Of all the cool moments that Vegas Golden Knights forward Max Pacioretty experienced this weekend, of which there were many, one probably stands out chief among them all.
From having his kids out on the ice with him to helping the Pacific Division win the 2020 NHL All-Star Game in St. Louis, the first taste of these festivities was a sweet one for the Vegas Golden Knights veteran.
But the highlight no doubt would have been having the greatest player in hockey history behind the bench for the Pacific Division.
The one and only Wayne Gretzky.
The Great One.
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As part of the NHL’s bid to spark more interest in the All-Star Game at Enterprise Center, each Head Coach was joined by a Celebrity Captain.
The Atlantic had Pam from The Office, otherwise known as Jenna Fischer who is a massive St. Louis Blues fan, as is Jon Hamm of Mad Men fame who was behind the bench for the Metropolitan Division, while Blues legend Brett Hull was the famous assistant for Craig Berube and the Central Division.
It was pretty neat to see two huge Blues fans in Fischer and Hamm get the chance to be involved in the All-Star Game in their hometown (well, Fischer was raised in St. Louis), while Hull added to the St. Louis heavy contingent in the Central.
But for the players on the Pacific Division roster, they were given a treat that many of their peers would have been jealous of.
I mean, to get the chance to take instructions from one of the best to have ever laced up a pair of skates must have been incredible.
Just think how Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes feels right now.
The rookie phenom displayed some filthy mitts with the puck in open ice before bearing down on goal and beating Jordan Binnington for his first ever goal at the All-Star Game as the Pacific Division downed their Central opponents.
The Great One comments on Hughes' first #NHLAllStar goal 🤯 pic.twitter.com/f0tCChEDhb
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 26, 2020
It was a highlight-reel moment for Hughes and it led to this brilliant line from The Great One himself:
“That was pretty nice! That young lad is a defenseman? He has better hands than I had.”
Quinn Hughes must be on cloud nine today after hearing that.
And, for Max Pacioretty, it must have been pretty neat for the veteran to be around Gretzky and get the chance to learn from the best.
We don’t know if Pacioretty had chance to have a quiet moment with The Great One, but just being in his presence must have been quite some honor.
And now Pacioretty has the chance to become The Great One for the Vegas Golden Knights down the stretch.
Because this team needs some starpower.
When they return from the bye week on Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Knights will be halfway through a long road trip that has seen them collect three losses and just one win.
Granted, the Golden Knights have the luxury of being in a Pacific Division that no team seems to want to win, so a big run of wins would propel them to the top and put them in a pretty strong position.
However, this Vegas Golden Knights team is flawed and they have been plagued by inconsistency all year.
That must change.
Certain players need to step up to the plate and start producing on a more regular basis, but the Knights will also need their big guns to keep on delivering the goods.
And that’s where Pacioretty comes in.
The veteran has been an offensive juggernaut for Vegas all year, leading the team in points with 47 (21 goals, 26 assists).
He’s also been a leading example both on and off the ice and maybe Pacioretty will need to do what The Great One often did throughout his career – put the team on his back and drag them into the postseason.
Wayne Gretzky was the master of just getting it done and leading his team to consistent success, and Pacioretty is that man for the Vegas Golden Knights.
After spending some time in his company over the weekend, the job for Max Pacioretty will now be to return back to Vegas and become The Great One for his team as they prepare to get their house in order and become the team we all thought they were.