Throughout the year, the Sip Advisor will alphabetically travel the National Hockey League (NHL), discovering the best and worst each team has to offer in a variety of subjects. We will also feature a drink based off the franchise. Today, we travel to Sin City to take a gamble on the Vegas Golden Knights:
Establishment Story: The Golden Knights joined the NHL as an expansion team in 2017. Vegas played their expansion draft to perfection, putting together a lineup of “misfits/castoffs” that ended up working very well together. This changed the trajectory of the franchise and instead of struggling for many years, as most expansion clubs do, the Golden Knights have chased the Stanley Cup instead.
Stanley Cups: The Golden Knights captured their first Stanley Cup (2023) in only their sixth season of existence, just as owner Bill Foley forecast, defeating the Florida Panthers. They also came incredibly close in their first year of operation, losing in the 2018 Finals to the Washington Capitals. Vegas has been a contender nearly every season, missing the playoffs only once.
Celebrity Fan: Being based in the entertainment capital of Las Vegas has allowed for many celebrity supporters to adopt the team. This includes long-time performers in the city, such as Wayne Newton, Criss Angel and Carrot Top. Other inhabitants of Vegas, including poker player Daniel Negreanu, chef Gordon Ramsay and boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer have also had associations with the team.
Super Fan: John ‘Hulk’ Baratta was an original Golden Knights season ticket member, who attended games sporting a Hulk Hogan-style mustache and dressed in a shirt he would rip off when Vegas scored. Sadly, Baratta passed away in March 2020, prompting the Golden Knights to honour him with a video tribute at their next home game. Fans in Baratta’s usual section were given tear-away shirts, which they ripped off when Vegas scored.
Mascot: Chance is a gila monster who came to the team from Red Rock Canyon, located outside Las Vegas. The lizard, coloured the same as the hockey team, debuted at the Golden Knights second ever home game on October 13, 2017. Vegas purposely stayed away from using a knight as their mascot, as they felt examples from other teams weren’t very child-friendly.
Tradition: The Golden Knights home rink, T-Mobile Arena, has quickly become one of the most raucous barns in the NHL. This is thanks to in-game entertainment, highlighted by a battle between knights, themed around that game’s combatants. Given T-Mobile Arena’s location along the Vegas strip, the fun begins well before game time, including a parade that winds its way from the Brooklyn Bridge outside New York New York up to the building.
Appearances in Media: The Golden Knights inaugural season is documented in the film Valiant, released in 2019. The movie received its premiere screening at T-Mobile Arena. Many also believe that first Cinderella season could eventually be turned into a Hollywood film, with casting choices including Anthony Hopkins as coach Gerard Gallant, Jon Hamm as GM George McPhee and Adrien Brody as goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.
Events/Scandals: As the Golden Knights chased the Stanley Cup, under the mandate of owner Bill Foley, some have accused the team of being disloyal to players who helped the team become successful. Original misfits, such as Erik Haula, Nate Schmidt and Marc-Andre Fleury (the first face of the franchise), were callously jettisoned to make room for replacements/in salary cap dumps. With a Stanley Cup won in just year six of existence, some would argue the ends justify the means.
Rivalry: A top rival to the Golden Knights, thanks to a nasty playoff history, is the San Jose Sharks. Facing each other in back-to-back post-seasons, both clubs have won one series. The hatred between the teams has diminished lately, though, as San Jose is going through a long-term rebuild. Another adversary of Vegas is any fan who believes their success came to soon and more suffering should have been endured in the team’s earliest years.
Tragedy: On October 1, 2017, days before the Golden Knights played their first-ever game, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock shot and killed 58 people from his 32nd-floor suite in the Mandalay Bay hotel. The victims were attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival nearby. For Vegas’ home opener on October 10, the team paid tribute to those slain, retiring jersey #58, as a remembrance of the incident.
Player Nicknames: Phil Kessel, holder of the NHL’s Iron Man record at 1,064 consecutive games played, joined the Golden Knights for the 2022-23 season. Known for his prolific scoring, rather than his defensive acumen, Kessel was nicknamed Selke by teammates, a reference to the NHL trophy given to the best defensive forward each season. Another good moniker was given to goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who was dubbed The Dude, during his time with Vegas, comparing him to the protagonist of The Big Lebowski.
