Thanks in large part to social media, trash talking in sports is at an all-time high.



But Golden Knights bruising forward Ryan Reaves still prefers an old school approach. Reaves revels in the animosity of trash talking players straight to their face and the improvisational wit it requires.



“Anybody can be a Twitter tough guy,” Reaves said. “Anybody can sit behind a keyboard and be tough and chirp. You sit there for an hour and think about something to say. But it’s off the top of the head stuff. That’s the hard stuff.”



Reaves is proud of his on-ice banter, so when the NHL Players’ Association released its 2018-19 player poll and Reaves was voted only the league’s third-best trash talker, he wasn’t thrilled.



“I think I’m going to be running my mouth a little bit more now, that’s for sure,” Reaves said with a laugh. “Especially when we play Boston I...