LAS VEGAS — During his younger days in the NHL, Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb didn’t quite comprehend his teammates’ excitement to rush home to their families.
Now, with his wife Lelanie and one-year-old son Laken who was born between Games 1 and 2 of the first round during the Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup run in 2023 to come home to, McNabb’s come full circle.
“When it happens to you, you’re like, ‘Oh wow, this is what it is,'” McNabb told The Hockey News after a recent training camp session. “Life is different and it is different for the better, and it’s been a joy having him and just looking forward to watching him grow up,” McNabb said. “Even from when he was born to now, it’s been a lot and it’s almost sad he’s growing up too fast. So it’s been a lot of fun.
“Everyone tells you it’s the best, and then it happens, and now you’re telling everyone that it’s the best. As soon as you get home through those doors, I mean, after a game, obviously he’s probably sleeping or hope he’s sleeping anyways. But, you know, the next morning you see him, he’s happy. They mean the world to you, so it’s a great getaway from hockey and sports, for other people too. It’s been a pleasure having that, especially for the hockey career.”
A hockey career that is entering its 13th season and eighth with Vegas.
McNabb, one of three original Golden Knights remaining on the roster from when the team first joined the league in 2017, has played a vital role in helping the Golden Knights make the playoffs six of their first seven years in the league thanks to his durability.
McNabb, who ranks second in Vegas’ franchise history with a +93 rating, comes into the season tied for second with another original Knight, William Karlsson, with 502 games played. Barring injuries, both will surpass the team-high mark of 514 by Jonathan Marchessault, who is now in Nashville.
The 33-year-old Saskatchewan native also ranks eighth in the NHL with 1,793 hits since he entered the league in 2011.
McNabb said he’s looking forward to Laken playing “everything,” as he’s already swinging a bat in one moment, and in another is running around the house “yelling ‘hockey, hockey, hockey’.”
“We got the sticks out and he likes whacking the stick and trying to hit the ball,” McNabb said. “It’s already kind of looking like he’s gonna really enjoy it. But when the time comes we’ll put him on (skates). If he likes it, he likes it; if he doesn’t, he doesn’t. Not gonna push. But if it happens, it…