Golden Knights fans have love-hate relationship with Pete DeBoer

Pete DeBoer won over a lot of Golden Knights fans since he was hired as coach in January 2020.

But not all of them apparently.

“I can’t tell you how many people I run into in Vegas here who have told me (about) the love-hate relationship they’ve had with me in the last 12 months,” DeBoer said with a grin Wednesday.

DeBoer coached the San Jose Sharks for four-plus seasons and was part of two heated playoff series against the Knights.

The budding rivalry exploded in 2019 after DeBoer accused then-Knights coach Gerard Gallant of verbally taunting Sharks players during the Western Conference quarterfinals. Gallant responded by calling DeBoer a “clown” before Game 7.

When he was hired to replace Gallant, DeBoer had to win over the locker room in addition to a passionate fan base.

“I had a great run in San Jose with a great group of men. We had a lot of fun. Won a lot of playoff games,” DeBoer said. “When I got the call from (general manger) Kelly McCrimmon to take this job, was I surprised because of the rivalry and what had gone on? Yes. But was there any hesitation when he offered me the job? Not even a second.”

Since DeBoer was hired by the Knights to replace Gallant, he is 55-19-4 during the regular season and won the Pacific Division title in 2019-20. The Knights are making their second straight appearance in the final four under DeBoer and reached that stage for the third time in their four seasons.

Gallant was hired as coach by the New York Rangers on Wednesday.

“I’m real happy for (Gallant) getting the Ranger opportunity. He deserves it. I think it’s a great fit for him,” DeBoer said. “That’s what we sign up for, and unfortunately in this business, I think out of the four major sports we have the shortest shelf life out of any of the coaches in those other leagues. We sign up for that, and you just come in and put your head down and do the best job you can every day.”

Saw it coming

Montreal Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki is not surprised by popularity of the Knights in Las Vegas. He could tell there was a buzz and energy around the team after he was drafted 13th overall by the expansion club in 2017.

“They did a great job of bringing in interest right before the team was even selected,” Suzuki said. “They’ve had a great plan since the start.”

Suzuki, 21, appeared in two preseason games with a goal and an assist, but never played a regular-season game for the Knights before he was included in the trade for winger Max Pacioretty in 2018.

“The crowd’s great to play in front of, even for the away team,” Suzuki said. “It gave us a lot of energy, and it’s been fun to play here. Like I said, they’ve done a great job of putting the team out here, and the fans have really embraced them.”

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.