The little team that could, did! The Vegas Golden Knights, that six-year-old team from the middle of the desert, took home their very first cup! And their hometown fans could not be happier. Vegas partied like we were a real town, not just a tourist mirage in the desert. Thats what makes this team so special. They are truly Vegas Born!
As with anything “Vegas”, you don’t just win; you win with a lot of Vegas flash—much more than the usual fare at a Knights game. And if you have ever been to a Knights home game, you know the show is always a grand spectacle. In the breaks, the show on the ice would match almost any other show on the Strip. No other team can match it.
The Knights delivered the flash and more. From dazzling passes to Mark Stone’s hat trick to all-out goal celebrations, they were capturing the young organization’s first title with a 9-3 romp over the beaten-up and exhausted Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.
“Vegas, you certainly know how to throw a party,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told the crowd. “What’s going on inside this arena and outside is incredible and a testament to what a great hockey market this is.”
Vegas closed out the series in five games to win the cup before a delirious franchise-record crowd of 19,058 at T-Mobile Arena that drowned out the pregame introductions of forward Jonathan Marchessault and goalie Adin Hill and cheered all the way through the final buzzer.
Marchessault, who ended the postseason with a 10-game points streak, received the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our team, our organization,” Marchessault said. “Everybody stepped up at different times, and that’s why we’re winners.”