VGK Delay of Game - Nov. 27, 2022

Gary Lawless is the middle-aged sportswriter, broadcaster and married father of a soon to be teenaged girl. When he signed on as VGK Insider the team had one player, no coaches and no jerseys. When he's not working he likes to cook, pour good wine and watch his daughter play hockey.
Gordon Weigers is the young, talented and humorous master of the VGK twitter account. His title is quite impressive. Senior Manager, Digital Strategy & Editorial Content is what the business card says. He's a jersey model, a golfer and a singer.
Together - they are VGK Delay of Game.

This morning we find your humble VGK scribes on the team flight from Vegas to Columbus as the team readies for a four-game swing with games against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins.
Gary: Morning, Gordo. You look like you hit the strip last night. Hoodie up over your ballcap screams No Sleep Til Lumbus.
Gordon: Great, now they know I change into comfy clothes on the plane! No action on the strip for me last night, just a night of laundry and packing after the game wrapped up against Vancouver. The trip snuck up on me after a fun Thanksgiving and three games in four nights. Speaking of which -- how was your Thanksgiving? And don't say it was last month...
Gary: I celebrate both kinds of Thanksgiving, Canadian and American. I will say I prefer the U.S. version. A four-day holiday made of eating, drinking and watching sports is nirvana. Canadian Thanksgiving in Vegas has become a cool tradition where a bunch of Canadian families get together. VGK color analyst Shane Hnidy brings a bottle of Canadian whiskey and we all have to take a shot and say what we're thankful for. Well, not the kids. But everyone else. Not much to like about the game vs. the Canucks other than the jerseys. Tell us about your budding career as a jersey model.
Gordon: Sounds fun, I might apply for dual citizenship for an invite some year. The modeling career - if you can call it that! I've had some fun opportunities to be the first to don the new uniforms the organization has released the last few years. Each time we prepare to launch a new kit, our creative team needs images to work with for our promotional materials. Brady Hackmeister and his team do all the heavy lifting, I just pull the jersey on over my decade-old hockey pads.
It started with the VGK gold jersey and the Henderson Silver Knights uniform in 2020, and most recently the new Reverse Retro kit. I charge a fair rate - I'll model the jersey in exchange for pizza the day we shoot and some photos for my own Instagram to post after it's released. There have been some funny instances where my image is used on signs around the city and on social media accounts with large followings. Always gives friends and family a good laugh!
Jersey talk has me thinking.. I want to know your top uniforms in sports. Hockey, football, anything!
Gary: I'm not much of a jersey guy. Although I do love the VGK Reverse Retros. The Vegas across the front in the Excalibur font does it for me. The Montreal Expos powder blue road jerseys were my favorite as a kid. OK, let's talk a little hockey. This is a big road trip coming on the heels of two straight home losses. Good teams don't let losing streaks extend beyond two games. Vegas hasn't lost more than two in a row this season and they've only lost two in a row twice. A win in Columbus is crucial. What needs to change?
Gordon: It's puck management for me. I'm buried in my laptop and phone during the game working with Caylee Allard, Digital Content Coordinator and fellow comedic genius, on keeping our social media channels up to date. But I did watch the last 45-or-so seconds of the second period that led to the Bo Horvat goal. From my vantage point, there were a couple of times in that sequence in the neutral zone and defensive zone where the puck could've been played to safety and it just wasn't. Hey - that's what can happen when you're trying to make plays. That's the razor's edge of the game. What's your view?
Gary: Agreed. It's interesting, the team is 9-1-1 on the road and 7-5-0 at home. On the road, they keep it simple and don't worry about putting on a show. They chip and chase a little more readily on the road. At T-Mobile, they seem to make the offense a little more complicated which results in turnovers and fuels the opposition's transition game. It's always fun to go to Pittsburgh and face Sidney Crosby and his Penguins. But it's the game against the Bruins and Bruce Cassidy's return to Boston which gets the most attention from me this week. What about you?
Gordon: I'm with you there - it's a treat to watch Crosby in person any chance you get. I grew up with 87 jerseys in the closet. Boston is my favorite city on the circuit. I spent 5 years at Northeastern University and loved living in Boston. Some life-long memories at TD Garden that always come back when I get back there. Detroit's got a heck of a media meal. Best in the league. Columbus is a sneaky great town as well - though I wish we were landing at a better time for the Buckeyes.
Thanks for the chat, Gary. I've got to finish this episode of The Crown before we land. Cheers!
Editor's note: this is the first of more casual conversations to come between Gary and Gordon. Stay tuned for more on life covering the Golden Knights - everything from body checks to splitting dinner checks.