Vegas Golden Knights

Lore & Background

The NHL's presence in Las Vegas dates to 1991, when the city hosted the first outdoor game between two NHL teams—a preseason exhibition between the Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers outside Caesars Palace. The Kings later organized 'Frozen Fury,' a series of annual preseason games in Las Vegas against the Colorado Avalanche. The NHL Awards ceremonies have been held in Las Vegas since 2009. In 2009, media speculated about a plan involving Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer to move the Phoenix Coyotes to Nevada. Rumors of a Las Vegas expansion team surfaced again in August 2014, pointing to a new indoor arena on the Strip built as a joint venture between Anschutz Entertainment Group (owners of the Los Angeles Kings) and MGM Resorts International. In November 2014, an unconfirmed report stated that the league had selected billionaire businessman Bill Foley and the Maloof family to lead the ownership group. In December 2014, the NHL's board of governors allowed Foley to hold a season ticket drive, which began in February 2015 and reached its goal of 10,000 deposits by April 2015. Two expansion applications were submitted: Foley's for Las Vegas and a bid from Quebecor to revive the Quebec Nordiques. At the league owners' meeting on June 22, 2016, in Las Vegas, the Las Vegas expansion bid was approved by a unanimous vote, with play to begin in the 2017–18 NHL season. Foley committed to pay the league's $500 million expansion fee. Former Washington Capitals general manager George McPhee was named the franchise's first general manager. On November 22, the name was revealed as the Vegas Golden Knights.

The team participated in the 2017 NHL expansion draft on June 21, 2017, selecting an available player from all 30 teams. Notable selections included goaltender Marc-André Fleury from the Pittsburgh Penguins and winger James Neal from the Nashville Predators. The Golden Knights played their first game on October 6 against the Dallas Stars, with Neal scoring the franchise's first two goals en route to their first victory. Their inaugural home game at T-Mobile Arena on October 10, 2017, honored victims of the October 1 mass shooting. The team set numerous records in their inaugural season, including the most points by an expansion team (84) and becoming the first true expansion team in the four major sports to win its division in its inaugural season. They swept their first playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings, becoming the first team in NHL history to do so in their inaugural season. They advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, where they were defeated by the Washington Capitals in five games, but set a record with 13 postseason wins.

Reader's Guide

The Vegas Golden Knights are notable as one of the few expansion franchises in North American professional sports to achieve immediate success. They qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs in eight of their first nine seasons and reached the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season, setting a record for most playoff wins (13) by a team during its first postseason run. In 2023, the club won its first Stanley Cup championship in its sixth season, becoming the fastest expansion team in NHL history to do so. The team's inaugural season was widely considered the most successful of any North American expansion team, with breakout seasons from expansion draft selections dubbed the 'Golden Misfits.' The franchise is the first major professional sports team based in Las Vegas and plays at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip. The team's establishment followed a season ticket drive that drew over 13,200 deposits, and the expansion bid was approved unanimously by NHL owners in 2016. The Golden Knights' success has been marked by records such as the most points by an expansion team in its inaugural season (84) and being the first true expansion team in the four major sports to win its division in its first year.

Did You Know?

• The Golden Knights are the first major professional sports franchise to represent Las Vegas.
• They set an NHL record for most playoff wins (13) by a team during its inaugural postseason run in 2018.
• In 2023, they became the fastest expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, doing so in their sixth season.
• Their inaugural home game honored victims of the October 1, 2017, mass shooting in Las Vegas.