Tuesday night’s win over the San Jose Sharks was a big one in many ways for the Vegas Golden Knights. With the two points, they were able to jump back in front of the Edmonton Oilers for third place in the Pacific Division. They were also able to pick up their first win in their past three games. Perhaps even more importantly, however, was that they were able to secure a big milestone for their head coach.
Tuesday night’s victory marked a great achievement for Pete DeBoer, as it marked his 500th win behind an NHL bench. He becomes just one of seven active coaches in the NHL to reach the 500-win total, with the others being Barry Trotz, Lindy Ruff, Peter Laviolette, Darryl Sutter, Bruce Boudreau, and Todd McLellan. After the game, he was asked about the great achievement, and offered a thoughtful response.
“It’s hard to put into words,” DeBoer said. “When you look back, I think it’s my 14th year, you don’t remember the wins and losses. You remember the people. Coaching staffs, the trainers, the doctors, the world class players that we get a chance to work with every day. You feel fortunate that you’ve had the opportunity to work in the best league in the world. In order to work for that long, you have to win some games. I’ve had a lot of people contribute to the fact that I’m still getting an opportunity to work.”
This was a very humble response from DeBoer, and explains why he has the respect he does around the league. As he mentioned, he has been around a long time, coaching 987 games in the NHL. Pete DeBoer secured his 500th win after serving as head coach in his career for the Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, and currently of course, the Golden Knights.
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