Jack Eichel on Winning Stanley Cup with Golden Knights: 'Fortunate and Blessed'

Vegas Golden Knights star Jack Eichel captured his first Stanley Cup title eight years into his career.

Speaking to reporters after the Golden Knights' 9-3 win over the Florida Panthers in Game 5 on Tuesday night, Eichel explained he feels "really fortunate and blessed" to have won a championship after a long wait.

"I think it's only human nature to have some doubt creep in when you don't make it to playoffs for an extended period of time," he said. "You're wondering if it will ever happen. So many people go through their whole career without having the opportunity to hoist the Stanley Cup. It's the hardest thing in the world [to win]."

Eichel entered the NHL with tremendous hype as the No. 2 overall pick by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2015 draft.

In six seasons with the Sabres, he was a productive offensive player. He scored at least 24 goals in each of his first five seasons, but the team had struggled to find its footing with no playoff appearances since 2010-11.

The relationship between Eichel and the Sabres deteriorated over time, most notably during the 2020-21 season when he only played in 21 games due to a neck injury.

Per Wajih AlBaroudi, Eichel's doctors recommended an artificial disk replacement to fix the injury. The Sabres requested he undergo fusion surgery in part because the artificial disk replacement had never been done on an NHL player, and the league's collective bargaining agreement gives clubs the final say over a player's injury recovery.

Eichel's agents released a public statement in July 2021, in which they stated the "process is not working" and preventing him from being able to play.

Vegas acquired Eichel from Buffalo in November 2021 in a deal involving three players and three draft picks. He had the disk replacement surgery soon after the trade and missed three months before returning in February 2022.

The 26-year-old led the Golden Knights with 66 points during the 2022-23 regular season. He was fantastic in the postseason with 26 points in 22 games, including three assists in Tuesday's closeout game against the Panthers.

The victory gave Vegas its first Stanley Cup title in its sixth year of existence. The team had a franchise-record 111 points during the regular season.