LAS VEGAS (AP) — Ryan Craig wasn't ready to walk away from being a player, but he could see the end in sight in the early 2010s while playing in Pittsburgh's organization and began keeping a journal of how he might handle different situations as a coach.
Others also envisioned him in a leadership role, and Craig was nine times named the captain of an American Hockey League team.
Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon, who has known Craig for nearly 30
years, saw that potential early as well. Craig became an assistant coach for the Golden Knights in 2017 when they were about to play their first NHL season, and even as the franchise changed head coaches, he remained in some form.
And now Craig is the club's head coach, having been named to that post on Wednesday and formally introduced in a news conference on Thursday.
“I’ve seen firsthand what he does to people around him, how he treats people,” McCrimmon said. “I’ve said to him many times, ‘Craig, you’re going to be a really good NHL head coach if you’re not in a hurry. You need to do it in the proper steps.’ He’s done exactly that.”
Craig replaces John Tortorella, who was hired with eight games left in the regular season and led the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final before they lost in six games to Carolina.
“I’m ready for this opportunity,” Craig said. “I’m grateful for it. I'm ready to get to work.”
McCrimmon has known the 44-year-old Craig since he was 15 and played for the Brandon Wheat Kings, a Canadian junior team, when McCrimmon was the owner and GM.
“Craig has been 40 as long as I've known him,” McCrimmon said jokingly.
Craig's hiring is a departure from the Golden Knights' usual way of doing business.
From Gerard Gallant to Pete DeBoer to Bruce Cassidy to Tortorella, the franchise has hired coaches who have been successful in the NHL. Craig is the first to come through the young organization's system.
He went to AHL's Henderson following the Golden Knights' 2023 Stanley Cup championship because McCrimmon said it was important that Craig get head coaching experience.
The 6-year-old Henderson Silver Knights set a franchise record with 90 points this season, going 39-21-12 and advancing to the second round of the playoffs.
Craig said he learned when he became the head coach that he is the one who “control(s) the temperature of the room,” and has to take more of a big-picture approach rather than focus on a particular area of the team such as special teams.
“As a head guy, you go to bed every night thinking about what the message is and you wake up thinking about the message and what your team needs and what individuals need,” Craig said. “And until you experience that, I believe that's foreign to you. You have to live it.”
He has an advantage compared to prior Golden Knights coaches in that Craig intimately understands the organization and has coached many of its players. Vegas captain Mark Stone is one of them and he attended the news conference.
Because of his deep knowledge of the organization, Craig also knows there isn't a true honeymoon phase. The Golden Knights have made the postseason in eight of their nine seasons and expect to go deep into the playoffs each year.
They came within two victories of winning the Stanley Cup this season and are listed at 10-1 at BetMGM Sportsbook to win it all next year, behind only Colorado (7-1) and Carolina (7 1/2-1).
Craig understands the difference of being in the head coach's seat, and few are hotter than the one in Vegas.
“Our organization from day one has always tried to hire the best people for their jobs, whether it’s our players, whether it's coaches,” McCrimmon said. “We’ve always hired the best available coach, and that’s exactly what we’re doing today — hire the best available coach that’s going to lead our organization.”
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