The spectacle of a playoff game in Vegas is one that cannot be ignored. Meanwhile, the desert heat takes its toll on our correspondent.
In a new limited series for THN.com, The EIC (editor-in-chief) takes you on a behind-the-scenes look at life on the road of a Stanley Cup final. It's going to be the good kind of weird, hopefully.
LAS VEGAS - This town is both delightful and disorienting and the same can be said when it comes to hockey, depending on which jersey you're wearing.
June in Las Vegas is an exercise in endurance. Walking around outside in the daytime is akin to blasting a hairdryer in your own face and when there are no clouds in the sky, the sun is always in charge. The walkways that connect everything on The Strip are tremendously convenient - it's actually a great city for pedestrians - but if you don't know where you're going, you can find yourself in a maze of stairways and ramps that will eventually get you to your destination, but not without a lot of sweat equity. Returning from a media lunch, we are passed on the sidewalk by a tomato-faced Elvis impersonator on a Rascal scooter. He utters a sound the English language simply does not have the syntax for. Did that just happen? (Yes. In fact, we saw Elvis again the next day sparking a cigarette with a barbecue lighter in front of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers)
At T-Mobile Arena, the Vegas Golden Knights have created an unrivalled game night experience. When you see it on TV, you may get a sense of it - the over-the-top pageantry and what-not - but to be in the arena when it all unfolds is a true wonder. This town knows spectacle and for a fan base that, by definition, is no more than six years old, the partisans bring it for their boys.
The sound system in Vegas hits all the right frequencies. It is bass-heavy and does not need to rely on sheer volume for effectiveness; instead it creates a rumbling sensation that can both enliven or terrify, depending on your allegiances. There is something primal in it.
If you do not buy into the spectacle of the famous pre-game ceremonies, then you are depriving yourself unnecessarily. The voice-overs that beckon skating knights to the ice rival any Game of Thrones-esque fantasy show on TV and when the last invader (representing the enemy Florida Panthers, naturally) is repelled by a digital dragon, you Will be ready to take up an axe for the cause.
And what's that song welcoming the Golden Knights to the ice? Is that from John Wick? Indeed, it is. And did the evening feature amped-up appearances by both Michael Buffer and Lil Jon (flanked by Owen Wilson)? Also true.
Meanwhile, one of the NHL's newest fan bases has already established its voice. Perhaps it shouldn't be a shock that Vegas locals know how to join in on the spectacle, but again; to see it live is to believe it. Everybody goes nuts at the right times and when the opposing team takes a penalty, the Jumbotron urges the Vegas faithful to chant "Shame! Shame! Shame!" which they do with gusto.
At this point I haven't even mentioned the futuristic drum line or the weaponized showgirls - which, in a slightly different format, can also be found at most hours outside on The Strip, brazenly trying to rope tourists into a photo op for cash (are they subverting the male gaze by deflecting it back and making flirtation literally transactional? You decide...).
It's all different in Vegas and that's what makes it fun. Buy in and you will feel your adrenaline soar. You may even want to join in and throw a pink flamingo on the ice after a Knights victory.
In 1989, The D.O.C. released his debut album, No One Can Do It Better. A friend of Dr. Dre (he appears on The Chronic), the West Coast rapper's dreams of fame were tragically taken away soon after when his larynx was crushed in a car accident. The album's opening track is a stunner and offers a glimpse of what could have been as his peers soared to superstardom in the ensuing years:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmQfeC6j__4[/embed]
The D.O.C.'s story may not have anything to do with the Vegas Golden Knights, but the album's title sure came to mind when I experienced Game 1 at T-Mobile: When it comes to pumping up a team and its fans, No One Can Do It Better than the Golden Knights.