Ryan Reaves hopes to play his 1,000th NHL game with the San Jose Sharks.<\/p>\n
The pending UFA, 39 , has played 962. His season was unceremoniously cut short on Mar. 21, when he shattered his pinky while fighting Garrett Wilson.<\/p>\n
More importantly though, he\u2019d like to win a Stanley Cup in teal.<\/p>\n
The still-fearsome enforcer was a solid fourth-line citizen for the San Jose Sharks this season, leading the team with 160 hits in just 50 appearances.<\/p>\n
In his exit interview last week, Reaves spoke on his pending free agency, the locker room chemistry who he was a huge part of, his injury, and Macklin Celebrini\u2019s potential captaincy.<\/p>\n
Ryan Reaves, on what this season meant to him:<\/p>\n
It meant a lot. They gave me an opportunity to finish that contract and play another year at the age I\u2019m at. I had a lot of fun. I\u2019ve never been in a situation like this, where a team is kind of coming out of a rebuild, but I had a blast doing it. There\u2019s a lot of talent here, a lot of good luck, good young players, a lot of good veterans, great season guys.<\/p>\n
Reaves on how close the group was this season:<\/p>\n
Very close. One of the closer ones I\u2019ve been part of. I think when you have that many young\u2014sorry, that many new guys coming in, I think everybody just kind of can come and be themselves, and you have the right guys leading the charge, I think. It was a very close group, it was a lot of fun.<\/p>\n
Reaves on Macklin\u2019s growth inside the room:<\/p>\n
I mean, his leadership to me, is on the ice. He plays the right way in all three zones. He plays harder than most players in this league. For a player at his age, that\u2019s pretty rare. To me, his leadership starts on the ice, starts in practice. The way he practices, staying out late, shooting, being out there early, working on this thing. He\u2019s going to be a good leader in this league.<\/p>\n
Reaves, on how the chemistry was built in the San Jose Sharks room this year:<\/p>\n
Well, it\u2019s not just one person, it\u2019s just everybody buying into loving each other on and off the ice. When you really like each other off the ice, it starts translating on ice\u2014when you have fun off the ice, you have fun on the ice. I think it takes 25 guys to create that, and it takes from the coaching staff all the way up to the GM to start that. Then obviously, the players got to grab a hold of it. It\u2019s not just one guy.<\/p>\n
Reaves, on Barclay Goodrow crying about Reaves after the Mar. 21 game:<\/p>\n
I mean, I think that was coming out a lot from me. I was a little emotional after that. I didn\u2019t know how the rest of my career was going to play out. I knew the season was probably over for me, unless we made a good run. Goody\u2019s a really good friend of mine. He\u2019s been a good friend, me and him. We did everything in New York together, and we seem to do everything together in San Jose. Our families are very close. It was a touching moment for me, for sure. I love that guy.<\/p>\n
Reaves, on bridging the gap between the veterans and the younger players:<\/p>\n
Dumbing it down a little bit, I think. Stoopin\u2019 to their level. I\u2019m not as mature as you guys think I am, I like to goof around a lot, so just kind of enjoying the stuff they enjoy, trying to get in on some of the stupid stuff they say. I think you just have to try and enjoy what they\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n
Reaves, on whether the culture came from fighting for a common goal:<\/p>\n
I mean, I think if you\u2019re gonna make a run and you\u2019re really gonna change the culture of something, everybody\u2019s got to be accepted for who they are. You can\u2019t just look at one guy and be like, \u201cYeah, he\u2019s kind of weird, you know, shove him to the side.\u201d I think everybody\u2019s got to play a role somewhere on the team, and everybody\u2019s got to really embrace every role that\u2019s on there. I think that\u2019s starting here.<\/p>\n
Reaves, on the most fun thing he did with the team off the ice this season:<\/p>\n
For me, the Book of Mormon. That was a highlight for me, just watching the boys laugh. I think I was actually sitting next to Mack and Smitty, and they were having a good time, so I enjoyed that.<\/p>\n
Reaves, on Zack Ostapchuk:<\/p>\n
I mean, a lot. When he came here, the stuff he did for this team, he was playing a heavy game, very good on the kill. His speed, his physicality from when he came here earlier in the season to the last couple months, I think you guys saw as much as I did how much he really started growing into that role. You need depth players like that. He\u2019s good in the face-off. He\u2019s going to be a big part of this team, for sure.<\/p>\n
Reaves, on how the desire to win the Cup factors into his decision to continue playing:<\/p>\n
Well, I\u2019ve made it clear that this is where I want to be first. 1,000 games will be nice, but with a little bit of tweaking, I think this is a Stanley Cup team as well. I would rather get the Stanley Cup. I think everybody, every kid, grows up looking for a Stanley Cup before they even think about 1,000 games. To get both would be even better. Like I said, I loved my time here, I hope it works out to come back. I guess we\u2019ll find out soon.<\/p>\n
