What the heck does Cirque du Soleil have in common with hockey?
As we found out this week, one thing these two seemingly opposite disciplines have in common is Jay Mellette, who was hired by the Golden Knights as the team's director of sports performance and head athletic trainer.
What we find out today is how Mellette's hire fits into Golden Knights general manager George McPhee's larger plan.
"He's going to be a big part of the build out of our staff," McPhee said of Mellette. "We wanted someone who was familiar with the talent in Las Vegas in medicine and sports performance. He's looked after 500 athletes here in this marketplace and used a lot of different people. He's well-versed in the process and knows the top people in the marketplace to send our athletes to or to hire.
"Now that Jay's on board, we're starting to build out our medical team and sports performance department. I think, going forward, we're in pretty good shape."
As McPhee detailed further, Mellette's hiring fits two other purposes that are part of the team's bigger picture.
George McPhee Updates Golden Knights' February Plans
Identifying local medical staff, diversity in personnel highlight McPhee's plans
© Dave Sandford/Getty Images