The San Jose Sharks are still coming to grips with Peter DeBoer being the Vegas Golden Knights' new bench boss.
DeBoer, the former Sharks head coach, took the reins of San Jose's hated rival on Wednesday after the Golden Knights fired Gerard Gallant.
"Obviously not the team we expected him to go to,” Sharks forward Timo Meier told The Mercury News' Curtis Pashelka hours after the move. “But that’s the business. But it’s a good opportunity. Obviously, they’re a good team. (They) have loud fans. But yeah, it’s definitely shocking to everybody."
"It’s going to be weird playing against Vegas with him behind the bench,” he added.
Tomas Hertl echoed that sentiment.
“Every guy on the team was pretty surprised,” Hertl said. “It’s kind of shocking. Nobody expected the coach from Vegas to get fired, and right away Pete gets there. Nobody knows actually what to think about it. But it’s for sure big news and a really big surprise.”
The Sharks fired DeBoer on Dec. 11, replacing him with Bob Boughner on an interim basis. DeBoer was in his fifth season with San Jose, and he was dismissed after a 15-16-2 start following a Western Conference Final berth last spring, and a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2016.
Boughner, who spent two stints as an assistant coach under DeBoer, wished his old boss well.
“Obviously happy for Pete," Boughner said. "I think it’s going to be a great spot for him. I knew it was just a matter of time. I didn’t know if he was going to wait until the summer and take a few months, but when an opportunity like that comes up, him considering taking it is very understandable.”
The Sharks-Golden Knights rivalry has been one of the NHL's best lately, and it came to a head during a wild seven-game first-round playoff matchup last spring. During that series, Gallant called DeBoer a "clown" for accusing him of chirping at Sharks players.
San Jose and Vegas won't meet again during the 2019-20 regular season, and both teams currently aren't in playoff spots. The Golden Knights sit just outside of a wild-card slot, although they're a mere three points back of first place in the Pacific Division.
The Sharks rank sixth in the same division and sit eight points out of a playoff berth.
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