From Zach Whitecloud jerseys galore to a chicken wing and cornhole bags thrown in celebration, Rachel Doerrie explains how her experience in Vegas so far shows how much the Golden Knights mean to the city.
Is Vegas a hockey town?
I mean, it is called Sin City for a reason, but I went into the thick of it on the strip for Game 4, and it was awesome. There is no better way to find out the pulse of the city during a playoff run than to attend a watch party.
The thing is…there were a bunch of them.
I checked in on five of them to gauge interest, and every one was at capacity. In a place where casinos, shows and nightlife own the town, the Vegas Golden Knights have a firm grip on the sports scene. I spent Game 4 at the Beerhaus outside of T-Mobile Arena, where Golden Knights fans gathered inside and out to watch their team take a 3-1 lead in the Stanley Cup final.
As part of a partnership with BetMGM, I interviewed fans with fun questions and was able to interact with quite a few. We found a spot next to some locals and settled in for the game.
The first thing I noticed before puck drop, this isn’t just a “popular jersey guy” town. The jersey I saw the most wasn’t Mark Stone or Jack Eichel – it was Zach Whitecloud followed by Marc-Andre Fleury. Those two players significantly outnumbered the rest of the jerseys combined. Fleury is understandable, and after asking around about Whitecloud, I get it. He’s their unsung hero, the underappreciated guy, the guy who’s never played for another team. Whitecloud is their guy.
Speaking of their guy, I asked why the excitement around the town seems much greater than the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders. I got the same answer from almost every person.
The Raiders, the Athletics (maybe) are from other cities. They have played elsewhere, and most of the fans who go to games are from out of town. The Golden Knights are the local team. They were born in Vegas, and it gave locals a team to call their own. Quite a few people mentioned the Las Vegas Aces WNBA team, too.
The locals in Vegas understand the city they live in. They know it’s one of the biggest tourist spots on the planet. The Golden Knights are something they can take ownership of, pour their passion into and call it their own. That is important to them, and rightly so.
When Chandler Stephenson scored early to put Vegas up 1-0, the place exploded in cheers. Beer went flying, someone threw a chicken wing, and too many people to count chugged their drinks. It was a proper pop, certainly louder than the lady who won $4,000 at the slots earlier in the day. Strangers were high-fiving, hugging and bonding over a mutual love for their team. One guy near me bought a round for his entire table, which had three or four groups of people at it. It was awesome.
As the Golden Knights scored to take a 3-0 lead, the place was jubilant. Cornhole bags were being thrown sky-high. Someone asked to drink beer directly from the tap. Jenga blocks on the outdoor tables all toppled at once.
The Golden Knights have galvanized their locals. Many doubted whether or not hockey could work in this city because it was tourist-centric. That’s not true. The Strip and Fremont Street are tourist-centric. There is a city outside of that.
There is Golden Knights merchandise everywhere off the strip – flags flying from houses and on cars. Even the statue outside of Caesars Palace has a Golden Knights uniform. The Golden Knights have captured the hearts of the local population, creating a passionate fan base who bonds over a team they feel is theirs.
One fan I was sitting with said, “We’re winning this thing. The Cup hasn’t seen anything like a Vegas Cup parade.” After experiencing what I did on Saturday, it’s hard to disagree.
A Stanley Cup parade down the Las Vegas Strip would be quite the spectacle. The Golden Knights are one win away from it. Given the city’s reputation, I can’t even imagine the party that will ensue if it happens. We may see things that we haven’t before. It is Vegas, after all, and it’s got a reputation to uphold.