Vegas, Washington: They both have circuses
USA Today’s Kevin Allen finds some entertaining commonalities
The Washington Capitals against the Vegas Golden Knights for the Stanley Cup. What were the odds last October that these two National Hockey League teams would meet in the final, each vying for their first Cup? A team with a history of poor playoff performances vs. an expansion team. Talk about an unlikely pairing.
But there are connections between Washington and Las Vegas. Washington is the U.S. capital and people from Las Vegas view the city as the entertainment capital of the world. Washington has monuments and Las Vegas has attractions. Las Vegas has Cirque du Soleil to liven things up, and Washington has Congress.
Here are other some other connections:
George McPhee helped both Vegas and Washington:
He is the architect/general manager of the Golden Knights. Before accepting that job, he had previously been general manager in Washington for 17 years, when he drafted key Capitals such as Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson and Braden Holtby.
Nate Schmidt is one who got away:
Schmidt was just starting to establish himself in the Capitals’ lineup when the Golden Knights claimed him in the expansion draft and made him their top defenceman. McPhee had signed him in Washington as a free agent. The Capitals didn’t want to lose Schmidt, and many believed the Golden Knights were going to take goalie Philipp
Grubauer in the expansion draft.
Best and worst expansion teams:
The
51-24-7 Golden
Knights recorded the best expansion team record in NHL history. No other expansion team has been above .500. In their first season, 1974-75, the
8-67-5 Capitals became the worst expansion team. They only won one game on the road.
Guelph, Native sons:
McPhee and Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan grew up together in Guelph and both played for the Guelph Platers Ontario Hockey
League Jr. A team that won the 1978 Centennial Cup as national champions. McPhee, a winger, scored 53 goals and totalled 150 penalty minutes in 48 games, for that team. Then, McPhee and MacLellan both played college hockey together at Bowling Green. Then, in 2001, then Capitals GM McPhee hired MacLellan as a scout.
Ovechkin’s contract:
McPhee was in charge of the Capitals in
2008 when the Capitals gave Ovechkin the record 13-year, $124-million contract. It was the league’s first $100-million deal, and it has benefited both sides. The Capitals have never had to face a difficult contract negotiation with their star player.
Gambling with your money:
Las Vegas and Washington, D.C., also are both cities in which your future can be at risk if people don’t play their cards right.