LAS VEGAS — Shortly after the Vegas Golden Knights put the wraps on their first practice under John Tortorella, the rink at City National Arena turned into something far more meaningful than a workspace.
It became a reunion hall. A reminder. A quiet, emotional tribute to the bonds this sport builds and never breaks.
Instead of heading to his dressing room, Rasmus Andersson headed to the opposite corner of the rink, toward a familiar handful of Calgary Flames staffers and players standing along the glass. He left the ice, sat down on an equipment box in full gear, still sweating, still catching his breath, and couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.
Former teammates, equipment staff, trainers, friends who’d watched him grow from an 18‑year‑old kid into a 29‑year‑old leader.
They emerged from the Flames dressing room, spotted him, and broke into smiles that said everything. Andersson stood to hug each of them, laughed with them, held onto them a little longer than usual.
“It’s friends for life, it’s family,” he said afterward.
“I grew up there. I spent 10 years growing up with them. You spend more time with them than your own family sometimes.”
Fifteen feet away, another reunion unfolded.
Jack Eichel, Keegan Kolesar and a handful of Golden Knights players stepped off the ice when they spotted Zach Whitecloud — their former teammate who was traded to Calgary in the Andersson deal — waiting for them with the same grin, the same warmth, the same open‑armed welcome.
Two reunions. Two players who were clearly beloved.
And for a few minutes, their Pacific Division rivalry paused. The standings didn’t matter. The playoff race didn’t matter. The new jerseys didn’t matter.
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Whitecloud admitted the moment hit him harder than he expected.
“It’s a lot of emotions, but I think the main emotion is just sadness,” said Whitecloud, who won a Stanley Cup with Vegas.
“Those are guys I went to war with. A lot of ups, a lot of big downs, a lot of tough times, a lot of good times. It’s sad seeing those guys because it reminds you of the times you had. But you’re also grateful that you had them.”
He didn’t expect the outpouring of love. But he understood it.
“You don’t expect anything, but guys who treat people how they want to be treated — those guys go a long way in this game,” said Whitecloud.
“People don’t forget. When you’re done playing, the No. 1 thing you want to be remembered for is not the hockey player, it’s the person.”
He learned that from Alex Pietrangelo, from Mark Stone, from Nic Hague and Nic Holden, “All guys who lead by example.”
For Andersson, the reunion was overwhelming in its own way.
He admitted he spent the first few minutes of practice distracted, sneaking glances at his old teammates watching along the glass.
“I saw Depo (equipment manager Mark DePasquale) in the corner and I kind of focused on them a little too much at the start of practice, so I missed a couple easy passes,” he laughed, following his first practice under Tortorella.
“As soon as practice was over, I wanted to skate over and say hi to all of them.”
Wednesday night, he took the entire Flames team and staff out for dinner. And he paid.
Because that’s what family does.
Thursday’s game also included all the feels, as a video tribute to Whitecloud prompted a stirring standing ovation that touched his soul, as he circled to acknowledge the crowd by tapping his heart.
“It goes to show you how much both those players meant to their teams while they were with them,” said Ryan Huska.
“They have a lot of good friends on both sides, and they spent a lot of time with each other’s organizations. It goes to the character that both the players have.”
Noah Hanifin, who knows both players well, summed it up perfectly.
“The bond we have with the guys over there is special,” said Hanifin, now reunited with Andersson as his defensive partner.
“Equipment guys, trainers, players, that’ll never go away, even when I’m done with hockey.
“Whitey is the man. Unbelievable competitor, great human being, a leader. Soft‑spoken but a winner. Those relationships never go away.”
The love-in all served as a reminder that the game ends, but the relationships don’t. That the jersey changes, but the person doesn’t. That the wins fade, but the memories don’t.
Andersson admitted he was nervous about his first game against a team and a franchise that did so much for him and his family.
“It’ll go forever,” said Andersson, who had a nifty assist in a 6-3 Vegas win that included a 25-minute delay to repair ice damaged when the Zamboni lifted up a logo from under the ice in the second intermission.
“It will always be that special bond.”
Whitecloud said it just as well:
“Everyone’s going to see Zach the human being, how you treated the rink staff, the security guys, the gate guy,” he said of legacy.
Whitecloud’s reputation in Vegas is so stellar, the marquee outside the rinkside Beerhaus read simply, “Welcome back Whitecloud.”
On a random Wednesday in Vegas, two reunions broke out at once.
And for everyone watching, it was impossible not to feel something.
This segment is from Thursday’s episode of Locked On College Football with Spencer McLaughlin
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