Deryk Engelland's Road Back To Vegas - Part Two

This is the second part of Deryk Engelland's story from his early hockey memories to his time with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Click here to read Part One
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When he moved on from the Wranglers in the summer of 2005 and started a new chapter in the eastern U.S., Engelland found personal and team success with the Hershey Bears. In his first season Engelland appeared in 37 games for the Bears and was ready to make an impact in the postseason before his year was cut short.

"I only ended up playing two shifts in the playoffs," Engelland said. "I separated my shoulder on the first shift, played one more, then ended up having to watch the rest of the playoffs and we eventually won it all."
Engelland helped the Bears return to the Calder Cup Final the next season, but the team fell short against the Hamilton Bulldogs. Heading into the summer, Engelland was a free agent and was ready to seek his next opportunity on the ice. That opportunity came in the form of a contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins to keep him in the state of Pennsylvania for at least another season. He spent two full seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL and went into the 2009-10 season hungry for a shot with the big club. Despite his high hopes, he was sent back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to start the year.
"I remember going down and talking to Todd Reirden who was the coach at the time," Engelland said. "He and I had taken similar routes coming up through the minors. He helped me out a lot and I remember saying to him: 'I just need one game, that's all.'"
Come November of that season, he finally got that one game.
"I remember we were playing at home some time in November and Reirden called me in after we had lost and I thought 'Oh shoot, I'm going to get torn apart here,'" Engelland said. "I go in there and he says 'Well, you've got your one game. You're heading to Philadelphia to fly to San Jose to meet the Penguins on their road trip, you've been called up.'
"I said 'Oh man, okay. When do I play?' He says 'tomorrow.' Melissa was waiting for me outside after the game with some of her good friends from Wisconsin who were in town. I told her I'd just been called up and we needed to go home, I had to pack a bag and go to Philly. She and I were pretty excited. We went home, I packed a bag quick and I jumped in a car and the team's car service drove me to a hotel in Philadelphia."
Two hours of sleep, a cross-country flight and a rush to the rink later, Engelland defied the odds to make it onto the ice in time for morning skate with the Pittsburgh Penguins in San Jose.
"I remember landing, going to the rink, walking inside, putting my gear on and going right out on the ice for morning skate," said Engelland. "Alex Goligoski was sick, but I talked to him on the ice and he said he was good to play. So that gave me some time to get acclimated a little bit before my first game."
He watched from the press box in San Jose, but three nights later, Engelland was in the lineup in Boston as the Penguins visited the Bruins for a game between two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Most players find a moment to look around and soak in the view when they reach the NHL for the first time. Engelland said he tried to take a minute to enjoy the experience but, after his defense partner Brooks Orpik got hurt, he was one of five defensemen and realized there was no time for mental snapshots.
Throughout the season, Engelland remained in Pittsburgh and helped the Penguins battle to defend their Stanley Cup title they'd won the year before. He had been in training camp with Pittsburgh since he signed with the organization and had limited experience going up against the team's stars but skating with the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury helped Engelland develop his own game.
"You'd go out in practice and go against those guys every single day," said Engelland. "Not only was it pretty cool, it helped me develop as a player too. I was going up against some of the best players in the world on a daily basis, so it was huge for me. A guy like Sidney Crosby, as big as a superstar as he is, he's one of the most genuine, down-to-earth people that I know. He's very similar to Flower in that he'll do anything for you and help you along the way with whatever you need and make you feel very comfortable as part of the group."
Engelland became a full-time NHLer in Pittsburgh and was with the team from 2009-10 through the 2013-14 season. As a free agent in the summer of 2014, he deemed it time to move on from the Penguins as he signed a three-year contract with the Calgary Flames. Unlike his first go-around in the Flames' organization, Engelland became a mainstay on the Calgary blueline and brought a veteran presence to the team. While he spent those three years in Calgary, rumors began to swirl that the NHL might expand to Las Vegas. The city had lost the Wranglers in 2014, but it appeared that the Valley had a chance to become home to the league's 31st franchise.
"I remember first hearing that this guy named Bill Foley wants to bring a team to Vegas," Engelland recalled. "It was exciting having lived here in Vegas for a long time. I knew it would work. I didn't think it would be as big as it is already, but I knew it would work. Going back to the Wranglers days, the fan support and community support were great and that was two leagues below the NHL. We knew the support was there. The city itself was in need of some sports to call their own. You're hearing these rumors and you know it's going to work; you're hoping it's going to happen."
Rumors turned into a successful season-ticket drive and, on June 22, 2016, it became a reality that NHL hockey was coming to Las Vegas. That day was a happy one in the Engelland household and the idea that Engelland's pro hockey career could come full circle in southern Nevada swirled in his head.
"Melissa made up some signs and a shirt with just 'Las Vegas' on it, because the team didn't have a name, with my number and name on the back," Engelland said. "She was trying to put out the vibes for us to end up here and then the team was awarded. I was thinking about the slim chance that I was going to be picked up, so it was fun to watch the whole thing unfold."
The now 38-year-old defenseman is more than just a veteran of 671 NHL games. He's a father of two boys, Cash and Talon, he's a husband and he's a community member for citizens to look up to. Whatever has happened on the ice in his career or will happen in games to come, Engelland said he's extremely proud of what he's accomplished as a person.
"I think, being an older guy, I'm able to separate hockey and my life at home. When I get home, I've got two boys who are ready to go - it doesn't matter how tired I am or how much sleep I got. They're ready to go and they want to play so they keep me on my toes. I try to give them what I can when I'm at home. Being on the road so much, I try to give Melissa a break whether it's an hour here or an hour there and do what I can.
"I come home and see my family and I'm grateful for what hockey has brought for me. I want to continue doing whatever I can for hockey and for my family. At the end of the day, it's a job, but your family is going to be there no matter what. You can't take any of it for granted."