LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Break the ice with Vegas Golden Knights right winger Keegan Kolesar! He joins KTNV sports reporter Tina Nguyen to discuss his career highs, his hopes for a chance at the Stanley Cup, and biting his nails.
Tina Nguyen: Keegan, quite the season for you last year. You set career highs across the board. As you head into this year, how do you take what you did last year to the next level?
Keegan Kolesar: Yeah, it was exciting to have that career last year, but you know, doesn't really mean anything at the end of the day when you don't make playoffs and you can't chase down a Stanley Cup.
Tina: How tough was that for this team?
Keegan: Sucks. Because, you know, you have so many guys in that locker room that have gone the distance. You hear the stories that they have, and it gets you excited and amped up. We're all athletes, we're all competitors, so we want the bragging rights, we want to win. Anytime we don't get that opportunity, it stings and sits with you all summer.
Tina: People in the hockey world doubting you guys, do you guys feel like you have a chip on your shoulder a bit?
Keegan: They can doubt us all they want, it just fuels our fire, I think. We look at sports around the league, around the world, and everyone's always getting doubted. No one thought Tiger Woods was ever going to play again, and look what he did. He's obviously a tremendous player, and we have tremendous players on our team here. We have a lot of scrutiny around us, and we're just ready to put in the work and prove people wrong.
Tina: What do you guys need to do to make it back to the postseason this year?
Keegan: We're gonna get back to that dog-on-a-bone mentality. When we're playing hard, we don't spend much time in our defensive zone. We're a high-offensive team, and we have the tools and the weapons to do it. I think once we get back into the game, it's just working hard and seeing what happens.
Tina: You were in more fights than any player in Golden Knights history last year, you're never afraid to drop the gloves. Why is it so important to you to have your teammates' back all the time?
Keegan: You know, it's not just me having their back, they have my back as well. That's what a good team does. You have everyone play a role, you have everyone stick up for each other. Might not always be Marchessault fighting, but you know what? I feel more happy when he goes and shoves a goal down their throats and makes it a winning game for us.
Tina: So, alright, Keegan, last couple questions for you. We're doing something here called "Breaking the Ice." What is your worst habit?
Keegan: Biting my nails, for sure. I do it all the time. My grandma hates it. She used to make me dip my fingers in hot sauce, that way if I bit them it would burn.
Tina: Tim Hortons or Starbucks?
Keegan: Starbucks coffee. Tim Hortons doughnuts.
Tina: What's your Starbucks order?
Keegan: Nitro Brew.
Tina: Translate this hockey lingo for me. "Chirp."
Keegan: Make fun of someone, jab at them.
Tina: Who chirps the most on this team?
Keegan: Marchessault.
Tina: "Biscuit."
Keegan: A hockey puck.
Get to know more VGK players in our "Breaking the Ice" segments! Past episodes have featured players like William Karlsson, Paul Cotter and Dylan Coghlan.