Vegas Golden Knights

The name, Vegas Golden Knights, came from owner Bill Foley's desire to have a powerful warrior to represent Las Vegas. The image of the knight was considered by Foley to be the epitome of the warrior class. Foley wanted the team to be named simply the "Knights," but that name came into copyright trouble, as the London Knights owned the name in Canada, and Foley found acquiring the name from the OHL club was not economically feasible. This led to reports that Foley considered naming the team the Silver Knights or Desert Knights before deciding on the Golden Knights. The team's AHL farm team took on the name Silver Knights.

The Vegas Golden Knights play at the T-Mobile Arena, a multi-purpose indoor arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The Golden Knights were also distinguished as the first professional major-league team in Las Vegas. Previously, Las Vegas had been considered to be a poor market for professional major-league teams, based on previous expansions of lower-level franchises that often folded a year after. Similarly, the city was considered to have odd hours for much of the city's labor force, and the city had too many other competing entertainment options. Those other entertainment options could lead to scandals that maycould potentially tarnish the family-friendly appearance professional sports leagues strive for.

This defense also allowed the team to absorb the loss of their starting goaltender and additional injuries to their other goaltenders (often considered one of the most important positions in the playoffs), before Adin Hill would eventually take over in the playoffs.

Adin Hill, despite his strong play through the remainder of the playoffs, was not the starting goaltender for Vegas at the beginning of the playoffs. Instead, Laurent Brossoit started the playoffs for the Golden Knights, defeating his previous team, the Winnipeg Jets, in the first round of the playoffs. Brossoit took the lead after rookie goaltender Logan Thompson went down with an injury during the season, a season in which the Thompson was named to the All-Star team. Unsure of their goaltending position heading into the playoffs, Vegas traded for previous Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Jonathan Quick.

But following an injury to Laurent Brossoit, Adin Hill was given a chance over the experienced Jonathan Quick, and the twenty-seven-year-old journeyman goaltenderHill went on to offer a dominant performance through the rest of the playoffs, leading his team to a Stanley Cup Championship.

However, the Golden Knights proved to be the better team. They went through their own difficult road to the finals, defeating the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, Stanley Cup odds favorite Edmonton Oilers in the second round, and a strong Dallas Stars team in the conference finals. The series between the two teams lasted five games in the best-of-seven series. Vegas beat the Panthers 5 to 25–2 in game one, and they won again 7 to 27–2 in game two. The Panthers then clawed a win in overtime of game three, before the Golden Knights defeated the Panthers 3 to 23–2 to take game four and won again 9 to 39–3 to take the Stanley Cup.

The Las Vegas Golden Knights, stylized as the Vegas Golden Knights, is a professional ice hockey team located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team came into existence as an expansion team when the board of NHL owners voted to expand to 31thirty-one teams in the league in June 2016, and theirits debut NHL season was the 2017-2018 NHL season. Vegas plays in the Pacific Division of the NHL's Western Conference. TheyThe haveteam has won the Pacific Division title several times, and haveit has twice won the conference final - and been crowned the best team in the NHL Western Conference - twice. In 2023, The Vegas Golden Knights won theirits first Stanley Cup title. The Vegas Goldenteam Knightshas have become known for elaborate pre-game displays, which evoke the city's personality and being a consistently competitive team.

The name of the, Vegas Golden Knights, came from owner Bill Foley's desire to have a powerful warrior to represent Las Vegas. The image of the knight was considered by Foley to be the epitome of the warrior class. Foley wanted the team to be named simply the 'Knights'"Knights" but came into copyright trouble, as the London Knights owned the name in Canada, and Foley found acquiring the name from the OHL club was not economically feasible. This led to reports that Foley considered naming the team the Silver Knights or Desert Knights before deciding on the Golden Knights. The team's AHL farm team took on the name Silver Knights.

