Ryan Reaves Recently Discovered Who His Great-Grandfather Really Was

Ryan Reaves is perhaps the most notorious enforcer in the NHL right now. He recently discovered who his great-grandfather really was.

Two years ago, Reaves apparently took some DNA tests to figure out some of his ancestry.

They ended up tracing his family back to a man named Bass Reeves, the last name is different because Reaves' grandfather apparently changed one of the e's in the name to an a.

"That's pretty cool to learn where you come from", the New York Rangers winger said about what the tests revealed.

Pretty cool indeed.

Reaves discovered that his great-great-great-grandfather was considered the first Black deputy U.S. marshal west of the Mississippi River.

According to historian Art T. Burton, Bass killed 14 outlaws and brought more than 3,000 into custody. Burton wrote about Reeves in his book "Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves.

This is the great-great-great grandfather of Ryan Reaves. He shot and killed 14 people. This is why you can’t mess with him! pic.twitter.com/VplmGlgA94
— James B. Terry (@terryjt1) June 2, 2022

Reeves was born into slavery but that didn't stop him from gaining his freedom, beating up his master, and escaping during the Civil War. He then fled to the Indian Territory (now Arkansas and Oklahoma) and lived with the Native Americans. Later, he was hired as a deputy, due to his knowledge of the area and his ability to speak the tribal languages. He served in that territory for 32 years.

"Bass was the Michael Jordan of the law enforcement. He was the greatest frontier hero in U.S history because of what he had to do", Burton said."

Many people feared messing with Bass Reeves and the same can be said about his great-great-great-grandson Ryan Reaves.

Ross Johnston (@NYIBR) vs Ryan Reaves (@BrasilKnights)

🥊🥊🥊🥊 pic.twitter.com/tIGeb7gucR
— todo dia uma hockey fight diferente (@dropadadeluvas) August 4, 2022