On a rare practice day during the Stanley Cup Final, local fans flocked to City National Arena to show support for their Vegas Golden Knights. They all wore jerseys or other merchandise bearing the gold helmet, and many carried signs.
A well-attended open practice is nothing out of the ordinary– the Golden Knights have opened their doors for fans to attend practices and morning skates all year. Even for a typical practice during the regular season, you can expect the stands at City National Arena to be fairly full. As the playoffs have progressed, so too has the attendance level.
But all other open practices paled in comparison to the scene at City National Arena on Monday.
Inside, there were so many fans that the practice rink the Golden Knights were skating on couldn’t hold them all. All the excess fans who didn’t make the cut formed a long line snaking through the entire lobby. The lucky fans who made it inside the practice rink were packed together in the stands like too many sardines in a small can.
Outside the rink, fans lined the sidewalks in hopes of interacting with players as they entered and exited the rink. A DJ stood alongside them, bumping music and keeping the good times rolling. Around the practice facility, the parking lots overflowed to the point where they had to open up a third lot.
During practice, the fans reacted as the team skated and ran drills as if they were watching a winner-take-all Game 7. They cheered for every goal, and cheered just as loudly for every save.
“We definitely feel the support of the community,” said defenseman Jeremy Lauzon after practice. “It’s been amazing. It gives us a lot of energy during games. And during practice today, it was fun to have them out there, chanting for us. I love playing here and playing in front of those fans. It’s been great.”