When Jack Eichel trekked through snow in a three-piece suit to get to a game

Jack Eichel, who led the Vegas Golden Knights in offense last season, once ended up walking through snow in a suit just to get to a game. It happened during his time with the Buffalo Sabres on a cold February day. He shared the story in January 2021 on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast.

He and teammate Matt Moulson, a former Buffalo Sabre, were on their way to a 1 p.m. game against the Colorado Avalanche. The night before, Eichel had gone out for dinner and skipped getting gas because of the freezing weather.

“I didn’t want to pump gas because of how cold it was,” he said.

The next day, with the heat on, the seats warm, and music playing, they were about 10 minutes from the rink when the car began to slow down. They had run out of gas on the highway.

Eichel pulled over near an off-ramp, stepped out in his three-piece suit, and began walking through the snow.

“I’m in a three-piece suit and there’s a good amount of snow on the ground,” he said.

The gas station wasn’t nearby, but he kept walking until he got there. Inside, a fan recognized him immediately.

“Oh, Jack Eichel, right?” the fan asked.

Eichel replied:

“Yeah, yeah man, can you help me?”

The fan agreed to help, drove Eichel back to his car, and helped him pump the gas.

“I’m sitting in his car at this point,” Eichel said. “We take off to the game. I got the guy’s number, I left him some tickets.”

He was thankful for the help and added:

“It was really nice of him.”

Moulson, on the other hand, wasn’t thrilled. He arrived at the rink early and was clearly thrown off by the delay from Eichel.

“Moulson wanted to kill me,” Eichel said.

Moulson didn’t have his best game that day, but Jack Eichel scored on his first shift.

“I scored on the first shift,” he said with a laugh. "He was pissed."

Golden Knights prioritize new deal for Jack Eichel

In May, Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said that re-signing Jack Eichel is a top priority this offseason. He praised him and spoke highly of his leadership and character.

“The guy is a tremendous player," McCrimmon said (via NHL.com). "...I sure hope to keep Jack in our organization.”

Eichel, who has one year left on his current contract and led the team with 94 points in 77 games last season, said he enjoys being in Vegas and is happy to let the contract process take its course.

“I just try to focus on the things that I can control,” he said.

Both sides appear to be on the same page and are working toward a long-term extension.