A place among the greats:
Ice hockey has always been sold all over the world thanks to stars endowed with an almost divine talent, those so-called generational talents: Gretzky, Lemieux, McDavid, Crosby, Bedard or those European players capable of creating magic with every skate stroke, those: Bure, Jagr, Forsberg, Ovechkin, Kucherov and the list goes on.
However, we must never forget that sometimes history is written by players who are not endowed with the same surreal abilities, but who carry within them: courage beyond measure, an unprecedented work ethic, a complete and utter inability to give up, and who will always work as long as they have an ounce of energy left, because their character and determination will never accept any form of abandonment or even slackening. Among these tireless workers, who inspire millions of fans with their stories whose probabilities seemed more than uncertain, is the recipient of the latest Conn Smythe Trophy awarded to the playoffs' most valuable player:
Jonathan Marchessault.
The junior years: when everything changed
The Las Vegas Golden Knights forward was born on December 27, 1990, in Cap-Rouge, Quebec, Canada. He played his junior hockey for the Quebec Remparts in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, now the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League.
He also played for the current head coach of the New York Islanders, the legendary Patrick Roy. According to Marchessault, who in 2022 was named by fans to the Quebec Remparts' all-time all-star team alongside Simon Gagné and Alexander Radulov, his junior hockey years in the old capital were difficult, but above all they proved crucial for the rest of his career, as it was during these years that he would develop his character as a player.
Make his mark in the best hockey league in the world:
Like another Quebec-born player who had a great career: Martin St-Louis; Jonathan Marchessault was never drafted, but that never stopped him from making his mark in the NHL, the world's best hockey league.
In 2011, he signed a contract with the New York Rangers, with whom he played in the American Hockey League with their farm team, the Connecticut Whale.
In 2012, he signed an agreement with the Columbus Blue Jackets, with whom he finally played his first NHL game on January 31, 2013.
The following year, in 2014, the hard-working and resilient forward realized his dream of playing in the National Hockey League, and was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was with the Florida team that he scored his first goal in the Bettman Circuit.
Two years later, in 2017, the man who must have had no idea of the glorious future he was destined for was claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights in their expansion draft.
At that moment, a new page was turned, and it was quite a page.
Shining brightly in the desert:
In their first year of existence, the Knights made it to the Stanley Cup Grand Final, where they eventually lost to the Washington Capitals, led by Alexander Ovechkin, who savored their first triumph. This proved to be an excellent start for the team based in the so-called "Sin City". Notably in 2018, the man who shines brighter than the sun in the heart of the Nevada desert in the United States agreed to a six-year deal with the Golden Knights.
It didn't take that many years for the Stanley Cup to take up residence in Las Vegas. In June 2023, the Golden Knights won the precious trophy against the Florida Panthers. As a result, Marchessault was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for the most outstanding player of the playoffs. At the same time, he became the first undrafted player to accomplish the feat since a certain Wayne Gretzky, and the first Quebecer to win the title since Jean-Sébastien Giguère in 2003.
Who said the draft was the only gateway to the National Hockey League?
This season, the first for Las Vegas as defending champions, Jonathan Marchessault accumulated a record of 38 goals and 22 assists for a total of 60 points in 69 games. Overall, the man on whom all NHL general managers have turned their noses repeatedly accumulates: a +37 record, 226 goals, 252 assists for a total of 478 points in 625 games.
Even more impressive is the fact that he has just added his name once again to the great book of ice hockey records, becoming the first player in the history of the Vegas Golden Knights to play 500 games with the team.
To be continued...
Marchessault is in the final year of his six-year contract and is currently playing the best hockey of his career. What does the future hold for him? Another Stanley Cup? A second lucrative contract? No one knows, but it's a safe bet that his future will be as bright as the golden helmet that adorns his team's logo.
David Leboeuf
Artist Sevigny's work featuring Jonathan Marchessault of the Vegas Golden Knights.
Giclée prints, retouched by the artist on 20x16-inch canvas, are available by clicking on this link:
This artwork is officially licensed by the NHL and NHLPA and is available exclusively through Fanatics. Call 1(800) 689-2001 or click the link for purchase information.