Reaves, on whether it\u2019s possible the San Jose Sharks are a serious contender next year:<\/p>\n
I mean, look at the growth and the steps between where this team finished last year compared to this year. You eliminate the beginning of the season, those six games, you just eliminate that right there, and we\u2019re in the playoffs. There\u2019s a couple other games where we let it slide and that, and that\u2019s part of growing as an organization, is realizing every point matters throughout the season. There\u2019s some games where we could have had and those points would have got us into the playoffs too. Like I said, you tweak the lineup a little bit, which a team that doesn\u2019t make the playoffs, there\u2019s always going to be some tweaking, but, yeah, you do a little tweak, and this team, the sky\u2019s the limit.<\/p>\n
Reaves, on what the team can learn from the recent hard losses:<\/p>\n
Just how hard it is to play down the stretch there. That\u2019s as close as you\u2019re going to get to playoffs without it being the playoffs. Teams are fighting for position\u2014teams are fighting to get in, teams are fighting to stay in, teams are fighting to be on top and have an easier playoff opponent. Those games are very intense, we have players that haven\u2019t experienced that, so it\u2019s an eye opener, but you go home and you realize that and now you work a little harder, and you get ready for that time of year. Then,you carry that into the playoffs.<\/p>\n
Reaves, on how he\u2019s feeling about his pinky:<\/p>\n
I was more worried because I just didn\u2019t think I was gonna be able to get back this season. Obviously, I don\u2019t have a contract coming into next season, so in my mind, it could have been my last game. I hope it\u2019s not, and I don\u2019t think it is, but I think it was just a tough game for me.<\/p>\n
Reaves, on how the injury happened:<\/p>\n
I think I lost my grip. I went to grab him, twisted, and as I went to twist and pull him in, he was kind of falling, so I think my pinky was just kind of going in three different directions. I ended up blowing it up and broke it into seven pieces that the doc had to put back together like a little Lego piece. She did very well, and she showed me the X ray. It\u2019s straight-ish, so it should function.<\/p>\n
Reaves, on what happened immediately after:<\/p>\n
I did right after. I had to wait anyway, because you can\u2019t drink or eat anything before a surgery. I yell a lot on the bench, and I didn\u2019t want them to lose that aspect. It could have been the last time sitting on the bench. I wanted to be there supporting the boys, and I don\u2019t like sitting out games. When I\u2019m dressed, I like to be there.<\/p>\n
Reaves, on his family\u2019s support for his career:<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve asked them many times if it\u2019s time to help coach my son\u2019s team and just be around a little bit more, and they have given me absolute no. I don\u2019t know if they don\u2019t like me around or what it is, but\u2014my son loves being around the rink, my daughter loves being around the rink. I think my wife knows how hard I\u2019ve worked to try and win a Cup and win and get to 1000 games. I think she knows how grumpy I\u2019ll be if I miss it, and she doesn\u2019t want to deal with that. They\u2019ve supported me, and they want me to keep going, which makes the decision a lot easier for me. I think if you know my kids are crying and saying, \u201cWe want you around,\u201d I think it\u2019s a little bit harder, because they\u2019re getting to that age.<\/p>\n
Reaves, on what makes the San Jose Sharks organization special to him:<\/p>\n
Well, it was special for me, because I think I was so hated here before, and I feel like I\u2019m not as hated anymore. It was a place that I always thought I would never be able to play, just because of that rivalry, and I loved every second of it. I think that little bit of a turnaround from where we started to where we\u2019re at now, I think made it special for me. Everybody in this organization\u2014you mentioned Mikey [Aldrich], just a great guy\u2014all the staff here, they make it really fun to come to the rink. I\u2019ve been in places where, sometimes, you\u2019re like, \u201cAh, I got to go to the practice rink.\u201d That\u2019s not like that here. I loved every second coming to this rink and working with these guys.<\/p>\n
Reaves, on how he enjoyed being involved with the team:<\/p>\n
Guys play power play, penalty kill, they play 20 minutes a night. Like I said before, everybody\u2019s got a role. My role was, it\u2019s not always the most minutes, but I try to bring energy when I can on and off the ice. Whether I was scratched or injured, I\u2019m going to be there to lead the boys out and get them hyped or whatever they need from me. That\u2019s just kind of been my role my whole career, so I love doing it. I wouldn\u2019t change it.<\/p>\n
Reaves, on whether he thinks Macklin Celebrini is ready to be captain:<\/p>\n
I mean, I don\u2019t know what else he could possibly do. We\u2019ve talked about it before. His leadership on the ice, I\u2019ve seen it before. I saw it in a guy named Sidney Crosby, number one, so it\u2019s a pretty good comparison.<\/p>\n