DeBoer, fired as the coach of the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 11, was sitting poolside with his wife and daughter in Florida on Tuesday when he was contacted by the Golden Knights.
"It really came out of left field," DeBoer said Thursday. "But obviously when I realized when there might be an opportunity here to do that, you don't have to think very long about a job like this.
"If you're lining up the jobs in the League, this is very much near the top of the list."
DeBoer's decision to accept was so quick, he didn't have time to bring a suit or skates to Ottawa, where he'll coach his first game for the Golden Knights when they play the Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; TSN5, RDS2, ATTSN-RM, NHL.TV).
He replaces Gerard Gallant, who was fired on Wednesday.
RELATED: [Gallant fired as coach of Golden Knights, replaced by DeBoer]
DeBoer said he knows the Golden Knights well. He coached the Sharks during their seven-game win against them last season after trailing the best-of-7 Western Conference First Round series 3-1, and in San Jose's second-round playoff loss to Vegas in 2018. He also faced the Golden Knights often in the regular season as a Pacific Division rival.
"I've got a unique perspective. I've seen more of these guys than I've seen of my wife and kids in the past three years, it feels like" DeBoer said. "When you're on the other bench -- and it's part of what I told the players -- you get an outside perspective of what they have. And I can tell you, it's so positive. Their work ethic, their compete, the character in that room, what they've done considering where they've come from as an expansion team, there's a huge amount of respect.
"The one thing I learned in San Jose, you can walk into a dressing room full of character, you can find your way through the turbulent waters. I think that's probably the case here. I think we have a real good group of men that care, and we'll find our way through it."
DeBoer was 15-16-2 with the Sharks this season before he was replaced by Bob Boughner. DeBoer was 198-129-34 in five seasons with San Jose, qualifying for the playoffs in his four full seasons, including going to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016.
He is 415-329-111 in 12 NHL seasons with the Sharks, New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers. DeBoer coached New Jersey to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, when it lost in six games to the Los Angeles Kings. San Jose lost the 2016 Cup Final to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. DeBoer is 46-38 in 84 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
