's brother the late Brad McCrimmon.
2. VGK forward Ryan Reaves played for McCrimmon in Brandon.
3. VGK defenseman Zach Whitecloud grew up in Brandon and his parents billeted Wheat Kings players.
4. Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov played for McCrimmon in Brandon.
5. Flyers center Nolan Patrick played for McCrimmon in Brandon.
6. VGK assistant coach Ryan Craig played for the Wheat Kings and was captain.
7. VGK assistant coach Mike Kelly coached with the Wheat Kings.
8. Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim lives and trains in Brandon and was coached by McCrimmon at the world juniors while playing for Team Canada.
9. Flyers center Travis Konecny coached by McCrimmon at the world juniors while playing for Team Canada.
McCrimmon keeps a vigilant eye on all VGK games but wouldn't be surprised if he is paying extra close attention tonight.
Notes:
With a win tonight…
-The Golden Knights would improve to 8-6-1 against teams in the Metropolitan Division
-The Golden Knights would have 21 wins on the road this season, which would rank as the second most road wins in the league
-Marc-Andre Fleury could win his 400th career game tonight, becoming only the 13th NHL goaltender in history to do so
Belly's Influence
Vegas Golden Knights forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare returns to Philly tonight but his impact since returning to the lineup has been noticeable, especially on the penalty kill. In the seven games he missed from Feb. 19 - March 4, the Golden Knights gave up seven power play goals. When Belly returned to the lineup on March 6, Vegas has yet to give up a power play goal in seven opportunities.
The Sunshine Kid
Vegas Golden Knights forward Ryan Carpenter(born in Oviedo, FL) has scored seven goals since February 4. It's only the fifth time in NHL history that a Florida born player has scored at least seven goals in a season. The most goals scored by a player from the Sunshine State is 17 by Philadelphia's Shayne Gostisbehere in 2015-16.