The Vegas Golden Knights play at the T-Mobile Arena, a multi-purpose indoor arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The Golden Knights were also distinguished as the first professional major-league team in Las Vegas. Previously, Las Vegas had been considered to be a poor market for professional major-league teams. This was, based on previous expansions of lower-level franchises that often folded a year after. Similarly, the city was considered to have odd hours for much of the city's labor force, thatand the city had too many other competing entertainment options, and that. thoseThose other entertainment options wouldcould lead to scandals that wouldmay potentially tarnish the family friendlyfamily-friendly appearance professional sports leagues strive for.

The expansion fee for the team in Las Vegas was USD $500 million, which was spread equally among the other 30thirty NHL teams. For that price, the Vegas Golden Knights entered the league with a special mechanism known as an Expansion Draft, in which the new franchise is able to select one player from each of the existing NHL franchises. In the 2017 Expansion Draft, existing NHL clubs had two options for players they wished to protect: either they could protect seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goaltender; or they could protect eight skaters (forwards or defensemen) and one goaltender. ThisWith this expansion, there waswere fewer protected players than previous expansions. Under the rules, Vegas had to select at least 14fourteen forwards, nine defensemen, and three goaltenders, with a minimum number of 20twenty players under contract for the 2017-182017-2018 season.

The 2017 Expansion Draft rules were changed from previous expansion draft rules. This, wasdue asto the NHL struggledstruggling with expansion teams. Previous expansions, beginning in the early 1990s, saw new teams in Tampa Bay, Anaheim, Ottawa, Atlanta, and Nashville struggle for years to be competitive in the league. In the case of a team like Atlanta, these struggles lent to the team's eventual move of the franchise as the Atlanta-based team to Winnipeg. The previous expansion rules were considered, in hindsight, to be a major roadblock to further NHL expansion.

Vegas took an aggressive approach to the expansion draft. The teams they were picking players from worked to make side deals to keep players they could not protect and ensure Vegas would not pick them. These deals gave Vegas extra picks in the upcoming NHL Rookie Draft and extra roster players, allowing Vegas to pick 37thirty-seven players (from 31thirty-one teams) and allowedenabling Vegas to bundle these players and draft picks to acquire players they were interested in but had been protected. ThisAs a allowedresult, Vegas was able to develop a stronger roster than any previous expansion team.

The first Vegas Golden Knights season led to the monicker of the "Misfits," which captured the feeling of many of the unprotected players that their previous franchises did not want them. This helped to bond the players together. On October 1, 2017, a mass shooting in Las Vegas would claimclaimed the lives of 58 people and injureinjured 700 more. The new team was front and center in the mourning of the city and in trying to help the community begin to heal. This has been credited by many in helping bondingbond the team with the community, and with the community embracing the team.

The expectations for the first season in the wider NHL were low, as most NHL expansion clubs posted losing seasons. However, inside the club, the General Manager George McPhee - (who would later movemoved to club president with Kelly McCrimmon taking over the General Manager role -) and majority owner Bill Foley set high standards, with the expectation that the Golden Knights would make the playoffs in three seaons,seasons and win the Stanley Cup (the highest award in the NHL) in six seasons.

Those expectations would bewere met and exceeded. In theThe first season, the Golden Knights had anwas unprecedented season, with the team not only winning in the regular season to enter the playoffs, but reaching the Stanley Cup Final. This was the first time an expansion team had reached the Stanley Cup Finals. The team topped the Pacific Division, and got the first sweep in a round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a first-time expansion team, but would eventually fallfell short in the finals as the Golden Knights wouldand loselost to the Washington Capitals.

The loss in the Stanley Cup Finals changed the expectations of the ownership and front office of the Golden Knights. They were expected to be a top team in the NHL and expected to continue to make the playoffs on deep runs. This led to an approach to building and improving the team that left many in the NHL critical, as the franchise was considered to be unloyal to theirits players. For example, after six seasons in the NHL, only six of the franchise's original players were left on the roster.

Further, many of their top draft picks were traded out for established, big namebig-name players. This included the likes of Alex Pietrangelo, Mark Stone, and Jack Eichel, among many others. It included the departure of goaltender Marc Andre-Fleury, who had become a darling of the city, and thehis departure of whom was criticized throughout the league.

