NHL HHOF Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 2 minutes ago, Brewin Flames said: I'm not sure why it's never happened before, or why i never noticed it...but, seemed like the Vegas players came over the bench very early to start the party. Too many men on the ice...Fla goes on the PP. Just another lame reason for panther fans to accuse the NHL of being rigged. Florida players should have just kept on attacking the puck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted June 14, 2023 Author Share Posted June 14, 2023 How Golden Knights disrupted the NHL, won the Stanley Cup The first time Brayden McNabb thought about the Vegas Golden Knights winning the Stanley Cup was when owner Bill Foley spoke it into existence in Year 1. "Playoffs in three. Cup in six," the defenseman said with a grin, recalling the owner's words back in 2017. Then the Golden Knights went ahead and made the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season of 2017-18. "After we did that, Bill said, 'OK, now Stanley Cup in three.' I don't know if that got published," forward Reilly Smith said. From one perspective it was an understandable goal from an enthusiastic new owner. From another, Foley's timeline was completely bonkers. There had been only six franchises in NHL history that required six or fewer seasons to win their first Stanley Cup. Five of them won between the birth of the NHL and the repeal of prohibition in the U.S. The Toronto Maple Leafs were the first in 1918 when they were the Toronto Arenas. The O.G. Ottawa Senators (1920, third season), Montreal Maroons (1926, second season), New York Rangers (1928, second season) and Boston Bruins (1929, third season) would follow. The other team was the 1984 Edmonton Oilers, winning in the franchise's fifth NHL season. But the Oilers actually started as a franchise in 1972, arriving in the NHL after the World Hockey Association folded. Also, they had Wayne Gretzky. But it's not so bonkers now, after seeing the Golden Knights skate hockey's holy grail in front of their euphoric fans on Tuesday night. "I think the first year we got scared of losing it. And now we wanted to win it," forward William Carrier said. "We've been through a lot the last couple years. We've been through it all." The Golden Knights have packed a lot into six seasons of existence, after entering the NHL as its 31st team in 2017. They are, essentially, hockey's great startup company. A collection of misfits that created instant success and then faced the mounting pressure to grow from those carefree days into a thriving, sustainable company with 10 times growth. It got real. Hearts were broken. Friendships were severed, as beloved founders were bid farewell. "It sucks. It's happened a lot here," McNabb said. "But give them credit. They're doing whatever they can to try and win." 'We're Vegas -- we've got to be different' The difference between other NHL owners and Foley is like the difference between the manager of your local strip mall and Jeff Bezos: One builds for a modicum of success, while the other wants to rule the world. The following are actual things Bill Foley has said about his NHL team: "We want to be a global franchise. The visitors to Las Vegas can't get a ticket because we're sold out, but they're going to buy gear. They're going to be back in Shanghai wearing a Golden Knights hat." "My goal is to be a dynasty here. Not to win a Stanley Cup. Multiple Stanley Cups over several years." Foley was a self-taught investor while attending West Point. He devoured books about technical analysis. He read the Wall Street Journal each day to track around 30 stocks on his self-created charts in growth industries -- like regional airlines, whose consolidation in the market made Foley a considerable profit. His classmates expected he'd lose all his money. He didn't ... at least until Foley blew the money on "women and alcohol," by his own admission. Later in life, after a law degree and an MBA, he made enough money to pool it with other investors to buy what would become Fidelity National Financial, the biggest insurance title company in the U.S., as well as other businesses. His investment philosophy will sound familiar to anyone that's followed the Knights: a "value buyer" who made around 80 acquisitions that Foley estimated were valued at $40 million that they paid $20 million to get. "We were around the fringes," Foley said. Las Vegas is undeniably a sports town in 2023, with the Knights' fortress -- T-Mobile Arena -- situated a short drive from the Raiders' sleek Allegiant Stadium, seating over 80,000 fans combined for games. But it wasn't a sports town when Foley got his inkling about owning a team there. It's easy to forget how seemingly uninhabitable the Vegas sports landscape was in 2014. In short order, Las Vegas officially became a hockey town. For decades, it was the gambling aspect that kept professional leagues away. That stigma faded in the decade leading up to NHL expansion -- although NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was clear that no betting should be available inside the Vegas arena and that their team name should steer clear of gambling references. The real question vexing owners from the NHL, NFL and beyond was whether this market could support a pro team. Another Las Vegas owner might have taken the easy path to proving viability by fueling a ticket drive with casino commitments. The genius of Foley's bid -- and one reason the Knights exist today -- is that it had 11,000 deposits for season tickets from non-casino sources. Without a team yet. Without an arena built. "People from Las Vegas wanted something more than the Strip. They wanted something that was theirs. So we tapped into that," Foley said. Getting the first pro franchise in Las Vegas, for a $500 million expansion fee, was Bill Foley's first disruption. It created an immediate bond with fans in a way that relocated teams couldn't, especially a vagabond franchise like the Raiders. The Knights adopted the slogan "Vegas Born" early in their existence. Their relationship with the fans -- immediately cemented through the team's reaction to the Oct. 1, 2017, deadly mass shooting -- has proved it's more than a marketing ploy. Branding is vital for any startup. Memorable name, eye-catching emblem, quotable slogan. Foley chose Vegas Golden Knights -- "We're Vegas, we've got to be different," he said -- and helped design their logo. The shield represents how they defend the honor of the city. Foley said the Knight "protects the unprotected" -- ironic, when one considers how vital the "unprotected" were to building this Stanley Cup champion. 'We were prepared, I can tell you that' Foley's second great disruption was the expansion draft, where his management team took full advantage of the NHL's liberal new rules. Vegas entered the NHL during a time of expansion draft rule remorse. Imagine an owner paying millions to join an exclusive club and then getting to build a team from the four worst players on each roster. That's what happened under the old NHL expansion rules that left teams such as the Nashville Predators and Columbus Blue Jackets without a playoff appearance for several seasons. "I really think the NHL erred in how they treated the expansion teams, all the way up until Vegas," former Nashville general manager David Poile told The Associated Press. "We made [the previous teams'] trek much more difficult than it needed to be." After Foley paid $500 million for entry, the NHL changed its expansion draft rules to make Vegas competitive off the hop: The Knights could draft the eighth-best forward, fourth-best defenseman or second-best goalie from each team. Ahead of that draft, Foley had interviewed several potential general managers but instantly felt George McPhee, who had led the Washington Capitals for nearly 20 years, was his guy. "He wanted to win and didn't want anything to stand in his way of the Stanley Cup, period," Foley said. McPhee hired his scouts. Foley had oversight on other hockey operations jobs, signing off on assistant general manager Kelly McCrimmon. McPhee had a law degree. McCrimmon had a business degree. "It was about putting the right people in place in our hockey operations department. We were prepared, I can tell you that. That's the secret to our success," Foley said. McPhee and McCrimmon split the league in half. The new rules meant that teams would have to leave players they didn't want to lose unprotected in the draft. The Knights had two undeniable advantages here: The leverage of the draft rules and a clean salary cap. "They were ruthless and prepared," one NHL source recalled. The expansion draft was a moment of temporary insanity for many NHL general managers, and the Golden Knights exploited it. Consider the how the following players -- now Stanley Cup champions -- ended up in Vegas: The Anaheim Ducks had to expose defensemen Josh Manson and Sami Vatanen. To entice Vegas to ignore them and select defenseman Clayton Stoner, the Ducks traded 21-year-old defenseman Shea Theodore to the Knights. He was second on the team in average ice time this postseason. The Buffalo Sabres traded a sixth-round pick to Vegas so they'd select William Carrier in the draft instead of goalie prospect Linus Ullmark. Carrier was the key component of the Knights' bruising checking line this postseason. The Los Angeles Kings dangled veteran forwards Dustin Brown and Marian Gaborik in front of McPhee. Instead, he selected 26-year-old Brayden McNabb, who appeared in all but one playoff game in 2023. The Columbus Blue Jackets traded their 2017 first-round pick and center William Karlsson to the Knights so they'd take David Clarkson's contract instead of either forward Josh Anderson or goaltender Joonas Korpisalo. Karlsson was one of the most valuable players in this Cup run. Finally, the Florida Panthers, in one of the most mind-boggling moves in NHL history, traded forward Reilly Smith to the Knights so Vegas would select 30-goal scorer Jonathan Marchessault in the draft; in turn, the Panthers could keep defensemen Mark Pysyk and Alex Petrovic. GM Dale Tallon said at the time that "you win championships with defense." Turns out you also win them with Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith. "You know what? I thought they were going to protect me," Marchessault told ESPN this postseason. "I was surprised of the decision. But I mean, that's just the way she goes sometimes. Keeps you honest." