LAS VEGAS There's still a hint of anguish in George McPhee's voice when he talks about his complicated tenure with the Capitals, even though four years have pa sedsince their me sy breakup,even though he'snow thearchitectof the most succe sful first-year NHL team in history.

As McPhee and theGolden Knights ready to meet hisold franchisein theStanley Cup Final, those memories are a primary storyline.

It's a reminder thatheonce helda personal stake in the futures of the players sitting on the Danny Santana Jersey opposite bench.Thirteen current Capitals were acquired by McPhee during his 17 years in Washington. He hand-picked them, molding the rosterinto a perennial power beforehis untimely firing in 2014. Upon orchestrating an expansion draft that has become a case study for tactful, opportunistic management, McPhee to have influenced two competing championship finalists so heavily.

GOLDEN STANDARD

"It's funny how life goes. Two years ago, I was walking around Ann Arbor kicking stones and couldn't get a job," he quipped with reporters during Sunday's media day."I'm certainly proud of the Washington team and the players. We made good selections. And they turned out to be real good players. I can certainly take pride in Nick Solak Jersey that."

George McPhee acquired 13 of the ' 25 players who have appeared in the 2018 Playoffs - 12 via the and one via free agency (Jay Beagle). :

McPhee lamented becoming a "persona non grata," as he put it, among his former Capitals colleagues and players upon his departure. That part was tough. Watching Alex Ovechkin, whom he drafted first overall in 2004, and Nicklas Backstrom, drafted fourth overall two years later, and the rest of his former pride and joy finally get over the playoff hump together after so much failure broughtsatisfaction, if not a certain degree of validation.

That's not to take credit away from Brian MacLellan, who was hired by McPheeas a scout Texas Rangers Jersey for Washington in 2001. He rose up the ranks to director of playerpersonnel and then to a sistant general manager, servingasMcPhee'sright-hand man for seven seasons until ultimately replacing his childhood friend. Their relationship, which spans more than four decades to their daystogether playing fortheGuelph Holody Platers,turned icy afterMacLellan'ssucce sion, but has thawed in recent months.

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Its awkward, MacLellan said, recalling the time he was offered to replace McPheeasCapitals general manager full time. George is mad. Hes angry. Hes got his feelings about it. Then Im supposed to sit at his old desk in his old office and not down in the war room. It was hard. You know a guy a long time, back to when we were kids. But then I had to try to do the job.

If McPheebuilt the foundation for this year's Capitals,MacLellanfine-tuned it, even if some of his recent signings have induced head-scratching. Those aside, in the last 12 months, MacLellanextendedEvgeny Kuznetsov, who leads the playoff field in scoring as a worthy and productive playoffrunningmate for Ovechkin(something McPheenever found), and astutely tweaked the roster with midseason additions such asMichal Kempny,Devante Smith-Pelly and Brett Connolly.

I knew it from the inside,MacLellansaid. I had a history with these players. I knew what we needed.

Each general manager' Hunter Pence Jersey s body of work is to be celebrated; this is one of the tantalizing subplots to a Stanley Cup Final that's chock full of them.But with McPhee'sfingerprints on nearly 75 percent of the players in this series, it's especially fun to look back on how each team came together using their expected rosters.

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MacLellan drafted: Jakub Vrana(13th overall, 2014)

MacLellan signed: Brooks Orpik(2014); Matt Niskanen(2014); MadisonBowey(2014); Connolly (2016); DevanteSmith-Pelly(2017);Nathan Walker (2017); Alex Chia son (2017)

MacLellantraded for: T.J. Oshie(2015), Lars Eller (2016); Kempny(2018)

McPheedrafted: Ovechkin(first overall, 2004); Backstrom(fourth overall, 2006); John Carlson (27th overall, 2008); Braden Holtby(93rd overall, 2008); Dmitry Orlov(55th overall, 2009); Kuznetsov(26th overall, 2010); Phillip Grubauer(112th overall, 2010); Travis Boyd (177th overall, 2011); Tom Wilson (16th overall, 2012); Chandler Stephenson (77th overall, 2012); Christian Djoos (195th overall, 2012); Andre Burakovsky (23rd overall, 2013)

McPheesigned: Jay Beagle (2010)

Ryan Carpenter (waivers fromSharks)Cody Eakin(expansion draft from Stars)William Karl son(plusa2017 first-round pick, 2019second-round pick andDavid Clarkson's contract from Blue Jackets)Oscar Lindberg(expansion draft from Rangers)Jonathan Marche sault(expansion draft from Panthers)Tomas Nosek(expansion draft from Red Wings)Erik Haula(expansion draft from Wild)James Neal (expansion draft from Predators)David Perron (expansion draft from Blues)Tomas Tatar (trade from Red Wings)Pierre-Edouard Bellemare(expansion draft Blank Jersey from Flyers)Ryan Reaves (trade from Penguins)Reilly Smith (plus a 2017 fourth-round pick fromPanthers)Alex Tuch(trade fromWild)Deryk Engelland(expansion draft from Flames)Brayden McNabb (expansion draft from Kings)Jon Merrill (expansion draft from Devils)Colin Miller (expansion draft from Bruins)Luca Sbisa(expansion draft from Canucks)Nate Schmidt (expansion draft from Capitals)Shea Theodore (expansion draft from Ducks)Marc-Andre Fleury (expansion draft from Penguins)Malcolm Subban(trade from Bruins)