They took a similar approach with coaches, leading to the firing of theirthe inaugural head coach, Gerard Gallant, after two seasons;. whoHe was replaced by Peter Deboer, who survived two seasons and was fired after the 2021-22 season which was, the first season in which the Vegas Golden Knights failed to make the NHL playoffs; and. whoHe would eventually be replaced by Bruce Cassidy.

These decisions led to strong play over the next few seasons. The team finished third in the Western Conference in the 2018-19 NHL season, and would disappointingly loselost in the first round of the playoffs. The next season, the 2019-20 season, was a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Vegas finished the seasonfirstseason first in its division and would advanceadvanced to the conference finals in the playoffs, to loselosing to the Dallas Stars. The next season was another shortened season and was limited to divisional play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This season saw the Golden Knights get into the playoffs and advance once again to the semi-finals, where, due teamsto the pandemic-related changes, they were limited to divisional play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This season saw the Golden Knights get into the playoffs and advance once again to the semi-finals where, due to the pandemic related changes, would be defeated by the Montreal Canadiens. AndIn the in2021-2022 2021-22season, the Golden Knights missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Regardless of the opinions about how the Vegas Golden Knights built their roster and managed their personnel, the team was excellent in the 2022-23 NHL season, tying a team record with 51fifty-one wins, setting a new team record for regular season points with 111, and winning first in the their division again. The team's approach to building theirits roster resulted in a strong group of forwards, which allowed the team to have goal scorers on all four forward lines and absorb injuries to top forwards without losing position throughthroughout the year. Similarly, the group of defensemen they had built was a strong group capable of nullifying offensive attacks and being capable of moving the puck to their forwards to begin their own attack.

And thisThis defense also allowed the team to absorb the loss of their starting goaltender, and furtheradditional injuries to their other goaltenders (often considered one of the most important positions in the playoffs), before Adin Hill would eventually Adin Hill would take over in the playoffs.

Adin Hill, despite his strong play through the remainder of the playoffs, was not the starting goaltender for Vegas at the beginning of the playoffs. Instead, Laurent Brossoit started the playoffs for the Golden Knights, defeating his previous team, the Winnipeg Jets, in the first round of the playoffs. Brossoit took the lead after rookie goaltender Logan Thompson went down with an injury during the season;, a season in which the goaltenderThompson was named to the All-Star team. Unsure of their goaltending position heading into the playoffs, Vegas traded for previous Stanley Cup winningCup-winning goaltender Jonathan Quick.

But following thean injury to Laurent Brossoit, Adin Hill was given a chance over the experienced Jonathan Quick, and the 27-year-oldtwenty-seven-year-old journeyman goaltender went on to offer a dominant performance through the rest of the playoffs, leading his team to a Stanley Cup Championship.

However, the Golden Knights would proveproved to be the better team. They had gonewent through their own difficult road to the finals, defeating the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, a Stanley Cup odds favorite Edmonton Oilers in the second round, and a strong Dallas Star'sStars team in the conference finals. The series between the two teams would lastlasted five games in the best-of-seven series. Vegas beat the Panthers 5 to 2 in game one;, and they won again 7 to 2 in game two; while. theThe Panthers wouldthen clawclawed a win in overtime of game three;, before the Golden Knights would defeatdefeated the Panthers 3 to 2 to take game four and won again 9 to 3 to take the Stanley Cup.

The Las Vegas Golden Knights, stylized as the Vegas Golden Knights, is a professional ice hockey team located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team came into existence as an expansion team when the board of NHL owners voted to expand to 31 teams in the league in June 2016 and their debut season was the 2017-2018 NHL season. Vegas plays in the Pacific Division of the NHL's Western Conference. They have won the Pacific Division title several times, and have won the conference final - and been crowned the best team in the NHL Western Conference - twice. In 2023, The Vegas Golden Knights won their first Stanley Cup title. The Vegas Golden Knights have become known for elaborate pre-game displays which evoke the city's personality and being a consistently competitive team.