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHL HHOF Posted June 15, 2023 Share Posted June 15, 2023 Kessel savors 'special' Stanley Cup in limited role with Golden Knights Forward didn't play after 1st round, made impact off ice in winning 3rd title https://www.nhl.com/news/phil-kessel-wins-third-stanley-cup-title-in-different-role/c-344880164?tid=344544256 LAS VEGAS -- Phil Kessel wasn't playing the same role on the Vegas Golden Knights as he did the two previous times he won the Stanley Cup. But even when he wasn't on the ice, the forward was making his presence known off it, and once again, was celebrating a Cup victory. "Whenever you're able to win, it's special," Kessel said after the Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday. It was the first Stanley Cup title for the Golden Knights in their six-season history in the NHL and the third for Kessel, who also won it with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. "Obviously, it's my third one. They're all different but they're all unbelievable. We're going to have a great time." Kessel had 45 points (18 goals, 27 assists) in 49 playoff games to help the Penguins win the Cup in back-to-back seasons. This postseason, however, he only played four games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, each coming in the Western Conference First Round when Vegas defeated the Winnipeg Jets in five games. He finished with two assists. Even though he hadn't played since -- Kessel was a healthy scratch for the final 18 games of the postseason -- the Golden Knights said he was tremendous to be around. "He's unreal, man. One of my favorite teammates I've ever played with," Vegas captain Mark Stone said Tuesday. "He could've pouted and kind of gone away but he came to the rink every day, worked hard, smile on his face, did everything you could ask, right? "He's a true professional and he's a guy I wish I got to play my whole career with. He's so much fun, works hard, loves this game, loves being in the locker room, loves being with his teammates. He showed a lot of class and I respect that guy for the rest of my life for how he handled everything. So excited when he came skating on the ice to celebrate with us." The No. 5 pick by the Boston Bruins in the 2006 NHL Draft, Kessel has 992 points (413 goals, 579 assists) in 1,286 regular season games with the Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Penguins, Arizona Coyotes and Golden Knights, and 83 points (34 goals, 49 assists) in 100 playoff games. He has played the most consecutive regular-season games in NHL history (1,064), his current run beginning Nov. 3, 2009. Kessel was an unrestricted free agent when he signed a one year, $1.5 million contract with the Golden Knights on Aug. 24. He had 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 82 regular-season games this season. "I wanted to win again and look, another one and it's pretty special," he said. "It's awesome. You don't get many chances to win, so whenever you get an opportunity, it's unbelievable." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHL HHOF Posted June 15, 2023 Share Posted June 15, 2023 (edited) 2023 VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS 01. 2012 - Jonathan Quick - Los Angeles Kings 02. 2012 - Alec Martinez - Los Angeles Kings 03. 2014 - Jonathan Quick - Los Angeles Kings 04. 2014 - Alec Martinez - Los Angeles Kings 05. 2016 - Phil Kessel - Pittsburgh Penguins 06. 2017 - Phil Kessel - Pittsburgh Penguins 07. 2018 - Chandler Stephenson - Washington Capitals 08. 2019 - Alex Pietrangelo - St. Louis Blues 09. 2019 - Ivan Barbashev - St. Louis Blues 10. 2023 - Jonathan Quick - Vegas Golden Knights 11. 2023 - Alec Martinez - Vegas Golden Knights 12. 2023 - Phil Kessel - Vegas Golden Knights 13. 2023 - Chandler Stephenson - Vegas Golden Knights 14. 2023 - Alex Pietrangelo - Vegas Golden Knights 15. 