Chandler Stephenson talks trade, Humboldt, dogs and more

Time to get to know the old new guy.

Golden Knights forward Chandler Stephenson sat down with the Review-Journal’s Golden Edge podcast Wednesday to discuss his adjustment to Las Vegas, his first hockey experiences and more. He also opened up about the day he brought the Stanley Cup to Humboldt, Saskatchewan, months after a local junior hockey team experienced a horrific bus crash.

The crash happened April 6, 2018 and left 16 dead and 13 injured, most of them players on the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

Here’s a few highlights from the conversation. Check out the full interview below or on podcast platforms like Itunes, Stitcher and Spotify.

On playing his former team, the Washington Capitals, on Monday

“That was a special game. It was a weird one for sure. I didn’t know what to expect. Just the whole game was a haze.

“It didn’t really feel like I was playing a game because it was against my old team and a lot of old guys. But it was all good fun seeing them and laughing with them and joking with each other on the ice.”

On the December 2 trade that sent him to the Knights

“We were just grabbing a morning coffee before practice and I got the call. I mean, I got to process it a little bit because I was there for the whole day in San Jose. My flight wasn’t in an hour or anything like that.

“Took a while to process and think of everything that happens and goes on. Just talked to family and let them know. There was a lot of mixed emotions but good emotions. Everybody was very excited.”

On taking the Stanley Cup to Humboldt

“I knew two guys on the team that were survivors. It was just something that I wanted to do. It was quite the day. A lot of emotion, obviously, but it was the first time since the incident that families and billet families had seen each other.

“That was the whole goal behind the day, just get everyone together. More of remembering the lives that were lost. Just trying to do our part as much as we could.”

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.