Pete DeBoer’s return latest chapter in rivalry with Sharks

Golden Knights winger Jonathan Marchessault admits that the heat from the rivalry with San Jose has faded in the 419 days since their last meeting.

Each team has new faces and appear headed in opposite directions.

But if anything can spark the fire, the return of Pete DeBoer to San Jose might do it.

The Knights coach will be behind the bench at SAP Center for the first time since he was fired by the Sharks when the teams renew their feud Saturday.

The game was rescheduled from Feb. 1 after the Knights were shut down by the NHL to follow COVID protocol.

“That’s definitely a special moment for him, first time going back there,” Marchessault said. “As a team, we’ve got to take a lot of pride to be there for each other, and we’ve got to be there for him and (assistant coach) Steve Spott as well. It’s going to be an emotional night for them, and we’ve got to make sure we bring our A game, especially for those two guys.”

DeBoer spent four-plus seasons in San Jose and compiled a 198-129-34 record that included a run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2015-16. One of his assistants that season was Bob Boughner, now the Sharks’ coach.

The Sharks never won fewer than 45 games under DeBoer in his first four seasons, but when San Jose stumbled last season despite an array of high-priced talent, he was fired Dec. 11, 2019.

DeBoer and Boughner recounted the story Friday of how they carpooled home from the airport that morning after the Sharks returned from Nashville following their fifth straight loss.

DeBoer said he received a phone call about 10 minutes after Boughner dropped him off from San Jose general manager Doug Wilson, who went to DeBoer’s house to break the news. Spott was one of three assistants who were fired, too.

“I’m proud of my time there,” DeBoer said. “I wouldn’t change the path that I’ve gone on. I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for the people there.”

Boughner, whom DeBoer has known since high school, took over as the Sharks’ interim coach and was on the bench the last time the teams met Dec. 22, 2019.

DeBoer said when he rehired Boughner as an assistant before last season, he hoped his friend would replace him if he ever moved on from San Jose.

The Knights hired DeBoer on Jan. 15, 2020, and Spott joined the staff soon after. DeBoer has posted a 23-7-3 record in the regular season and guided the Knights to the Western Conference Final.

“I’m looking forward to getting back,” DeBoer said. “I wish it would’ve been under normal circumstances. Get a chance to see some great friends and some great people that work around that rink and around the team that when you spend four, five years in a place, you get to know pretty intimately.”

The Knights and Sharks met two straight years in the postseason, and the rivalry exploded in 2019 after San Jose’s controversial Game 7 victory in the Western Conference quarterfinal. The teams combined for 114 penalty minutes during their final exhibition game last season, and the Knights went 3-0-1 during the regular-season series.

But much has changed since they faced off more than a year ago.

The three players at the center of the Game 7 incident — Cody Eakin, Joe Pavelski and Paul Stastny — are no longer involved in the rivalry.

The Knights are Stanley Cup contenders and leading the West Division, and San Jose searches for a reliable goaltender and is in danger of missing the playoffs for the second straight season.

“Those guys are great people. Great hockey coaches,” Sharks captain Logan Couture said. “It’s tough to cheer for them, obviously with them coaching the Knights, but those are two guys that you pull for and you want them to be successful no matter where they go. But not (Saturday), and not when they play us.”

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