LAS VEGAS – The Vegas Golden Knights drumline, Knight Line, walked into the area. “John Wick Mode” blasted throughout the arena, and a united “KNIGHT” chant came at its appropriate time in the National Anthem.
But the team is 2,325 miles away in Raleigh, N.C. in the Lenovo Center, while a strong gathering of their fans were at their home, T-Mobile Area, for a watch party in the heart of Las Vegas.
“This is our home ice. This is our spot,” longtime fan Daniel Rodriguez said. “The fact that we're having the opportunity to have so many people that are just like-minded and are huge fans, just like we are. It's no longer just, ‘Hey, we're doing this at our house. A few people come in.’ This is now an entire community. This is one giant family.”
Games 1 and 2 marked the first time since the team’s initial Cup run in 2018 that watch parties have been held at the Golden Knights arena. They’ve hosted watch parties at partner venues, such as the downtown Las Vegas casino, Circa.
“We have a lot of partners that we work with,” Golden Knights vice president of digital media and fan engagement Kristen Santero said. “We love going to their places, and I think that's the beauty of Vegas. There are a lot of places you can do this. It's the final we wanted to just really make it big.”
The crowd roared when Brett Howden out-muscled Sean Walker on a breakaway and snuck his wrist shot through Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen’s left arm at 13:33 of the first period, queuing up “Vegas Lights” by the Vegas-born band Panic! At the Disco.
They came to life again on Howden’s second goal at 7:23 of the second period to increase his Stanley Cup Playoff-leading 13th goal.
“We're going to get this win again,” Rodriguez said. “The fact that this is the third time that we've been into the Finals is an all in all immaculate. This team has proven itself and worked extremely hard to get here.”
But while Rodriguez has been a Golden Knights fan from Day 1, others from other NHL teams have come to Vegas and found the community to be a welcoming one.
Take Brian Goldsmith. He recently moved to Las Vegas from Buffalo, N.Y., but in his first full season in Las Vegas, he was in Toshiba Plaza — the area adjacent to T-Mobile Arena — on roller blades, celebrating with fans.
“People don't understand that Las Vegas is one of the strongest communities that I've ever experienced,” he said. “In the middle of the desert, it's hot, not only temperature-wise, but it's a hotbed for hockey, too. The community has adopted this, and we absolutely love this team here.”
A similar story could be said about Jeremy Chavez, who came to Vegas from Colorado, where he keeps up with the Avalanche.
Chavez stood out, wearing a custom-made Stanley Cup hat, made from spray paint, wedding decorations, and food containers. It was the second one he built after his brother moved to Florida with the original prototype, which was made for the Avalanche’s 2022 run.
“To see an organization like this be built and be automatically elite is a beautiful thing,” Chavez said. “It's amazing. When I moved to Vegas to see what it brought to the community, you know how it brings not just tourism but the Vegas community, like us locals, together? Not just here at T-Mobile Arena, but all the watch parties across town from Henderson to Summerlin to North Vegas. There are watch parties all over the place.
And while an eventual 4-3 defeat in Game 2 would dampen things short-term on Thursday, it couldn't turn the long-term outlook bleak for Golden Knights fans.
“It's a beautiful thing, and I'm loving every minute of it,” Chavez said.
