Golden Knights try to play role in healing Vegas
NHL expansion team holds emotional home opener
Hockey fans arrived on the Las Vegas Strip in the crisp desert afternoon, gathering in jovial groups outside the rink. Many wore the striking, multicolored jerseys of the Vegas Golden Knights, the NHL expansion team playing its historic first regular-season home game Tuesday night.
Less than a mile south on the Strip is the massacre site where 58 people were killed and hundreds were injured just nine days earlier. Another short walk down the road, dozens of crosses and heartbreaking memorials sit in the median near the iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign. Nobody’s mind was entirely on hockey during what should have been a celebratory night and a milestone for Las Vegas, which finally has its first franchise in the major North American pro sports. Instead, the Golden Knights and the NHL kept the tragedy in the forefront while attempting to provide their own modicum of momentary relief to a healing city.
“I wasn’t going to miss it,” said Joan Simmons, a Las Vegas native wearing a brand-new Golden Knights T-shirt with the tag still attached. “I think we all need hockey right now.” The home opener against the Arizona Coyotes originally was planned as a glamorous, Vegas-style debut featuring a light show and a pregame extravaganza packed with visual marvels building on the team’s medieval nickname. After the shooting, the team modified its plans and dedicated a quieter evening to the victims, the first responders and the survivors.
Pre-game video
After a stirring pre-game video with stark images of Las Vegas and its heroes, the Golden Knights took the ice for introductions, each accompanied by a member of the medical and law enforcement communities. The Coyotes lined up behind the Golden Knights while the sold-out arena roared. And then the arena illuminated the victims’ names on the ice in gold while counting 58 seconds of painful silence. Deryk Engelland, a Golden Knights defenceman who moved to Las Vegas several years ago, addressed the crowd.
“Like all of you, I’m proud to call Las Vegas home,” Engelland said. “I met my wife here. My kids were born here, and I know how special the city is.
“To all the brave first responders that have worked tirelessly and courageously through this whole tragedy, we thank you. To the families and friends of the victims, know that we’ll do everything we can to help you and our city heal. We are Vegas Strong.” T-Mobile Arena had no ads on the boards around the ice for the opener. Instead, the allwhite boards simply displayed the same message: “Vegas Strong.”
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the game “shows what a major league, professional sports team can mean to a community in terms of bringing people together, uniting them, helping them heal from a tragedy and demonstrating the power of distraction when everybody comes together.” And when the puck finally dropped, the Golden Knights provided the best distraction of all by playing spectacular hockey.
Vegas scored an incredible four goals in the first 10:42, setting off delirious standing ovations.