The name of the Vegas Golden Knights came from owner Bill Foley's desire to have a powerful warrior to represent Las Vegas. The image of the knight was considered by Foley to be the epitome of the warrior class. Foley wanted the team to be named simply the 'Knights' but came into copyright trouble, as the London Knights owned the name in Canada and Foley found acquiring the name from the OHL club was not economically feasible. This led to reports that Foley considered naming the team the Silver Knights or Desert Knights before deciding on the Golden Knights. The team's AHL farm team took on the name Silver Knights.

Example of the Vegas Golden Knight's elaborate opening ceremonies.

The T-Mobile arena and home of the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Vegas Golden Knights play at the T-Mobile Arena, a multi-purpose indoor arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The Golden Knights were also distinguished as the first professional major-league team in Las Vegas. Previously, Las Vegas had been considered to be a poor market for professional major-league teams. This was based on previous expansions of lower-level franchises that often folded a year after. Similarly, the city was considered to have odd hours for much of the city's labor force, that the city had too many other competing entertainment options, and that those other entertainment options would lead to scandals that would tarnish the family friendly appearance professional sports leagues strive for.

The Vegas Golden Knights three uniforms.

The expansion fee for the team in Las Vegas was USD $500 million, which was spread equally among the other 30 NHL teams. For that price, the Vegas Golden Knights entered the league with a special mechanism known as an Expansion Draft, in which the new franchise is able to select one player from each of the existing NHL franchises. In the 2017 Expansion Draft, existing NHL clubs had two options for players they wished to protect: either they could protect seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goaltender; or they could protect eight skaters (forwards or defensemen) and one goaltender. This was fewer protected players than previous expansions. Under the rules, Vegas had to select at least 14 forwards, nine defensemen, and three goaltenders, with a minimum number of 20 players under contract for the 2017-18 season.

The 2017 Expansion Draft rules were changed from previous expansion draft rules. This was as the NHL struggled with expansion teams. Previous expansions, beginning in the early 1990s, saw new teams in Tampa Bay, Anaheim, Ottawa, Atlanta, and Nashville struggle for years to be competitive in the league. In the case of a team like Atlanta, these struggles lent to the eventual move of the franchise as the Atlanta-based team to Winnipeg. The previous expansion rules were considered, in hindsight, to be a major roadblock to further NHL expansion.

Vegas took an aggressive approach to the expansion draft. The teams they were picking players from worked to make side deals to keep players they could not protect and ensure Vegas would not pick them. These deals gave Vegas extra picks in the upcoming NHL Rookie Draft and extra roster players, allowing Vegas to pick 37 players (from 31 teams) and allowed Vegas to bundle these players and draft picks to acquire players they were interested in but had been protected. This allowed Vegas to develop a stronger roster than any previous expansion team.

The first Vegas Golden Knights season led to the monicker of the "Misfits" which captured the feeling of many of the unprotected players that their previous franchises did not want them. This helped to bond the players together. On October 1, 2017, a mass shooting in Las Vegas would claim the lives of 58 and injure 700 more. The new team was front and center in the mourning of the city and in trying to help the community begin to heal. This has been credited by many in helping bonding the team with the community, and with the community embracing the team.

The expectations for the first season in the wider NHL were low, as most NHL expansion clubs posted losing seasons. However, inside the club, the General Manager George McPhee - who would later move to club president with Kelly McCrimmon taking over the General Manager role - and majority owner Bill Foley set high standards, with the expectation that the Golden Knights would make the playoffs in three seaons, and win the Stanley Cup (the highest award in the NHL) in six seasons.

Those expectations would be met and exceeded. In the first season, the Golden Knights had an unprecedented season, not only winning in the regular season to enter the playoffs, but reaching the Stanley Cup Final. This was the first time an expansion team had reached the Stanley Cup Finals. The team topped the Pacific Division, got the first sweep in a round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a first-time expansion team, but would eventually fall short in the finals as the Golden Knights would lose to the Washington Capitals.

