The Vegas Golden Knights use the phrase “Expand the Realm” as a term that represents spreading awareness of what Vegas hockey is all about. With the loss of the Arizona Coyotes to the Phoenix area, the Golden Knights have continued to expand the realm in the desert. The end of March marked the Golden Knights’ third trip to Chandler, Scottsdale, Glendale, and Phoenix, Arizona with the trip from March 27-29 as the biggest yet.
Sheri Hudspeth, Director of Youth Hockey Programs and Fan Development, has taken charge of bringing the Golden Knights into Arizona. This most recent three-day trip included two ball hockey clinics, two watch parties, two book signings, three Q&A’s with team broadcasters, six on-ice hockey clinics, and hundreds of kids and families ecstatic that hockey is staying in the desert. The hard work and drive of Hudspeth is a testament to what the Golden Knights organization is all about.
“It’s a great responsibility to bring the energy and excitement of The Fortress to different markets. We have proved we can grow youth hockey in the desert. We welcome new Golden Knights fans and think they will enjoy our success on the ice and our brand of hockey,” Hudspeth said.
The Golden Knights cast, coaches, and staff immediately took action with two ball hockey clinics in partnership with LosVGK, one at Catalina Ventura Elementary School and one at Chicanos Por La Causa on Thursday, March 27.
The visit to Catalina Ventura Elementary School represented the Golden Knights’ first trip to a school in the Phoenix area. Students were able to learn hockey drills and skills from Hudspeth while Jorge Lopez, a LosVGK representative, spoke Spanish and hyped the kids up to help represent that anyone can play hockey no matter their background. For teachers, seeing the smiles and excitement on the student’s faces brought joy back surrounding a sport they so dearly missed.
“All they need to do is get a touch and experience like what they’re getting with this ball hockey clinic and realize that it’s pretty cool,” Jacob Giger, P.E. teacher at Catalina Ventura Elementary, “Then you get one or two kids hooked on hockey and next thing you know, they start playing and the sport starts growing.”
The Golden Knights headed to Chicanos Por La Causa for their second ball hockey clinic of the day and their second visit to the community center to continue engaging with Hispanic and Latino hockey fans. Deportes Vegas Radio Play-by-Play announcer, Jesus Lopez, joined the trip to help teach hockey and participated in the first broadcaster Q&A for the kids.
Lopez told his story on how he joined the Vegas Golden Knights broadcast team, and the kids left the presentation knowing that it is possible to do anything they put their mind to. Lopez’s journey was nowhere near easy, but his hopes are to expand the realm into the Hispanic and Latino communities by calling hockey games similar to soccer games with the enthusiasm and passion to spread the love of hockey.
On the second day, the team headed to Ice Den Scottsdale for three on-ice hockey clinics with one of the clinics being the first all-girls clinic with the Golden Knights in Arizona. Two-time Olympian and VGK broadcaster, Megan Bozek, and five-year Harvard hockey player, Kate Glover, joined Hudspeth on the ice to host the all-girls clinics. Hosting all-girls clinics is important to Hudspeth, especially during Women’s History Month, to represent that girls and women belong in hockey.
“Girls hockey is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States. This trip during Women’s History Month we had Bozek and Glover both on the ice,” Hudspeth said. “It is always inspiring for young girls to interact with players of this caliber and be able to ask questions about their hockey journey.”
Following the clinics, the girls on the ice were able to sit down with Bozek and ask questions to gain experience and insight on how to grow within the sport of hockey, something that can be difficult for young girls.
“Sharing my knowledge and experiences is always fun because I never had [these clinics] growing up. Hockey belongs in the desert and Vegas knows quite well what they’ve brought into their city. Now they are bringing it into Arizona,” said Bozek. “You can just tell that they’re genuinely having fun and they’re excited to put the Vegas Golden Knights jersey on.”
The team hosted a watch party at 18 Degrees within Ice Den Scottsdale where fans joined together to cheer on the Golden Knights as they faced off against the Chicago Blackhawks. LosVGK hosted a second watch party at Salt Tacos y Tequila. Vegas won, 5-3, and the energy level within the restaurant grew with each goal. Chance and Vegas Vivas kept the crowd engaged and at the end of the night, it was evident everyone left loving the Golden Knights even more.
The final day took place at Ice Den Chandler with three more on-ice clinics and one final Q&A with Bozek. As the clinics took place, some families even began to gather to watch the Golden Knights take on the Nashville Predators as Vegas earned a 3-1 victory.
When the trip was all said and done, over 400 kids participated in the clinics, hundreds of copies of ‘It Hurts To Win: The Official Inside Story of the 2023 Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights’ were signed by co-author Gordon Weigers, and countless hearts were mended about hockey coming back to the area. As parents passed through, they expressed their gratitude to VGK staff and were thankful the organization remains committed to keeping hockey in the desert. Some stated they have grown into Golden Knights fans because of the organization’s values and drive to grow the sport. Other parents even asked if and how they were able to start playing hockey.
As the bus drove back to Las Vegas, the cast and crew left feeling fulfilled and saturated with appreciation that Arizona has welcomed the team with open arms. When the team first visited in October, they were unsure of what the reactions would be from locals in the area. After having completed the third trip, it’s clear that Arizona just wants hockey to stay.
The Golden Knights are committed to growing the game everywhere, especially in Arizona. This most recent trip wasn’t the first nor will it be the last trip the Golden Knights take to the Phoenix area. LosVGK and the Golden Knights look forward to returning to Arizona for bigger and better things to come in the future.
