LAS VEGAS — It’s Day Two of training camp and 17-year veteran Alex Pietrangelo is nothing but smiles at his locker when a reporter reminds him that he’s one of the oldest members of the Vegas Golden Knights.
“I’m well aware,” Pietrangelo says with a chuckle, drawing laughter from the media scrum surrounding his locker. “That’s how you’re gonna start? I haven’t seen you in two months, you’re gonna start?”
Pietrangelo, in his fifth season with the Vegas Golden Knights, has never been short of humor, always willing to share a witty jab once in a while — and take one for that matter. When it’s time to be serious, he is. When it’s time to talk hockey, he does.
“You can ask these guys, I’m always upbeat, even last year,” Pietrangelo said during an exclusive sit down with The Hockey News. “I think as you get older and you kind of don’t know how much longer you’re gonna play, you just try and enjoy these moments, right? You try and enjoy your time at the rink.”
It is a mindset that he’s certainly embracing through the first month of the season, as his 12 points in 10 games rank second among all defensemen heading into Wednesday’s game in Los Angeles.
“Coming to the rink is refreshing,” said the father of four. “I’m so busy at home with the kids, which is obviously the best thing in the world, but I get to come to work every day, hang out with my friends, try and enjoy it, try and bring the energy.
“I think, like, especially as an older guy, you try and come to the rink and enjoy yourself.”
DAD STRENGTH
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
At 34 years old, and less than a year after missing 13 of the final 15 games of the regular season from what was listed as an illness (it was eventually revealed that he had his appendix removed), Pietrangelo says a longer off-season has helped him regain his strength.
“What you go through with this internal organ injury, that’s like the last two months of the season, couldn’t really function the way I wanted to, so that (was) frustrating,” said Pietrangelo. “I think around 26 or 27-ish, it’s easier to get your strength back. It’s easier to build that back up, or it’s easier to maintain it, I find.
“We always joke, it’s like dad strength. For me, maybe because I’m more active every day, it’s been a lot easier to get back to that strength level that I was. Especially (after) the year before and whatnot. The year we win (the Cup), we’re in the finals, you’re just grinding to get through there. That’s why it’s hard to repeat, you don’t get an offseason to kind of build things back up and rehab or whatever you gotta do.”
Dad strength might also be the thing keeping his mental health spry.
Pietrangelo said he owes it to his family to put his best skate forward every single day, be it at practice or during games.
“Well, obviously, (I) love coming to work every day, but I just go back to my kids,” he said. “If I’m going to do this job – and don’t get me wrong the summers are great because we’re home pretty much every day — I miss a lot with these kids. I miss hockey and baseball and dance and gymnastics and all this. The least I can do is work as hard as I can and try and do the job to the best of my ability.
“And the great thing about having kids is you get to go home every day, and you push everything to the side.”
Even the losses?
“They understand the games now,” he added. “So, a lot of pressure now at home. I go home, the boys know what the score is, and my daughters know what the score is. So for me, I just owe it to my family to try and come to work every day with my head up and enjoy it. And like I said, as you get older, I think you know you’re not gonna play forever, so you try and enjoy it.”
Part 2 of this two-part series will run Thursday, as Pietrangelo, coach Bruce Cassidy and teammate Keegan Kolesar address Puck Luck.