The loss in the Stanley Cup Finals changed the expectations of the ownership and front office of the Golden Knights. They were expected to be a top team in the NHL and expected to continue to make the playoffs on deep runs. This led to an approach to building and improving the team that left many in the NHL critical, as the franchise was considered to be unloyal to their players. For example, after six seasons in the NHL, only six of the franchise's original players were left on the roster.

Further, many of their top draft picks were traded out for established, big name players. This included the likes of Alex Pietrangelo, Mark Stone, and Jack Eichel, among many others. It included the departure of goaltender Marc Andre-Fleury, who had become a darling of the city, and the departure of whom was criticized throughout the league.

They took a similar approach with coaches, leading to the firing of their inaugural head coach Gerard Gallant after two seasons; who was replaced by Peter Deboer who survived two seasons and was fired after the 2021-22 season which was the first season in which the Vegas Golden Knights failed to make the NHL playoffs; and who would eventually be replaced by Bruce Cassidy.

These decisions led to strong play over the next few seasons. The team finished third in the Western Conference in the 2018-19 NHL season, and would disappointingly lose in the first round of the playoffs. The next season, the 2019-20 season, was a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Vegas finished the seasonfirst in its division and would advance to the conference finals in the playoffs to lose to the Dallas Stars. The next season was another shortened season, where teams were limited to divisional play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This season saw the Golden Knights get into the playoffs and advance once again to the semi-finals where, due to the pandemic related changes, would be defeated by the Montreal Canadiens. And in 2021-22 the Golden Knights missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Vegas Golden Knights celebrate a goal.

Regardless of the opinions about how the Vegas Golden Knights built their roster and managed their personnel, the team was excellent in the 2022-23 NHL season, tying a team record with 51 wins, setting a new team record for regular season points with 111, and winning first in the their division again. The team's approach to building their roster resulted in a strong group of forwards which allowed the team to have goal scorers on all four forward lines and absorb injuries to top forwards without losing position through the year. Similarly, the group of defensemen they had built was a strong group capable of nullifying offensive attacks and being capable of moving the puck to their forwards to begin their own attack.

And this defense also allowed the team to absorb the loss of their starting goaltender, and further injuries to their other goaltenders (often considered one of the most important positions in the playoffs), before eventually Adin Hill would take over in the playoffs.

Laurent Brossoit helped off the ice after injury.

Adin Hill, despite his strong play through the remainder of the playoffs was not the starting goaltender for Vegas at the beginning of the playoffs. Instead Laurent Brossoit started the playoffs for the Golden Knights, defeating his previous team the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the playoffs. Brossoit took the lead after rookie goaltender Logan Thompson went down with injury during the season; a season in which the goaltender was named to the All-Star team. Unsure of their goaltending position heading into the playoffs, Vegas traded for previous Stanley Cup winning goaltender Jonathan Quick.

Adin Hill makes incredible stop during Stanley Cup playoffs.

But following the injury to Laurent Brossoit, Adin Hill was given a chance over the experienced Jonathan Quick, and the 27-year-old journeyman goaltender went on to offer a dominant performance through the rest of the playoffs, leading his team to a Stanley Cup Championship.

The final round of the Stanley Cup playoffs saw the Vegas Golden Knights face off against the Florida Panthers. The Panthers were sold as a team of destiny after beating the Boston Bruins when they were on the brink of elimination, and then defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round and the Carolina Hurricanes in the conference final, and overcoming one of the largest points differences to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

Vegas Golden Knight's captain Mark Stone raises the Stanley Cup after beating the Panthers 9-3.

However, the Golden Knights would prove to be the better team. They had gone through their own difficult road to the finals, defeating the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, a Stanley Cup odds favorite Edmonton Oilers in the second round, and a strong Dallas Star's team in the conference finals. The series between the two teams would last five games in the best-of-seven series. Vegas beat the Panthers 5 to 2 in game one; they won again 7 to 2 in game two; while the Panthers would claw a win in overtime of game three; before the Golden Knights would defeat the Panthers 3 to 2 to take game four and won again 9 to 3 to take the Stanley Cup.

