Mark Stone celebrates with the Stanley Cup after the Vegas Golden Knights won the NHL Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas June 13, 2023.
Jeff Speer | Sportswire icon | Getty Images
The Stanley Cup belongs to Sin City.
Vegas Golden Knights, after only six seasons in the NHL, won the league championship Tuesday night, ending a 4-1 win streak over the Cinderella Florida Panthers.
Vegas’ meteoric rise to the top of hockey took the sports world by surprise, but that is exactly what owner Bill Foley had in mind when he slashed his extension fee by $500 million in 2016.
That is a remarkable achievement for a team growing in any sport, but especially for a hockey team in a desert city that until recently was also a desert for skilled team sports.
Now who’s who from Las Vegas have grow to be fans of the Golden Knights.
“I used to be at Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals and the T-Mobile Arena was absolutely electrifying,” MGM Resource CEO Bill Hornbuckle told CNBC on Wednesday.
On Golden Knights game days, the MGM properties surrounding the team’s T-Mobile Arena are crowded with customers. That is what former MGM CEO Jim Murren envisioned in 2017 when describing his efforts to rework Sin City into a Sports City.
It’s greater than just hockey. Vegas’ success in the NHL also highlights the city’s rapid growth into a major player in the sport.
Murren championed the Las Vegas Aces WNBA, which MGM owned at the time and later sold to Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis in 2021.
Apparently, Davis bought the concept of Las Vegas as a sports venue. In 2020, he moved his legendary soccer franchise, long a California staple, to the city. The team’s Allegiant Stadium will host the Super Bowl in Vegas for the first time next yr.
Golden charm
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The Golden Knights have been contenders since the first season. They quickly built a fierce following, making all of it the option to the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals, losing to the Washington Capitals. From then until this yr’s championship, the Golden Knights have reached the conference finals twice and missed the playoffs just once.
The team often sells out home games, attracting locals and tourists alike. The city dons black and gold during hockey season. MGM resorts drapes a Golden Knights jersey on his Statue of Liberty replica in front of Latest York City, Latest York.
The community spirit surrounding the NHL team is felt throughout the city’s sports scene.
Horbuckle said, “It’s an exciting time for our city as we solidify our status as considered one of the best sports and entertainment destinations in the world.”
Las Vegas native Sandra Douglass Morgan is now president of the Raiders. She told CNBC in a recent interview that her hometown is able to capture the imagination of sports fans around the world with entertainment, dining, shopping and in fact, gambling opportunities.
“We will be sure we proceed to offer Las Vegas and its 40 million visitors from around the world with these life-changing experiences,” she said.
Vegas casinos are also taking advantage of the city’s inaugural Formula 1 race scheduled for November. For instance, Wynn offers a five-star weekend package with a million-dollar price tag.
While Las Vegas lost to a Major League Soccer expansion team this yr, it looks like a Major League Baseball team is on its way.
The Oakland A signed multiple deals to maneuver the team to the Vegas location. Nevada Senate this week approved the bill raise $380 million in public funds for a skilled baseball stadium. The bill now goes to the State Assembly.
There have been rumors and hopes about the potential for an expansion team from the National Basketball Association for years, although nothing concrete has surfaced.
For now, though, Las Vegas is firmly in love with the Gold Knights, a pride that forces locals to brave the strip’s creepy tourists and traffic to support their team.
And now the Knights are the kings of hockey.