Line: The Misfit Line, comprised of William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith, played together since the Golden Knights began play in 2017, up until Smith was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2023 off-season. Each joined the team as part of the Expansion Draft, with Karlsson and Marchessault being selections and Smith being traded so Vegas selected Marchessault. In year one, Karlsson scored 43 goals, a single-season NHL expansion team record.
Captain: Mark Stone is the only captain in Golden Knights history, given the distinction on January 13, 2021. Prior to Stone’s appointment, the team had gone with groups of alternate captains, with Deryk Engelland and Reilly Smith being part of the leadership group for each season, along with others. In 2017-18, six different players wore an ‘A’ at some point for the club.
Enforcer: Ryan Reaves holds the Golden Knights single-season penalty minutes record with 74. The record was set in 2018-19, Reaves first full season with the team after coming over from the Pittsburgh Penguins in February 2018. In the 2021 off-season, Reaves was traded to the New York Rangers, in exchange for a third-round draft pick in 2022. Brayden McNabb holds the team’s all-time penalty minute record, while Keegan Kolesar has the most fighting majors in Vegas history.
Family Values: Vegas has yet to have any family members play together or even at different times in their brief history. The best I can fill this section is to highlight second generation/brotherly players who have suited up for the Golden Knights, such as Jake Leschyshyn, whose father Curtis Leschyshyn played 1,033 NHL games; Brett Howden whose older brother is Quinton Howden; and Reilly Smith whose older brother is Brendan Smith.
Returning Players: While his tenure with the team technically never ended, the Golden Knights did attempt to trade forward Evgenii Dadonov to the Anahemi Ducks at the 2022 NHL trade deadline, with the transaction voided, due to Dadonov having Anaheim on his no trade list. The Ottawa Senators, who had previously traded Dadonov to Vegas, had neglected to inform the Golden Knights of his no-trade contract clause, leading to later punishment of the Senators organization.
Short Stint: A number of the players that were integral to the Golden Knights successful inaugural season left the team that campaign. This included early stars David Perron and James Neal. Also, goaltender Jonathan Quick joined Vegas for 10 regular season games and zero playoff appearances, winning his third Stanley Cup as the Golden Knights took home the 2023 championship.
Undrafted: Defenseman Zach Whitecloud was signed out of college by the Golden Knights in 2018. He remains with the team to this day, having signed a six-year, $16.5 million contract extension in 2021. Whitecloud is the first player to reach the NHL from the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation and was a member of the team’s 2023 Stanley Cup championship squad. During that playoff run, Whitecloud contributed two goals and six assists.
Trade: With the early success of the franchise, the Golden Knights have often gone big game hunting, in on every NHL star that becomes available. This has led to the team acquiring the likes of Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty and Jack Eichel via trade. While giving up notable assets to add these players to the roster, both Stone and Eichel were key cogs of the 2023 Stanley Cup-winning crew.
Signing: Much like going after big fish in trades, Vegas has also pursued many of the top free agents in their early years. The organization’s best signing was luring Alex Pietrangelo from the St. Louis Blues in 2020, inking the former Blues captain to a seven-year, $61.6 million pact. Pietrangelo brought with him to Vegas the experience of winning the 2019 Stanley Cup, hoisting a second championship with the Golden Knights.
Draft Pick: Vegas entered their first ever draft in 2017 with three first round picks. They selected Cody Glass (6th overall), Nick Suzuki (13th overall) and Erik Brannstrom (15th overall), all of which have been traded away in an attempt to sustain the unprecedented success of the team’s first season. Later, Peyton Krebs (17th overall in 2019) would also be sent packing as part of another trade package.
Holdouts: Following his breakout rookie season, defenseman Shea Theodore was due a new contract. With each side looking for a different length to his next deal, Theodore missed the first two weeks of training camp, before finally putting pen to paper. With a seven-year, $36.4 million pact finalized, Theodore continued his upward trajectory, even while being treated for testicular cancer.
