Reilly Smith Makes Second Golden Knights Debut

When the Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup in 2023, Reilly Smith became the first player to score a Stanley Cup-winning goal against the team that drafted him since Patric Hornqvist in 2017. He made history again on Friday night when he took the ice against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Reilly Smith became the first player in franchise history to be traded back to the Golden Knights.

Read More: Original Misfit Returns! Reilly Smith Reunited with Golden Knights

Homecoming aside, Friday’s game is an important one for Smith. It’s his 899th NHL regular season game and his 400th as a Golden Knight. Smith became just the fifth player in franchise history to skate in 400 games.

There will have been 694 days between Smith’s 399th game and his 400th.

“I’m really excited to be back in this group,” said Smith. “It’s great. I think I was recognized more in the five minutes after I landed last night at 1:30 than I have in the last year and a half. The fanbase here has been so special to me and my family. They welcomed us here eight years ago and made it a home for us.”

Smith, an original ‘Golden Misfit,’ played six seasons with the Golden Knights before being blindsided by a trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins on June 28, 2023– 15 days after winning the Stanley Cup. He stayed in Las Vegas through the summer, participating in Stanley Cup celebrations and charity events. 

Following practice on Friday, Smith told the media that he never sold his house in Vegas. 

“Ever since being traded, every time I landed on the tarmac here, there was a sense of nostalgia. We kept the house here, and I’m really happy that we did,” said Smith. “It’s really nice when you get traded; there’s always so much new change, not just the stuff on the ice but everything around it. So to be able to come back here and have so much familiarity, it definitely feels like coming home.”