LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — For Reilly Smith, the return to Las Vegas has been about more than hockey.
It’s about home.
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“Yeah, it's really nice,” Smith said. “Just such like an easier way of life is what I probably tell most people. Around the city in 15-20 minutes, no matter where you want to go. The people are just so nice, so friendly everywhere. Super fortunate and grateful to be back here for another year.”
Smith rejoined the Vegas Golden Knights ahead of last season’s trade deadline after a stint with the New York Rangers, returning to the organization he helped lead to a Stanley Cup. In June, the team signed him to a one-year extension, keeping a familiar presence in a locker room that continues to evolve.
But his perspective now looks different from what it did during his first stint in Vegas.
It starts at home — and in a moving truck.
“You don't realize how many kids' toys and kids' clothes you have until you have to move and packing up boxes and emptying out drawers,” Smith said. “We found a lot of things that we can use and a lot of things that we do not need anymore. Thankfully, there are a lot of new babies and pregnant wives on the team, so hopefully we can pass some things along.”
That stage of life has become a shared experience inside the Golden Knights’ locker room.
Smith, now a father of two daughters, sees it as something that’s brought the group even closer.
“It's pretty special,” he said. “There are a lot of 2-year-old boys on this hockey team, and having a 3-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old daughter… I got to keep those girls safe, but joking aside, it's been awesome to be able to grow yourselves, but then also your families with some of your most trusted people and friends in your life is pretty special.”
That bond shows up away from the rink: in playdates, in routines, and in weekends that look a lot different than they once did.
“We use a lot of play dates with our kids, and definitely our weekends have changed over the years,” Smith said.
Even the way he experiences the city has shifted.
“A lot of restaurants… that's something that, you know what, I love to do,” Smith said. “It's hard because now I go at 4:30 with my two kids when the place is empty. Thankfully, the food is still the same at that time.”
Living in Summerlin has kept that balance manageable, with access to both quiet neighborhoods and the Strip.
And when he was away, it was the small things he missed most.
“Solito Posto was something... the bread there we talk about all the time,” Smith said. “So it was nice to come back here and stop by there.”
For Smith, it’s a small reminder of why Las Vegas still feels like home.
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