Jack was booed by the fans when he returned to Buffalo for the first time since he was traded. (0:56)
Jack Eichel returned to Buffalo on Thursday night. The Golden Knights center played against the Sabres for the first time since he was traded to Vegas.
The second overall pick in the 2015 NHL entry draft, Eichel was the captain of the squad from the beginning of the year to the end. The relationship soured last season, leading to the trade.
The crowd at Thursday's game booed every time he touched the puck, even though he was in the starting lineup. During the first TV timeout, the crowd booed and applauded when the Sabres showed a tribute video for him.
The last word went to Eichel.
It is the loudest place I have ever heard. It only took seven years for them to get into the game. It was a nice tribute. There were a lot of people that were supporting me and a lot of people that were booing me. They must be booing me because they wish I was still here.
The boos that rained down on Eichel were not the only ones. As he patrolled the ice during Thursday's warm-ups, Eichel was greeted by a number of signs along the boards that ranged from upbeat to sad.
A fan threw a sweater to the ice after the final buzzer.
The two players Buffalo acquired in the Eichel trade scored in the victory. Eichel had two shots on goal.
In over 300 games with the Sabres, he produced over 140 goals and 355 points. He returned to Buffalo just 10 games into his tenure with the Golden Knights, having been out for months with a back injury. Heading into Thursday, the center had three goals and seven points.
Even if the result was not what he wanted, he was happy to have that behind him.
I'm pretty happy it's over. He said to just move on. I will not say that it was. It is frustrating. We wanted to win here, but we didn't.
He tried to keep his focus on the game. There was a lot of footage of Eichel's various charitable endeavors, many of which involved the city's youth.
I was trying not to watch it. He said that he would take a look at it again. Some people were cheering for me in the tribute.
In that video, the Eichel might never have imagined where he would end up.
The relationship between the team and the player deteriorated during the sixth season. He suffered a neck injury during Buffalo's game on March 7, 2021, and by April, the team announced he was done for the season because of a back problem.
The surgery that was the preferred treatment was never performed on an NHL player. The eight-year, $80 million deal he signed in the summer of 2018, was barely into the beginning of his career as the Sabres' star player. The club wouldn't allow him to go through with the procedure he wanted because he advocated for rest and rehabilitation.
Eichel didn't like the situation.
I've been upset about the way things have been handled since I was hurt. There has been a bit of a discrepancy between the organization and myself. It has been difficult at times.
By training camp, the relationship seemed to be over. In September of last year, the general manager of the Sabres, Kevyn Adams, announced that Eichel would not be available to start the season because he failed his physical.
Adams took his time putting a deal together, but he didn't rule out trading Eichel at the time. Buffalo received forwards Tuch, Krebs and first- and second-round draft picks in return for shipping Eichel.
After the trade, Eichel had a disk replacement surgery. He made his debut in Vegas.
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