2023 - Ivan Barbashev - Vegas Golden Knights Edited June 15, 2023 by NHL HHOF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHL HHOF Posted June 15, 2023 Share Posted June 15, 2023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHL HHOF Posted June 16, 2023 Share Posted June 16, 2023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHL HHOF Posted June 16, 2023 Share Posted June 16, 2023 (edited) Edited June 16, 2023 by NHL HHOF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHL HHOF Posted June 16, 2023 Share Posted June 16, 2023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHL HHOF Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHL HHOF Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHL HHOF Posted June 18, 2023 Share Posted June 18, 2023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHL HHOF Posted June 21, 2023 Share Posted June 21, 2023 Kessel, teammates pictured with boatload of tater tots, Stanley Cup Vegas forward switches out hot dogs for new snack after 3rd championship https://www.nhl.com/news/vegas-golden-knights-phil-kessel-and-teammates-pictured-with-stanley-cup-and-tater-tots/c-344942484?tid=281396148 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHL HHOF Posted July 8, 2023 Share Posted July 8, 2023 Golden Knights names engraved on Stanley Cup Defeated Panthers in 5 games last season to win 1st championship in team history https://www.nhl.com/news/vegas-golden-knights-names-engraved-on-stanley-cup/c-345264998 The Vegas Golden Knights didn't have to wait long to see their names engraved on the Stanley Cup. Less than a month after winning the Cup on June 13, they were etched in history on the trophy, as seen in a picture posted on social media on Friday. The 52 members of the team and staff were added to the Cup, including owner Bill Foley, president George McPhee and general manager Kelly McCrimmon. Captain Mark Stone's name was listed first among the players, which then ran in alphabetical order from Michael Amadio to Zach Whitecloud. Defenseman Alec Martinez, forward Phil Kessel and goalie Jonathan Quick each had their name engraved for the third time. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and forwards Ivan Barbashev and Chandler Stephensonwere each etched on Lord Stanley for the second time. The 27 player names included were tied for the second-most by any team (the 1991-92 Pittsburgh Penguins had 31 players inlucded), and the four goalies -- Quick, Laurent Brossoit, Adin Hill, Logan Thompson -- are the most by one team. The engraving is extra sweet for the Golden Knights since the Stanley Cup will begin its summer tour with each member of the winning team, starting on Saturday with forward Nicolas Roy in Quebec. It's the first time the engraving has been done prior to tour; last year, "Colorado Avalanche 2021-22" was engraved on the Cup early in the summer, but the 52 names were not added until October. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHL HHOF Posted July 9, 2023 Share Posted July 9, 2023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHL HHOF Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 Golden Knights aim to repeat with majority of Cup roster intact Don't add new players in free agency; trade Smith, who had been on team since inaugural season https://www.nhl.com/news/vegas-golden-knights-roster-changes-for-2023-24-season/c-345394584?tid=281151520 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHL HHOF Posted August 5, 2023 Share Posted August 5, 2023 Golden Knights 'in pretty good shape' for Cup repeat bid, McPhee says President of hockey operations believes another big season from Eichel could fuel title defense https://www.nhl.com/news/vegas-golden-knights-in-good-shape-for-stanley-cup-repeat/c-345518876 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHL HHOF Posted August 16, 2023 Share Posted August 16, 2023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Confrontational Posted October 26, 2023 Share Posted October 26, 2023 7 - 0 isn't a bad way to start the season either... I don't think they've looked all that spectacular yet in the first seven games - but I imagine all the beer and cheetos while celebrating in the off season will take them a little while to get back into hockey form... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 26, 2023 Author Share Posted October 26, 2023 2 hours ago, Confrontational said: 7 - 0 isn't a bad way to start the season either... I don't think they've looked all that spectacular yet in the first seven games - but I imagine all the beer and cheetos while celebrating in the off season will take them a little while to get back into hockey form... 7-0 looks like hockey form to me....but, limited sample size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Confrontational Posted October 27, 2023 Share Posted October 27, 2023 (edited) 5 hours ago, Brewin Flames said: 7-0 looks like hockey form to me....but, limited sample size. You haven't been watching then - else you'd see the non crisp breakouts out of their own zone - the turnovers on missed passes, etc... As mentioned, and will repeat what I already said, they might be 7-0, but they need to sharpen things up - which, again - is expected, but a 7-0 team, just looking at the numbers, you'd think they were steam rolling teams - and most games so far that's definitely not the case... Although Chicago only has a couple wins - I'm a little nervous about them tomorrow for some reason... Edited October 27, 2023 by Confrontational Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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