The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as an expansion team, the Golden Knights are the first major sports franchise to represent Las Vegas. The team is owned by Black Knight Sports & Entertainment, a consortium led by Bill Foley and the Maloof family. Their home games are played at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada.

One of the few expansion franchises to experience immediate success, the Golden Knights have qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs in all four of their seasons and reached the Stanley Cup Finals in their first. Their 13 playoff wins en route to the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals are the most for a team during their inaugural postseason run.

History

Background and establishment

The NHL has had a presence in Las Vegas since 1991; that year, the city hosted the first outdoor game between two NHL teams – a preseason exhibition between the Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers outside Caesars Palace. The Kings would subsequently organize "Frozen Fury" – a series of annual preseason games in Las Vegas against the Colorado Avalanche. The NHL Awards ceremonies have been held in Las Vegas since 2009. In 2009, the media speculated about a plan involving Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer to move the Phoenix Coyotes to Nevada.

Rumors of a Las Vegas expansion team surfaced again in August 2014, pointing to a new indoor arena on the Strip (built as a joint venture between Anschutz Entertainment Group, owners of the Los Angeles Kings, and MGM Resorts International) as the potential home arena, although these rumors were denied by the league. In November 2014, an unconfirmed report stated that the league had selected billionaire businessman Bill Foley and the Maloof family (former owners of the National Basketball Association's Sacramento Kings, and founders of the Palms Casino Resort) to lead the ownership group for a Las Vegas expansion team. In December 2014, the NHL's board of governors decided to allow Foley to hold a season ticket drive to gauge interest in a Las Vegas team, though league commissioner Gary Bettman also warned the media to "not make more out of this than it is". The season ticket drive began in February 2015, with interested parties placing ten percent deposits for the 2016–17 season. The drive drew 5,000 deposits in its first day and a half, and reached its goal of 10,000 deposits by April 2015.

In June 2015, the league officially opened the window for prospective owners to bid on expansion teams. By this point, Foley had secured more than 13,200 season-ticket deposits. Two expansion applications were submitted: Foley's application for a Las Vegas team, and a bid from Quebecor to revive the Quebec Nordiques at a new arena in Quebec City. Both Las Vegas and Quebec were invited to move into Phase II of the league expansion bid in August 2015, and subsequently advanced to Phase III.

At the league owners' meeting on June 22, 2016, in Las Vegas, the Las Vegas expansion bid was approved by a unanimous vote, with play to begin in the 2017–18 NHL season. The team became the first major professional sports franchise to be based in Las Vegas, and the first NHL expansion team since 2000. Foley committed to pay the league's $500 million expansion fee and began the process of hiring the team's principal staff and determining its official identity. Foley announced that former Washington Capitals general manager George McPhee would be the franchise's first general manager. On November 22, 2016, the name was revealed as the Vegas Golden Knights.

Name

The team's name includes "Knights" as a homage to the Black Knights of the United States Military Academy, Foley's alma mater, and because knights were, according to Foley, "the epitome of the warrior class". Foley had hoped to name his team the Black Knights, but dropped that plan after encountering resistance from federal officials. Foley was unable to call the team the "Vegas Knights" because the London Knights owned the "Knights" name in Canada.

"Golden" was included in the name because gold is, as Foley stated, the "No. 1 precious metal", and because Nevada is the largest gold-producing state in the country. "Las" was omitted from the team's name because, according to Foley, residents tend to refer to the city simply as "Vegas", and because a four-word name would have been too long.

The United States Army opposed the team's trademark registration because their exhibition parachute team uses the same nickname; they dropped their opposition after negotiating a trademark coexistence agreement with the team. An objection was also raised by the College of Saint Rose because its sports teams use the same name; the Vegas team's initial trademark application was denied as a result, but was later approved on appeal. The team did clear the name with Clarkson University, which also uses the name Golden Knights