Deryk Engelland was more than just a player for the Vegas Golden Knights

Deryk Engelland will go down as a franchise icon for the Vegas Golden Knights.

It was announced today that Deryk Engelland had announced his retirement following an 11-year career in the NHL, but his legacy will always be intricately linked to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Very much a glue guy throughout his career, Engelland played for both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Calgary Flames before landing in Sin City, and retires with 127 career points (30 G, 97 A) in 671 regular season games.

Drafted No. 194 overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Engelland also played for the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL and became a resident of Vegas on a full-time basis.

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And life came full-circle for the 38-year-old who was granted a stunning homecoming after being selected in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft by the Golden Knights.

Quickly establishing himself as a key piece on the blueline, the veteran defenseman carved out a career-year in 2017-18 with 23 points (5 G, 18 A) in 79 regular season games, before logging 23:19 of ATOI during the postseason as the Golden Knights made the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural year.

While Engelland did regress and his play fell somewhat off a cliff over the last two seasons, he finished his career with the Knights with 41 points (8 G, 33 A) in 202 regular season games.

And, besides, Deryk Engelland’s legacy with the Vegas Golden Knights will be based more on what he did off the ice than what he did on it.

Already entrenched as a Vegas native, Engelland took it upon himself to go above and beyond to help many of his teammates who were selected in the Expansion Draft to find homes and pick out schools, always being on hand to help and give advice to those who needed it.

He was directly responsible for forging an unbreakable bond between the “Golden Misfits,” an incredibly strong chemistry that formed the bedrock of a plethora of unknowns having career years and Vegas making a historic and storybook run to the Stanley Cup Final in the franchise’s inaugural year.

While never named a Captain with the Golden Knights, Engelland was the unofficial team leader and the heartbeat of the franchise, a real glue guy in the locker room who everyone could depend on at all times.

That was never truer then when tragedy struck Vegas on Oct. 1, 2017, with the tragic shootings in the city outside of the Mandalay Bay Hotel claiming the lives of 60 innocent people.

It was a horrific event that ripped the heart out of a normally vibrant and bright city, a community left torn apart and unable to find their way.

Hurting after seeing the devastation caused in his community, Engelland reacted as any true leader would and brought his new teammates together, most of whom hadn’t even had chance to grab a cup of coffee in Vegas yet, and together they made sure they were available to those who needed them.

From helping first responders to appearing at Blood Drives and just offering a shoulder to cry on to those who had lost loved ones in the shootings, Engelland and his Vegas teammates did whatever they could to help a broken city heal.

And, with the Golden Knights staging the first regular season home game in franchise history at T-Mobile Arena just nine days later, we witnessed the true measure of Deryk Engelland the man.

Skating out to center ice, Engelland took it upon himself to deliver a passionate, heartfelt and hugely emotional and incredible speech to those inside T-Mobile Arena and beyond, while paying tribute to those lost and the first responders who risked their lives in order to help those in need.

It was the defining moment of Deryk Engelland’s career, an intimate snapshot into his relationship with the city of Vegas and those who reside in it.

That moment out on the ice with thousands of eyes staring down upon him, coupled with the leadership shown in the days after the tragic event, cemented a lifelong relationship between city and franchise and between city and player.

Engelland would also go on to establish Engo’s Heroes, a charitable initiative to honor and help those affected by the Vegas shootings, while he also played a star role in a number of other charitable efforts while with the Knights, earning the 2017-18 Mark Messier Leadership Award for his efforts on and off the ice.

Engelland is special to the people of Vegas and he’s special to the Vegas Golden Knights, with his actions on and off the ice and approach to his job making him a cherished and valuable member of the organization.

It should come as no surprise, then, that Engelland will remain with the Golden Knights in his post playing career, with it being announced today that the now former defenseman will take up a role with the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation as Special Assistant to Owner Bill Foley.

Given all of Engelland’s charitable efforts throughout his time as a Golden Knight, it is a perfect role and it ensures that one of Vegas’ favorite sons remains where he belongs.

Home.

While other players will no doubt write themselves in to the record books for what they do on the ice with the Vegas Golden Knights, Deryk Engelland’s overall legacy will be linked to what he did off it and the incredible, indelible mark he left on a whole city and a whole franchise.