2023-06-14 16:27:28
VEGAS — Golden Knights players have lived up to owner William Foley’s promise to the fans he courted when his team entered the NHL: a Stanley Cup in six years.
Although the very favorable expansion draft masterfully led by George McPhee, his assistant and early accomplice Kelly McCrimmon and the entire staff, this rapid rise to the top of the National League n is nothing short of impressive.
The conquest of the hearts and minds of the partisans who have adopted them with fervor is even more so. We can even say without the slightest risk of being wrong that this conquest is also a great victory for hockey in the Nevada desert.
“The people of Las Vegas quickly fell in love with their club. They then learned to understand hockey. Today, they’ve embraced the sport as much as they’ve embraced our players,” Knights president George McPhee said, watching his players celebrate as cheering fans looked on in the stands at T-Mobile. arena.
The Golden Knights’ inaugural game in 2017 was a big event. Not only did the National League become the first of the major North American sports to land in Las Vegas, but this game followed a few days after the massacre that left 59 victims.
The one that ended with winning the Stanley Cup on Tuesday was just as memorable and celebrated in Las Vegas style.
But here it is: all the games played between these two great games were also events.
They will be again next year.
“Our arrival on the rink served as a balm to a community that badly needed it. The people of Vegas needed to find some form of solace. We gave them. We drew attention in a positive way. We had immediate successes on the ice and those successes were reflected in the stands as well. The corporate value of Las Vegas was beyond doubt. But our biggest victory in my eyes and that almost 95% of our season ticket holders are fans and not companies. »
Promise kept
When we talk to George McPhee about the promise made six years ago by a very enthusiastic owner, perhaps too much, the president of the Golden Knights sketches a slightly annoyed smile: “I must admit that at the time, I would have preferred that he not make such a promise. »
But it was made.
As a result, the already colossal work of making a convincing entry into the NHL has become even more so.
The general manager turned president has done a remarkable job in his selection of available players: Jonathan Marchessault (Florida), William Karlsson (Columbus), William Carrier (Buffalo), Brayden McNabb (Los Angeles) to name only those who raised the Stanley Cup Tuesday night.
He made other gains through high-paying deals that saw him acquire Reilly Smith (Florida) and Shea Theodore (Anaheim). Still, it’s amazing that the Panthers and Ducks made deals with the Knights to make sure Smith and Theodore left Florida and Anaheim because those two clubs wanted to protect other players.
Today, these two clubs would pay dearly to acquire Smith and Theodore. And not to get rid of it.
In addition to orchestrating a sensational expansion draft, McPhee and his successor McCrimmon have always been able to benefit from the unconditional support of William Foley.
“Bill didn’t just make that promise to the fans. He made a promise to us that he would do whatever it takes to keep it. He therefore always agreed to give us the means of our ambitions. All the plans we proposed, the major transactions, even those that cost hard cash to help us juggle the salary cap, have been accepted,” insists George McPhee.
“Our owner wanted us to be different. He wanted us to be bold. Aggressive. We have been. And we just delivered the goods,” McPhee concluded.
Crossed in another corner of the ice, Kelly McCrimmon savored the convincing victory of his team. He savored the conquest of the Stanley Cup which haloed the big acquisitions of Mark Stone, Alex Pietrangelo and the others who joined the players of the first hour. Not to mention the hiring of Bruce Cassidy as head coach a year ago to the day today (June 14).
Earlier this season, McCrimmon was less confident about his chances of celebrating his first Stanley Cup with his new coach, players and fans.
“Injuries plague all teams over the course of a season. We must therefore be ready to make up for the loss of an important player. But when, on top of the health issues that all of our goalkeepers have been through, we lost Mark (Stone), I have to admit I started to doubt. We didn’t know when Mark would return. We didn’t know if he would return. But around the All-Star Game, we found our way back to victory. Our guys reacted very well. They kept up the pace. I couldn’t be sure we were going to win the cup. But I was convinced that we were able to offer our full performance,” said McCrimmon.
After having launched this sentence, the general manager looked up towards the bleachers before launching: “can you believe that there are still so many people in the bleachers more than an hour after the end of the game? »
A hard fortress to take
While the celebrations were in full swing inside T-Mobile Arena, it was also party time outside.
From noon on Tuesday, supporters gathered on the esplanade in front of the amphitheater. Three hours before the game and during the game, everything was paralyzed. The imposing mass of supporters draped in the colors of the Knights vibrated to the rhythm of the goals they scored.
The T-Mobile Arena, one of the beautiful ones on the circuit, has not only become a difficult fortress to storm. Not only because the team defending it is powerful, but also because the quality of the animation has no equal on the hockey planet. A dynamic, scintillating, original animation that overexcited amateurs complete perfectly.
Yes the music is loud. She is also very strong. But the encouragement of amateurs is even more so. Stronger, more sincere, more generous than in many NHL amphitheaters. Including some established north of the Canada-US border.
This enthusiasm, this unconditional support from satisfied fans and for the moment much more positive than elsewhere in the NHL – including Montreal of course – the quality of life offered in Las Vegas and the quality of Bill Foley’s organization make the Knights a club that all players, from superstars to plumbers, want to play for.
This hockey victory in Las Vegas rounds out, with Jonathan Marchessault’s Conn Smythe Trophy, the great depth of the Knights’ roster, and the quality of commentary from head coaches Paul Maurice and Bruce Cassidy, my ace of highlights of this Stanley Cup final.
A final less challenging than expected – at least according to my personal expectations – in terms of hockey, but oh so much more challenging than anticipated in terms of the unconditional support of Vegas fans for their favorites, but also for the place of hockey.
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