Well, first off, Deryk, what is your role with the Golden Knights?

I'm curious what your perspective is on it.

(Deryk Engelland) A lot of community stuff: the alumni, learn to play with the little kids, kind of a little bit of everything.

It started with, you know, three or four things that "we're going to" kind of thing.

And George or the people upstairs working will just ask you.

And, you know, it's good to keep busy.

-So you're talking about George McPhee-- -Yes.

- --whose position currently is president?

-Yes.

-He continued to rise in this organization.

-Yes.

He's amazing, awesome guy.

-Well, tell me about him and his influence in making this team we're talking about.

-What he's done with his team, it still blows my mind now, some of the trades they made and everything around the expansion draft.

Just how they brought that team together was amazing.

And every year you seem like it's-- okay, it's gonna level out here, and you go into free agency or trades and it's just, wow, how did-- how do they pull it off?

And it's exciting to see as a, just as a hockey fan.

But... -What blows your mind about it?

-You know, bringing in guys like Jack Eichel, Pietrangelo, all these big-- Everyone says they chase all the big names.

No, they're making a team that's competitive every year.

And you know, I think we got a taste of the finals the first year and, unfortunately, we lost.

But you get that taste, and you want it, want to get there again.

And they've done nothing but gave this team opportunities to, every single year, to win the Cup.

-Now, how closely do you watch the games?

Do you watch every game?

-If I go to a game, it's hard to.

There's a lot of some-- another job thing, ambassador, around the suites and the sponsors, so it's hard when you're doing that stuff to actually watch it.

You know, if you see a goal, it pauses conversation and stuff like that and watch.

But if I have none of that going on, I like to go home and I actually get to watch the game on TV.

It just makes it a little bit easier.

But it's-- you know, I've met a lot of amazing people that I'm friends with now that I wouldn't have without the job, I wouldn't have met, through sponsors and suite holders and stuff like that.

So a lot of them have come to our alumni golf tournament.

That was just on Tuesday.

So you build those relationships, and it's a-- Everyone knows Vegas is a very small big city, so the relationships you make and is amazing, and it's, you know, it's tough to watch the actual game at the game, but-- -I would imagine.

-But you still get the atmosphere, the feeling, and an excitement when you're there.

-When you are able to watch a game, do you share your observations with the players?

-No.

I'm kind of upstairs, the business side more.

You know, that's the coach's stuff.

-Have you been told not to?

-No.

No, nothing like that.

I still, when I run into the guys, we talk and see how things are going and stuff like that.

But you know, I think-- I feel like when I was a player, you always talked hockey.

So, you know, you run into the guys and stuff like that, and it's more about how life is and the family's doing and stuff like that.

And just keep it, keep it, just like, just buddies, you know?

So I try to stay out of the hockey stuff and let the guys that are in the locker room take care of that.

-If you were to give them any advice for the Stanley Cup Final, being that you played with some of these guys in the last Stanley Cup Final that the Golden Knights were in, what would that advice be?

-Just enjoy the moment.

I think they've been playing one game at a time all playoffs long, and that's the biggest thing from my takeaway from the first year is, you know, we got that first game, and it was almost like everyone's like, Oh, it's Vegas's Cup now.

They're gonna win.

And then as soon as everyone started hearing that, it's like tighten the stick a little bit, and then you're worrying too far ahead instead of just that next game.

That would probably be the biggest thing I would tell them.

-Because enjoying the moment, that seems so difficult when it's work, and it's high pressure work.

-It is.

And I think if you can, you know, after a game, win or lose, enjoy that moment or dwell on it if you lose the game.

But the next morning it's a new day.

Then worry about the next one and don't get too far ahead.

And you know, you still got to enjoy it.

The atmosphere around the city is electric, and it always has been with the Knights.

And now you're in the finals again, and it's just gonna ramp up even more.

-What did you think of the team's decision not to touch the Campbell Bowl in the Western Conference Final, because it's the opposite of what you did in 2018?

-Yeah.

Well, we-- You know, we had no captain the first year, and-- -Oh, that's right.

- --there was only-- I think Fleury was the only guy that has been to the finals.

And so I, you know, we all, all the leadership guys, kind of talked.

And a lot of guys went to "Flower" and, you know, just, What do you think?

And he didn't touch it the first time in Pittsburgh, and they lost.

And then they touched it, they won.

So we wanted to try to keep his streak going and try to win.

He was the backbone of the team that year, and so we touched it.

And you know at the end of day it's superstition, but I guess hockey guys are pretty superstitious.

-Would you take it back?

Would you go back and not touch it?

-No.

I don't think that played any factor in the outcome.

We came out strong and won that first game, but, you know, we were playing a really good hockey team that beat us, unfortunately, four straight.

But it was still the most magical season of my career.

And it sucks we didn't get a win, but just making it there...

