Golden Knights' Lehner praises Blackhawks after eliminating ex-teammates
The Vegas Golden Knights' series-clinching victory over the Chicago Blackhawks was especially meaningful for Robin Lehner.
The goaltender, whom the Blackhawks traded to the Golden Knights at the deadline, expressed appreciation for his former club following Vegas' 4-3 win over Chicago on Tuesday night. The victory ended their first-round matchup in five games.
"This was a huge win for our team, it felt really nice for me to close this out, because it's a bit weird playing your old team, especially that group," Lehner told reporters postgame. "That group is a hell of a group. They treated me really well. (I've) got a lot of friends on that team and (nothing) but love for that organization, but (it was a) huge win for us and I thought it was a really good series for us to move forward here."
Lehner appeared emotional as he embraced his former teammates in the handshake line.
Cool to see Robin Lehner embrace all his former Blackhawks teammates in the handshake line pic.twitter.com/UyMMpak1xO
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) August 19, 2020
Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer, who was standing right behind Lehner in line, said afterward he could tell how much of an impact the goalie had on his former squad.
"Some of the comments to him really were filled with respect and admiration for his journey and where he's going and what he's been through," the bench boss told reporters. "You can tell when an ex-teammate is talking to guys he played with whether it's genuine or not, and it was genuine across the board there.
"He made a real impression on those guys, I think, even though he was only there for less than a year."
Lehner revealed in 2018 that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had overcome substance abuse.
The 29-year-old played 33 regular-season games with the Blackhawks, who signed him as a free agent last July. Lehner went 16-10-5 with Chicago in 2019-20, posting a .918 save percentage and 10.17 goals saved above average.
The Blackhawks dealt Lehner to the Golden Knights in late February, receiving netminder Malcolm Subban, defensive prospect Stanislav Demin, and a second-round pick in return.