Golden Knights Defeat Sharks, 4-1, Before Record Regular Season Crowd; Schmidt Injury Only Downer
Injured VGK defenseman Nate Schmidt surrounded by concerned teammates in period one.
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell
A regular season record crowd of 18,588 packed T-Mobile Arena for opening night of the Vegas Golden Knights’ third season and enjoyed the Knights’ 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks as rookie center Cody Glass scored his first NHL goal Wednesday.
The festivities began well before a ceremonial puck drop carried out by three Florida Highway Patrol troopers with players arriving via a gold carpet across the plaza to the Big Ice House by the Strip. Even Cameron Hughes the fan igniter dancer was in the venue for VGK opening night.
The arena appeared to be packed well above its 17,367-fan capacity. It looked there were 18,500 or so in the building. The crowd attendance announced was 88 more than the LVSportsBiz.com call of 18,500.
Forward Reilly Smith, who scored two goals, discussed the crowd size, calling it “surreal” and a factor in pumping up the players.
Fleury on Glass possibly becoming the future face of the franchise:
The fans, lining the route, were stoked early and welcomed their hockey heroes for the start of the 2019-2020 season, Year 3 of the expansion franchise. The players included center Jonathan Marchessault, who made quite the fashion statement.
Nate Schmidt was injured in the first period and didn’t return. Before the game, Schmidt was in his typical good cheer, signing autographs.
By the way, the Golden Knights set a record for the highest puck drop ever recorded: 94,655 feet. The Vegas Golden Knights and Overlook Horizon teamed up to launch a high-altitude weather balloon 94,655 feet into the atmosphere with a puck attached to it. The puck was launched in Amargosa Valley and found its way back to land 2 hours, 16 minutes and 22 seconds later in Death Valley. Retrieving the payload required a four-mile hike through Death Valley with three scouting groups searching for the puck.
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