Vegas turns to fighter jets as part of pre-game ceremony at T-Mobile Arena.
It's not often that Vegas looks elsewhere to add to its entertainment. But that appears to be been the case in advance of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final set for Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena in Nevada.
It was announced on Monday that the Golden Knights will be adding to their pre-game festivities by way of a four-plane military jet flyover.
Already offering fans with what have become customary golden rally towels, free face-painting and an automated cellphone app to be used in the electronic pre-game ceremony, the club has stepped things up a notch for the playoffs.
Since the opening round, a local tattoo artist has been operating on site, providing fans with temporary or, get this, permanent, Golden Knights tattoos to fans. Vegas has also opted to bring in DJ Steve Aoki for a free concert to fans at the Toshiba Plaza just outside T-Mobile Arena in advance of the game.
Following Aoki's show, four fighter jets will pass over the crowds just before puck drop. This idea may sound familiar for some, as the Winnipeg Jets have previously used CF-18 military planes in their postseason series', as a way of paying homage to their Royal Canadian Air Force roots/logo.
The Florida Panthers - to whom Vegas is hosting on Tuesday - also added a flyby to its pre-game ceremony for Games 3 and 4 last week.
The Jets, of course, are not the only sporting team to use a fighter jet flyby or two in recent memory, but they were the first hockey team to do so.
Winnipeg has used flyovers dating back to the original Jets 1.0 days, but it has taken other teams significantly longer to catch on.
Flyovers are even more popular in the United States, as many participating in football, baseball, and college sporting events tend to enjoy the idea of involving the military as a way of kicking off large-scale events. The Super Bowl has had a flyover in all but one of its runnings.
The Jets recently used RCAF fighter planes in 2016 for the outdoor Heritage Classic, twice during the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs - including the team's first home game against these same Golden Knights - as well as in the 2019 postseason.
Other memorable NHL flyovers include the 2010 Winter Classic from Fenway Park, the 2018 Stadium Series in Maryland, the 2020 Stanley Cup Final from Rogers Place, as well as three other flyovers from this 2022-23 season: the 2023 Winter Classic in Boston, the 2023 Stadium Series in North Carolina and Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Final from Florida.
On average, it costs roughly $60K per hour to fly a CF-18, which is the sort of military plane used for both the Winnipeg and Edmonton flyovers. That number includes the cost of fuel, the pilot and crew's pay and aircraft maintenance. The 2015 CFL Grey Cup in Winnipeg also saw a flyover, to which the RCAF shelled out nearly $350K for the five second pass. The Jets' flyby in 2018 cost the military $70K.
In Vegas, it will be two F-15s and another two F-35 fighter jets that will take to the skies prior to puck drop, giving fans a first-hand look at four of the United States' top military jets. The game is set to begin at approximately 7:00 PM central time from Vegas. It can be viewed live on Sportsnet in Canada and TNT in the United States.