By Alan Snel
LVSportsBiz.com
The Vegas Golden Knights are doing quite nicely financially with sellout crowds, dozens of sponsors and licensed VGK merchandise sales to fans in 110 countries in Year 2. And during the Stanley Cup playoffs in Year 1, local fans packed VGK practices at City National Arena to such an extent that the team had to limit the number of fans and dole out practice attendance bracelets.
That’s why it was interesting to see the bleachers at VGK practices at the team’s Summerlin headquarters not filled to capacity both Monday and Tuesday as the Golden Knights prepare to play the San Jose Sharks in the Stanley Cup playoffs’ Round 1 in San Jose Wednesday. Today Golden Knights superfans Matt Helfst who is the VGK Flagman and T-Mobile Arena Jumbotron regular Christopher Green were among the few hundred fans who found time to watch the 11 a.m. practice. There was a line of fans outside the training center to send off the Golden Knights to San Jose around 1:15 p.m.
“It’s a weekday and people have to work and can’t take off work for practice. Tuesdays are tough,” said Flagman Helfst, who was waving the Golden Knights flag during the practice. “Fortunately, I work online and can set my schedule around the Vegas Golden Knights.”
Golden Knights forward Reilly Smith said of Flagman Helfst: “He’s always there.”
Smith said he appreciates the fans’ support and added fans “had a good reason for not being at practice.”
Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore joked that the fans missing at practice were “probably in San Jose already.”
Helfst noted he arrived at the VGK training center next door to the new Las Vegas Aviators baseball park at 9:30 a.m. thinking there would be a big crowd to watch practice. “I thought it would be full so I came 90 minutes early, but apparently that was not the case today,” he said. Here The Flagman in action.
Not only was there plenty of open seats to watch the VGK practice, the team has not sold out its T-Mobile Arena suites for Sunday Game 3 and Tuesday Game 4 home contests. So, the Golden Knights sent out an email telling fans that “a limited number of single game suites remain in round one.” There were available suites for both 20 people and 40 people. The Golden Knights did not say how much a suite for a playoff game costs, but it’s obviously in the thousands of dollars. Not all season suite holders renewed deals for the postseason, which opened up the single game suite options. Here’s what the email said:
LVSportsBiz.com told VGK forward Ryan Carpenter that there are available suites for the Golden Knights-Sharks games at T-Mobile Arena if he’d like to buy one for his family and pals. But Carpenter noted, “You’re talking to the wrong guy. I don’t make enough money.”
LVSportsBiz.com is travelling to San Jose to report on Games 1 and 2 between the Knights and Sharks. Look for our coverage here and live reports on Facebook Live.
*
Follow LVSportsBiz.com on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.