NASHVILLE -- It was during training camp when Predators veteran forward Jonathan Marchessault was getting ready to board a flight to Quebec for a jersey retirement ceremony and his brother called with news nobody ever wants to receive.
Their mother, Leslie, had suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 70.
A celebration to commemorate a career with 98 goals and 239 points in 254 games during his time with the Quebec Ramparts was suddenly dampened.
"It was just a tough situation; it's super sad how it happened, but you just learn to keep going," Marchessault said during a conversation with The Hockey News, one day before the Vegas Golden Knights, his former team, would visit. "It was the first time I would see all the family without my mom there. So that was a mix of emotions, which was kind of weird, a little bit. We managed to have a good time still and tried to enjoy the recognition that the Ramparts were giving me, because ... it was a super great honor."
As the lovable 33-year-old spark plug watched his No. 18 jersey rise to honor him, one had to wonder if he was glancing beyond the rafters, knowing his mother was smiling from above.
It's how the toughest campaign the 12-year veteran has ever endured began.
"It's definitely been a hard season for me, personally," said Marchessault, who still holds Vegas' franchise record with 192 goals, and also 42 power-play goals. "I didn't expect the move to be that big, in terms of (draining my) energy. ... I think it was just a really tough summer, to be honest. Not a lot of time for me and my wife to just relax and enjoy life a little bit. So it's been definitely overwhelming.
"Mental health (has been) challenging this year. But if you look at my past, and the way I'm built and all that, I will bounce back."
That, is unquestionable.
HIS ROCK
If not for his wife, Alexandra, there's no telling how Marchessault would have handled things.
After spending Vegas' first seven seasons in the NHL as a member of the Golden Knights, the "original misfit" who hoisted the Conn Smythe trophy after leading the team to a Stanley Cup in 2023 was moving on.
Marchessault signed with the Predators, inking a five-year, $27.5 million contract that gave him the stability he was looking for as he reaches the backside of his career.
Though he'd hoped to retire a Golden Knight, the veteran winger whose heart and spirit outweigh his (listed) 5-foot-9 frame has been around long enough to know how the business works.
"And that's something that I really loved about Vegas - they're a hard team, a hard organization - they do everything what's best for their success," he said. "And despite anything, they always think of their success. And if one day I'm going to be a GM, I'm going to run things like that, too. I'm going to make the things that I need to do to become the best team on the ice. And I think that's one of their best qualities that they have."
He also knew - and has known for 10 years now - that when he leaves the rink after a game or practice, first and foremost he's a family man.
A doting father, Marchessault and his wife had one son when they arrived in Vegas in 2017. They now have four children: 10-year-old James, Victoria (9), William (6) and Henry (5).
And when he lost his mother just before his first season with the Predators, it was his family that provided a perfect diversion he needed. Going to the rink and focusing on a new coaching staff and new teammates was one thing, but having his family was what mattered.
Seeing his boys play hockey brought back fond memories of his time in youth hockey, leading up to those junior days in Quebec. Having his wife by his side proved invaluable.
"I have a pretty busy household already, and that kept me going," Marchessault said. "My wife is the best ... we have so much stuff to do every day. We are a growing family. We've got kids that move a lot. I mean, the way that my wife does things, like she's hard on herself, and she makes my life so much easier on everything. And I think that's what saved me this year, I would say, is how she stepped up. She's always stepping up, but she stepped up and made it easier for me to adapt and get into my groove here.
"(And) something that I love is just being a dad. My mom was super family-oriented, and that's something that I probably got from her. Me and my wife are really into (parenting) and all that kind of stuff and definitely enjoy following the passion of our kids."
THE BOUNCE
With perceived clarity for the upcoming offseason, Marchessault's bounce-back will begin in roughly two weeks.
He arrived in Nashville after seven winning seasons in Vegas, six of them reaching the playoffs, and knew the Predators had expectations with him being a major acquisition last summer and a key part to a new-look offense that also included incoming Steven Stamkos, who won a Stanley Cup in Tampa.
"And we didn't reach that this year, so obviously, that's disappointing," said Marchessault, the only player in Golden Knights history with more than 400 points, sitting No. 1 with 417. "And I've never had necessarily a season like that, the bottom of the league, it's been tough."
Nashville was officially eliminated from the playoffs this past week, and with 10 games left, coach Andrew Brunette has come to appreciate Marchessault for all he's been through while still maintaining poise and dignity as one of the most competitive personalities in the NHL.
From leaving Vegas, to the jersey retirement, to losing his mother, to getting accustomed to new line combinations while trying to find his cadence and rhythm with a new group, Brunette said he understood why it was disjointed from the start.
"And he's mentally been strong where he's still going to do what Marchy is going to do, and I think he's hung in there," Brunette said. "He's come to work every day. He hasn't really taken some time off. He went right at it. And I think right now he's probably looking forward to getting through the end here and regrouping. I think it's been a real tough year on him, both personally and the (team) change ... and those are hard times to adjust to, so he's hung in there.
"I'm hoping these next 10 games he gets a good feeling going into the off-season."
Marchessault said having a veteran group of players in the locker room eased the transition, while helping him fall in love with Nashville.
"That was the easy part," he said. "In the world of hockey, I've yet to meet a lot of guys that weren't great guys to be around, so that was the easy part. I think the guys are so inviting. And it starts with the leadership group ... it's just like the older guys are good people. So I think it just goes down the lineup to make it easier for everybody. And we do team bonding stuff, like we do with other teams, so that was definitely the easy part."
Nashville star Filip Forsberg has enjoyed Marchessault's presence, and has also been impressed by what he overcame while making the transition from Vegas to Nashville.
"Just the personality that he's got, he's a great guy who comes in every day and puts a smile on his face; he's up to some mischief and things like that," Forsberg said with a chuckle. "I think he's been a great teammate. It certainly cannot have been easy for him ... I think just being able to get to know him, it's been real good so far."
Though the offseason can't come soon enough, so he can prepare for the 2025-26 season and help the Predators get back to playoff-caliber hockey, Marchessault said he's looking forward to seeing Vegas' fans for the first time since signing in Nashville.
Nashville will play its final road game in Vegas, which happens to be the Golden Knights' home finale, and Marchessault has seen plenty of emotional video tributes to former players to understand what's coming.
"I was just with (former Knight) Will Carrier this week in Carolina, and he told me it just builds you up inside," he said. "And I'm definitely really excited to go back to just to see the Fortress, the arena, the roads that you take to go to the rink and all that kind of stuff. It was home for me. It's still a part of me, is part of home a little bit. It'll be definitely weird, but I'm definitely excited to just go back and see the fans, the arena, the city, the lights.
"Just a great atmosphere and the great juju that's over there, definitely just super excited to go back."
