Golden Knights Players Discuss How They Watch Games

Injuries suck and they don't have a lot of positives that come from them. 

But for the Vegas Golden Knights, who are just now getting healthy one of the positives formerly injured players mentioned is being able to analyze the game from a different angle. Both Brett Howden and Zach Whitecloud missed a good chunk of the VGK's season, and go to see the game from another perspective.

“When you watch from up top games are much slower from up top. You kind of see more and it opens your eyes a bit to how much time you actually have. I think that was something I have tried to watch when I was injured is the time and space I can create that I actually have,” said Howden.

Being injured means not only missing out on team practices and workouts, but also video sessions. So injured players have to adapt.

"You have to pay attention to what the teams are doing. You’re not in the pregame meetings or anything like that. So in terms of how we're gonna play that team that night, what strategies we're gonna use pregame, whatever neutral zone or PK structure, or whatever it is. I just tried to figure that out from up top or on TV, and just try to pay attention and kind of stay dialed in throughout the process,” said Whitecloud.

Outside of Golden Knights games, Howden says he doesn't necessarily watch other NHL games to study them, but rather for casual entertainment and to see how some of his friends and former teammates are doing.

“I wouldn’t say I study opponents but I’ve always got a game on. Growing up I have always watched hockey and it’s kind of my comfort zone and obviously, you want to see where other teams are at,” said Howden.

Unfortunately, just like us, Golden Knight's players have to deal with the unfortunate sides of watching games, such as blackouts, advertisements, and strange new experimental motion graphics such as the new digital board advertisements.

“Everyone has their own opinions. I've seen a little bit of feedback on Twitter and stuff like that. Sometimes it'll glitch in and glitch out and stuff like that. But for me, I didn't really notice a big difference,” said Whitecloud on the new digital board ads the NHL has added this season.

The Golden Knights currently have a handful of players watching games unable to play. Mark Stone, Logan Thompson and Daniil Miromanovare current injured roster players and Shea Weber, Nolan Patrick, and Robin Lehner are out for the season.