Golden Knights fans have rallied around the team in their first season and in wake of tragedyGETTY IMAGES
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said that the league has "received 'no pushback whatsoever' from owners about the expansion draft rules that helped propel" the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season, according to Chris Johnston of SPORTSNET.ca. Bettman said, "We needed to make the team more competitive at the outset than prior expansions because we're in the salary cap era. This was the first expansion in the salary cap era, and as we afford all of our clubs an opportunity to be competitive, it wouldn't have made any sense to not have the expansion team the same way" (SPORTSNET.ca, 5/28). Bettman said of the Golden Knights' immediate success, "Nobody saw this coming. [GM] George McPhee and [Assistant GM] Kelly McCrimmon did an outstanding job. The bond is real between this city and its first-ever major league professional sports team. The connection is undeniable. This is the magic of sports. Anything can happen" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 5/29). The NATIONAL POST's Michael Traikos notes Bettman's goal for the Golden Knights prior to the season was to "make them relevant." The rest was "simply puck luck and magic." NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said, "I wouldn't say that anyone expected the expansion draft rules we were creating would create a Stanley Cup finalist. I continue to think it's a good thing. It's a good thing for the league. It's certainly created a story that people want to follow and people are intrigued by. And that's good for the National Hockey League ... It's been a tremendous story and a positive" (NATIONAL POST, 5/29).
GREATEST STORY IN SPORTS? In N.Y., Larry Brooks wrote the NHL has "conquered Las Vegas, just as Bettman said it would." There may "never have been a better first-year expansion operation and experience in pro sports history" (N.Y. POST, 5/28). A LAS VEGAS SUN editorial asks, "Has there been a greater story in the history of sports than our Vegas Golden Knights?" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 5/29). Golden Knights C Ryan Carpenter said of the atmosphere inside T-Mobile Arena for last night's Capitals-Golden Knights Game 1, "It was so loud out there, even for warmups." In Las Vegas, Ray Brewer writes the Golden Knights are "great for Vegas," and the city is "even better for a sport whose record book it is rewriting" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 5/29). Meanwhile, in Tampa, Martin Fennelly wrote the NHL, "looking for a sure thing in Vegas, stacked the deck." Fennelly: "That's what half a billion gets you." The "revised rules for the expansion draft were Vegas friendly" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 5/27).
MAKING AN IMPACT: The AP's Tim Dahlberg wrote Las Vegas has "gone mad over the Golden Knights, and hockey is thriving in a town where most ice is made for drinks, not rinks." No one "could have expected a hockey team to help heal a city in the wake of the Oct. 1 massacre that killed 58 people." But the Golden Knights "helped that cause, too, adopting the Vegas Strong name and honoring victims not only at the opener nine days after the shooting but at games since" (AP, 5/28). In Las Vegas, Jesse Granger wrote no one prior to the season expected the "Inaugural Season" patches on the Golden Knights' jerseys to have to be "removed to make room for a Stanley Cup Final patch." Fans are "bringing their jerseys to the team store" at the Golden Knights' HQ at City National Arena with the "hopes of getting the patch pressed on." The store "expanded its hours to accommodate the crowd, which features a multiple-hour wait simply to get in." Golden Knights Senior VP & CMO Brian Killingsworth said, "The demand for them has been incredible. People are buying stacks of 10. They want one that we can apply on their jersey (right in the store) and a couple just to keep" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 5/28).
FRONT OFFICE'S PRESENCE: In Las Vegas, Alan Snel wrote Golden Knights Owner Bill Foley is "no absentee owner." Golden Knights President Kerry Bubolz said that he makes "impromptu visits to check in" with Senior VP & Chief Sales Officer Jim Frevola to "see how corporate sales are going," Killingsworth on how merchandise is selling and VP/Ticketing & Suites Todd Pollock on ticket sales. Foley is also "known for congratulating players after big wins." Bubolz: "His interest for business is intense every day. He's not one to just have a scheduled meeting" (LVSPORTSBIZ.com, 5/27). Meanwhile, the SUN's Granger wrote there has "never been a championship game in major professional sports in which one general manager had more to do with the construction of both participants," as McPhee was the Capitals' GM from '97-'14 before joining the Golden Knights (LAS VEGAS SUN, 5/28). THE RINGER's Katie Baker noted after Caps LW Alex Ovechkin was drafted in '04, he "became McPhee's superstar player and, briefly, tenant: the young Russian lived in the McPhee household during his rookie season" (THERINGER.com, 5/28).
ALWAYS A SHOW: NBC SPORTS WASHINGTON's Troy Machir noted prior to Caps-Golden Knights Game 1, there was an "elaborate pregame production that only the city of Las Vegas could pull off." The entire thing was "ridiculous," but it was the "right type of ridiculousness." Machir: "It was perfect, really" (NBCSPORTSWASHINGTON.com, 5/28). NBC's Al Roker said the pregame theatrics were "crazy" and was "like medieval times" ("Today," NBC, 5/29). ESPN's Scott Van Pelt said there can be "no doubt that the best thing we saw on Memorial Day Monday from a sports perspective was the scene in Las Vegas." Van Pelt: "The game exceeded the expectation and actually exceeded the spectacle that preceded it." ESPN's Barry Melrose: "The open is unbelievable. I've got to admit it, I do enjoy the open sometimes better than the first period" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 5/29). ESPN's Jason Fitz said the Golden Knights are "doing the smart business thing by analyzing what works around the league, borrowing some of it and making it their own." Fitz: "They have definitely done that down there and that's what makes it fun" ("Golic & Wingo," ESPN Radio, 5/29). ESPN.com's Arash Markazi wrote under the header, "Golden Openings: Behind The Scenes With Vegas' Pregame Show." Golden Knights VP/Entertainment Production Jonny Greco "builds the stories for the start of each home game, which have gone viral during the expansion team's improbable run." Prior to joining the Golden Knights, Greco was WWE Senior Dir & Live Event Producer for five years (ESPN.com, 5/28).
