It’s not mislaid connected Ryan Craig connected the unsocial concern he’s walking into.
Yes, he’s acquainted with astir successful the Vegas Golden Knights locker room. He’s worked with immoderate of those players from the beginning.
He’s inactive walking successful arsenic the caller manager of a franchise that was 2 wins distant from a Stanley Cup.
Craig welcomed the challenge, arsenic helium was introduced arsenic the 5th manager successful Knights history astatine City National Arena connected Thursday, sitting adjacent to wide manager Kelly McCrimmon successful a concern that ever seemed inevitable.
“I’m acceptable for this opportunity,” Craig said. “I’m grateful for it. I’m acceptable to get to work.
“I consciousness we person a precise bully hockey squad successful a precise bully city. We person a ton of bully radical successful the organization. A ton of bully hockey players. I’ve been present 9 years. I recognize the standards and the civilization of the organization. I’m arrogant to pb it and correspond it.”
The 44-year-old from Abbotsford, British Columbia, returns to the NHL broadside of things, this clip successful a antithetic role.
Craig joined the enactment successful June 2017 arsenic an adjunct connected Gerard Gallant’s unit — 1 twelvemonth removed from the extremity of a 14-year playing vocation wherever helium was an established skipper successful the American Hockey League.
Craig has been the changeless done 9 years. He was an adjunct done the Gallant era, Pete DeBoer’s tenure, and the archetypal play of Bruce Cassidy’s tally that ended with the team’s title successful 2023.
McCrimmon named Craig the manager of the Henderson Silver Knights 2 weeks later. Craig coached the Silver Knights to a Calder Cup Playoff berth past season.
“Each feline was antithetic successful the mode helium handled the day-to-day. Whether it was thing from meetings, to signifier to video,” Craig said. “My occupation is to beryllium Ryan Craig, but you besides person to instrumentality pieces and things that you’ve learned on the mode with each these guys that I’ve worked with, and past instrumentality those if you judge successful them, oregon you marque a antithetic decision.”
A agelong clip coming
McCrimmon has known Craig since helium was 15 years aged erstwhile helium was a subordinate for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League, the inferior squad erstwhile ran and owned by McCrimmon.
McCrimmon said he’s received galore messages since the announcement was made Wednesday — from radical associated with Craig, who person coached and played with him — that knew this time was coming.
“His clip is now,” McCrimmon said.
Craig started keeping a diary astir 2010 erstwhile helium joined the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was skipper of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton successful the AHL for 2 seasons.
That diary contained inspirational quotes and messages, arsenic good arsenic his experiences of what helium liked arsenic a player, and besides done the eyes of a coach.
He occasionally added to it done his last playing years.
“I deliberation 9 years of doing this, adjacent the past fractional of my career, I was hoping and readying to beryllium a coach,” helium said.
Quick change
Promoting Craig came 3 days aft the Knights had their play extremity successful Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, led by then-coach John Tortorella.
Tortorella, 67, replaced Cassidy connected March 29 and led the Knights to a 21-6-1 tally that landed them successful the Cup Final for the 3rd clip successful their nine-year history.
Tortorella expressed tendency to tally it back adjacent season. McCrimmon felt the champion absorption was hiring “the champion disposable manager that’s going to pb our organization.”
“I deliberation it definite helps that he’s been successful our organization, conscionable successful presumption of familiarity with a fig of players that were portion of the teams Ryan was on,” McCrimmon said. “Relationships with (president of hockey operations) George (McPhee), myself, hockey operations, analytics people, he’s had clip with each those radical implicit the years.
“Even conscionable logistics. He’s going to beryllium successful the aforesaid city. All of those things that help. That, for me, makes it seamless.”
Craig was an eighth-round prime by the Tampa Bay Lightning successful 2002. He made his NHL debut successful 2005 with the Lightning, coached by Tortorella.
Like erstwhile Tortorella came in, Craig doesn’t expect changing overmuch successful presumption of benignant of play. He implemented the aforesaid philosophies with the Silver Knights.
“There’s going to beryllium a seamlessness successful that transition,” Craig said. “There volition beryllium immoderate tweaks, but I americium excited to get with the radical and enactment my stamp connected it portion continuing what’s been built present implicit the past fewer years.”
McCrimmon said nary decisions person been made successful presumption of Craig’s coaching staff. Assistants Dom Ducharme, John Stevens and Joel Ward were praised immensely by Tortorella passim the playoff tally for their enactment successful getting him up to speed.
McCrimmon said the hunt for Craig’s replacement successful Henderson besides is underway. Ward, who has been with the enactment since 2020, is considered a apical candidate.
Family matters
Above all, Craig is grateful and humbled with the opportunity. Craig is present the third-youngest manager successful the NHL down San Jose’s Ryan Warsofsky (38) and Pittsburgh’s Dan Muse (43).
Craig’s opening comments centered connected his household — woman Jaydee, daughters Kylie and Camryn, and lad Carson. He was visibly choked up some times erstwhile talking astir them and the travel they’ve been connected with him.
“This doesn’t hap without them,” said Craig, holding backmost tears.
He composed himself, past arsenic a emblematic hockey coach, veered backmost connected course.
“I’m ready,” Craig said. “I judge I’m acceptable for this.”
Contact Danny Webster astatine dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 connected X.
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