Buyouts: Vadim Shipachyov’s time in the NHL was brief, but interesting. The Golden Knights signed him out of the Kontinental Hockey League in May 2017, before they had even formed the bulk of their team via the expansion draft. After three games to begin Vegas’ inaugural season, Shipachyov was demoted to their minor league affiliate. After failing to report to the team, Shipachyov’s contract was terminated and he returned to Russia.
Unique Game: Despite their short history, the Golden Knights have already been summoned to participate in a number of marquee NHL events. First, Vegas faced the Colorado Avalanche as part of the 2021 Outdoors at Lake Tahoe. They are also set to oppose the Seattle Kraken for the 2024 Winter Classic. Lastly, the Golden Knights played a pre-season game in both 2021 and 2022 against the Los Angeles Kings in Salt Lake City, with the contests dubbed Frozen Fury.
Goal: James Neal scored the first two goals in franchise history, earning the Golden Knights their first ever victory. Years later, Jonathan Marchessault tallied three game-winning goals in the 2023 playoffs, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy for his efforts, becoming the first undrafted player to win the playoff MVP award since Wayne Gretzky in 1988. Vegas’ cup-clinching game was won with a score of 9-3, the game-winning goal coming off the stick of Reilly Smith.
Fight/Brawl: As the Golden Knights took a commanding 3-1 lead at the end of Game 4 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals versus the Florida Panthers, a typical scrum between the two teams began. The gathering quickly turned into more than just players grabbing jerseys, as some combatants started fighting with one another. Adding to the chaos was frustrated Florida fans littering the ice with debris. The Panthers were assessed 26 penalty minutes in the melee, while Vegas walked away with just two penalty minutes.
Injury: The Golden Knights have always seemed to struggle with injuries to their goaltenders. In their first month of NHL play, they were forced to use four different backstops and five goalies appeared for the team in that inaugural campaign. The trend has continued with starting netminder Robin Lehner missing two full seasons with chronic hip issues and the team using a triage of goalies en route to their Stanley Cup championship.
Penalty: In the first round of the 2019 playoffs, the Golden Knights were up 3-0 in Game 7 of their series against the San Jose Sharks. Off a faceoff, Vegas center Cody Eakin cross-checked Sharks center Joe Pavelski, who fell awkwardly, hitting his head and becoming injured. The referees gave Eakin a five-minute major for a hit to the head. San Jose scored four goals on that power play, eventually winning the game 5-4 in overtime. Golden Knights GM George McPhee said the NHL later called to apologize for the penalty call error.
Wildest Story: For their inaugural season, the Golden Knights were given 500-1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup. When the team exceeded expectations and made the Finals, sportsbooks must have grown a little nervous about potential payouts. All tolled, only 13 bets were placed on Vegas at 500-1, all $20 or less. That said, a $20 wager would earn $10,000 in winnings, while $1 gambles would translate to a $500 payout. It was all moot, though, as Vegas failed to win the championship.
Blooper: During an April 2022 game against the Vancouver Canucks, the Golden Knights handed their opponents an easy power play goal. William Karlsson won a faceoff in his own zone, drawing the puck back to defenseman Alec Martinez, who while trying to play the puck, redirected it past goaltender Robin Lehner. The tally was credited to Bo Horvat, who took the faceoff for Vancouver. In the end, Vegas still managed to win the game 3-2 in overtime.
Miscellaneous: Lil Jon, who has been attached to the Golden Knights on occasion, is actually listed as the team’s Offensive Coordinator on their website, thanks to a funny viral video, featuring the rapper. The video sees head coach Bruce Cassidy bring in Jon to help his club’s offensive woes, with the rapper advising all will be well if the team just takes “shots, shots, shots… YEAH!”
Vegas Golden Knights: Knight Time
- 1.5 oz Whiskey
- 0.5 oz Orange Liqueur
- Top with Sweet & Sour Mix
- Garnish with Lemon and Lime Slices
A number of bars around Vegas have got in on the act of supporting the Golden Knights with themed cocktails. This particular offering can be found at Station Casinos around the infamous vacation destination.
Sip Advisor 