LAS VEGAS — When talking about the numerous players who have helped mold the identity of the Golden Knights during their first eight-plus years in the NHL, many past and current names come to mind.
From the flashy and boisterous, to the popular fan favorites. The Golden Knights have never been short of personalities since arriving in 2017.
Yet flying under the radar more than anyone else may be defenseman Brayden McNabb.
On Thursday night, the 34-year-old will stand tall among them all, as he’s set to do something no other skater has done as a part of the NHL’s 31st franchise.
In what will be his 838th career game, it’ll be McNabb’s 600th as a member of the Knights.
“Being a day-one guy, super proud of that,” McNabb said during a conversation with The Hockey News on Tuesday. “That first year was unbelievable. It’s a year I’ll never forget, for sure, and building the culture, setting the culture of this team that first year, it’s a huge thing to do.
“I’ve been very fortunate, very blessed, to be able to make the NHL and play as long as I have, and look and keep it going.”
An unwavering professional who arrives at the team facility prepared to give 100 percent every day, McNabb’s work ethic was instilled as a young boy, growing up in a small Canadian town known more for its agricultural roots and its “Big Coffee Pot” monument than its hockey players.
Davidson, Saskatchewan – population 1,200 – is a small, yet prideful town located in central Saskatchewan that embedded character into McNabb’s genetic code, alongside a fine upbringing that provided him with a clear understanding of life in its simplest terms.
“Grew up on the farm, helped out on the farm until hockey kind of took over,” McNabb explained. “Obviously, I had a great family, parents growing up to help me through all that stuff. But just the work mentality, it’s not always going to go great. And when it does, great; when it’s not, you kind of get your work boots on and try and fix it the best you can.
“That’s kind of been my mentality throughout my career, just keep the work going and try as best as you can.”
As of Wednesday, McNabb ranked first in the NHL with 51 blocked shots through the team’s first 15 games of the season.
McNabb will not only be the first Knight to 600 games, he is the all-time blocked shots leader with 1,326 since the 2017-18 season, a tally that also leads all NHL skaters over that stretch by more than 40.
While forward Reilly Smith spent a season and a half away from the Knights after they won the Cup in 2023, he knows McNabb as good as anyone else, considering the two were part of the original roster in 2017.
“He’s one of the leaders that’s been extremely important for the success of this organization, and that’s a tribute to him,” Smith said. “He does everything for this team, and it’s a good thing for him to be acknowledged for what he’s done.”
And as subdued and even-keeled as his fellow quiet-by-nature teammate can be, Smith said “Nabber” knows when to inflect his tone.
As the headliners have come and gone within the organization, McNabb’s presence might have been lost in the shadows of spotlights unintentionally grabbed by others. Yet there is no denying the 14-year veteran is, and always has been, one of the team’s original leaders.
“He’s got a calming presence,” Smith added. “I think he’s serious when he needs to be serious (and) he keeps the atmosphere light when it needs to be light.
“He’s one of those guys that really gauges the environment and the mood perfectly.”
McNabb will not only reach the franchise-high for games played when the Knights host the Islanders, but he’ll extend his own ironman streak, having appeared in 275 consecutive games, including all 82 regular-season games the past three seasons.
“There’s a lot that goes into it, I wouldn’t say it’s one thing,” McNabb said. “I’m a very big routine guy, no matter what it is. I like my routine. The health part of it has been big the last seven, eight years of my career. I’ve really dove deep into that. I think that’s benefited, for sure.
“I just try and continue to do what I do, stay with my routine, take care of my body, recover my body, the best I can.”
Easier said than done, considering McNabb ranks seventh among all defensemen with 1,944 hits since he entered the league in 2011.
While he has a world-class facility in Summerlin during home games, traveling can be difficult with a grueling schedule that takes the team across North America weeks at a time. So, during the season, he relies on resources available and team trainers to keep his body right.
It’s where the farmhand work ethic and diligence chime in, and benefit the respect he has for his craft and career, and what both mean to his teammates, the organization and, most importantly, his family.
Which is why he credits his wife Lelanie as being the backbone in the McNabb household, for both him and their two-year-old son, Laken, who was born between Games 1 and 2 of the first round during the Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup run.
“You really start to appreciate the home life and your wife; she basically takes care of you as another kid,” McNabb said with a chuckle. “It’s amazing, and it’s basically a big reason I’ve been where I am. The recovery aspect is a lot of credit to her, too. She’s great with cooking and everything. She’s the rock of the family.”
From family man to hockey player to teammate to assistant captain, an entire organization has benefitted far beyond 599 games – soon to be 600 – from Brayden Luke McNabb.
“Pillar in the organization,” star forward Jack Eichel said. “An unbelievable teammate and guy. He’s maybe quiet around you guys, but he’s a big part of our group and the personality and the culture that’s here.
“It’s been a privilege to be his teammate and play with him and get to know him.”
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