I played in Pittsburgh for four years, and it seemed like every year they were handing us a Cup, and I never made it past the second round.

So it's hard to get there, and you gotta embrace that and just, like I said, take it one game at a time.

-Back to Marc-Andre Fleury.

My, how goaltending has changed over the years for this team and in this season in particular.

What have you thought as you've seen the team use five different goaltenders this season?

-Yes.

It's just since the All-Star Break too.

It's been crazy.

Bringing in Jonathan Quick turned out to be brilliant because other guy got hurt and all that.

So it was brilliant.

But it seems like it's how the team plays defensively.

Any goalie that gets in there, obviously they have to be good and make those saves at key moments.

But the way they play really helps a goaltender out.

They don't give a lot of second opportunities up.

They clear rebounds so the goalie can really focus on that one shot, and he knows that the guys are clearing the puck.

When Brossoit started, he was phenomenal.

Unfortunately, he got hurt.

And Adin came in and hasn't missed a beat.

He's been phenomenal since he got in there, and hopefully it continues for the Finals.

-What makes this team special in your opinion?

-I just think the depth.

You know, the guys that they brought in have really complemented the lines.

You go before the trade deadline, and you had that high-end skill.

And the fourth line has been phenomenal all season long.

But just a little smaller pieces, Barbashev and guys like that, that have really done, been impactful for-- you know, Eichel and Marchy, playing with him, you know?

They add that extra element that-- not that the other guys aren't doing it, but kind of that grind aspect, to grind it out to create a little bit more room for those guys to do what they're good at.

And you know, the depth.

If one line is not going one night or has the hard matchup, the other guys are coming and picking it up for him.

So I think it's-- the depth is huge for this team.

-I want to go back to that magical season that you were talking about.

And I think perhaps one moment that everyone will remember the most in this city is when you gave that really profound and poignant speech, following the 1 October shooting, at the very first game of the Golden Knights' inaugural season, the very first game after that shooting, very first home game I should say.

How often do you think about that moment?

-A lot, actually.

I still have people that you meet that tell you how much it touched them or helped them through a tough time.

And the whole team the whole season I think helped, but so it gets brought to your attention a lot.

And you know, you'll see something around town.

My wife keeps bringing up, showing me things on her phone that come up, and it's 58 everything.

Like it's crazy how many times it comes up.

Just two days ago, I forget what it was.

Maybe during the golf tournament something was 58.

She's like, there's another one.

There's another one.

It's always coming up around her, and she mentions it.

So it's-- You know, I don't know if it's people looking down on us, but it's brought to your attention a lot more than you think.

-Whew!

That gives me goosebumps.

-Yeah.

-58 being the number of people originally reported that had passed away.

When you do see that and hear that from your wife, what kind of emotions does it give you?

-Same thing.

It's almost chilling.

It's such a tough time.

The speech was the hardest thing I think I've done.

I've played-- hockey was easy, but getting up there to say a speech and was very nervous.

It was tough, but it's one of those things that you'll never forget.

-Last question.

Five years later, the Vegas Golden Knights are back in the Stanley Cup Final.

What's it going to take for them to win it this time?

-Oh, I think goaltending is going to be huge.

You know they're gonna-- Bobrovsky has been lights out since he's come in, so we got to match that.

And then the depth, like I said.

If the depth can keep coming, I think we're an extremely deep team, that all four lines contribute.

You know you look at Game 6 against Dallas, and I think our fourth line really set the tone.

They came out the first shift, dominated, they scored their second shift, and everyone jumped on and rode that and they were phenomenal.

It was a flawless game, I thought.

-You don't often hear people talking about the fourth line, right?

-Yeah.

No, it's-- The line has been phenomenal.

You look at Will Carrier.

He missed a big chunk of the season, and he puts up 16 goals on the fourth line.

That's, that's amazing.

That's, that goes to the hard work that he, he's always working.

He's always doing extra.

So, you know, and Roy and Kolesar are picking up right there too.

So they put the wall back with that line, and they lead the way.

-Carrier being one of the original Golden Knights still on this team.

What would it mean for you to see those guys get this Stanley Cup Final?

-It would be amazing, you know?

Like I said, we come up short last time, and it was a lot of other guys' first time in the finals.

And so that experience I think will help them out in the long run.

The guys from the first year and then guys that they brought in--Pachal, Quick, Barbashev, Stephenson-- -Eichel.

-They have all those, the experience.

And you know I think Eichel hasn't been in the playoffs, but his excitement will, I'm sure, turn to his play.

So it's gonna be amazing to see, and, you know, I hope the guys the best.

-Right.

Eichel, very first playoffs ever, and he's in the Stanley Cup Final.

What a big deal.

-It is.

-Deryk Engelland, thank you for your time.

-Thanks for having me.