LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Break the ice with Vegas Golden Knights right winger Keegan Kolesar! He joins me to discuss the offseason as a Stanley Cup champion and to talk about his first NHL goal.
TINA NGUYEN: Keegan, an offseason as Stanley Cup champs. How was it?
KEEGAN KOLESAR: How was it? One for the memory books, for sure. Just to celebrate with the friends and family from back home. That's special in itself. But to win it and have those couple of weeks here with everyone. That's something I'll have forever. And we're etched in history forever as a group. And it's it's pretty special.
NGUYEN: What was it like to see your name in the cup for the first time?
KOLESAR: Pretty cool. It was the first time they had ever done it, where we got to have our names in the Cup for our special day. So that's something that I can show my grandparents. I always look after my grandpa. He just started laughing, and it's something special that I'll have forever.
NGUYEN: At what point in the season did you guys really begin to believe we've got a chance at this?
KOLESAR: Oh, right from the start. You know, if you don't have that belief from the start of training camp, I think you're setting yourself up for failure. You're cutting yourself short. We knew what we had in this locker room was special. It made us stronger.
NGUYEN: You do have a bit of a target on your back, especially as champs. How do you approach this season?
KOLESAR: We hit our goal ultimately last year of what we wanted to do. We knew that going into next year, people are going to try and knock off the best to be the best. You've got to beat the best. So teams are going to come in here and look to stack themselves up against us every night. And we want to come out on top again.
NGUYEN: Well, Keegan, we're doing something here called "Breaking the Ice." First NHL goal?
KOLESAR: It was a tip in and I cashed in the rebound against Saint Louis.
NGUYEN: Chili fries or poutine?
KOLESAR: Poutine always all the way.
NGUYEN: Okay, for us Americans, what makes it so, so special?
KOLESAR: It just all works together. I think it's just the same thing. The Canadians, we grew up on that as Americans grew up on the chili fries. So it's just like, you know what you've gone with your whole life.
NGUYEN: Early bird or night owl?
KOLESAR: Night Owl. I love the nighttime.