The newly acquired forward for the Vegas Golden Knights was traded by the Montreal Canadiens after some controversy over whether they wanted to re-sign him to a new contract. Whatever happened in the past is in Pacioretty's rear view mirror now that he's a Golden Knight.
"I feel I have the opportunity now to take out my brain and just go play hockey," Pacioretty said.
The New Canaan, Connecticut, native is familiar with head coach Gerard Gallant from their time shared in Montreal. Coming into this situation, Pacioretty knew what Gallant was about and he credits the coach's uncanny ability to get the best out of his players for the team's success in its first season in the NHL.
"Everyone has that mentality I think here, from what I've seen," Pacioretty said. "They're all on the same page and they all believe in their coach and you don't see that too often in professional sports."
When Pacioretty made his first trip to Las Vegas with the Canadiens for their game at T-Mobile Arena on Feb. 17 last season, his idea of the city rapidly changed from the glitz of the strip to the community that has made this team its own.
"I'm completely blown away," he said. "They just do everything the right way. When I talked to George [McPhee], I never heard him say it, but I got the feeling that that's what they did. When they were looking for staff for how to build the rink and how to put together the organization, I feel like their goal was to go out and seek the best in every department and make a dream team."
After he was traded, Pacioretty had to explain to his children that he was heading to a new city to play for a new team. When they asked which team, he said Vegas, but that was met with confusion. The Golden Knights logo wasn't one of the 30 on a set of bedsheets in their home, so he had to explain that "it was the team with the show in the playoffs."
"I feel that this organization has changed the game," Pacioretty said. "You're going to see a lot of teams copying what they do in terms of in-game production."
Pacioretty added that, when he first played against the Golden Knights, he couldn't imagine being on the home side of a playoff series at T-Mobile Arena. Now, he has the opportunity to be a major part of Vegas' ride to another playoff journey. But he doesn't want to be the focal point of the organization because, for the first time in his career, he doesn't have to be.
"They mentioned that there's going to be 23 captains on this team this year, and I could feel that today with the energy in the room and the camaraderie of the guys," Pacioretty said. "I'm just excited to be a part of that."
