Golden Knights Fan Family Unite To Mourn Loss Of One Of Their Own Before VGK Game Tuesday Night
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
LVSportsBiz.com photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell
The Vegas Golden Knights call T-Mobile Arena, the “Fortress.” But I have bad memories of medieval times from college so I spurned the Fortress nomenclature and chose a different nickname — the Big Ice House by the Strip.
I also prefer Big Ice House over Fortress because the building off the Strip turns into a game night hockey house, a place where Las Vegans from across the metro area come together as family. It’s not hokey language to use the term, “family.” The bonds, relationships and friendships are authentic, forged from the Oct. 1 shooting massacre on the Strip and blossomed over three years from cheering and socializing.
The family mourned Tuesday because one of the most colorful, real and friendly VGK fans of all — John Baratta — died Monday. Maybe you don’t know the name but your know the man — he’s the Hulk Hogan look-alike who rips a red “Hulkamania” shirt in half when the Golden Knights score a goal at home games. His routine is standard content for the arena’s four-sided center-hung jumbotron board that includes Baratta tearing the shirt amid all the celebratory images of fans going crazy when the Knights notch a goal.
LVSportsBiz.com holds a Knights pregame segment called, “Top of the Escalator,” where we interview fans and VGK staff on the main concourse where the lobby escalator drops fans off to head to their seats. Today’s “Top” was dedicated to Baratta, a 68-year-old father of six, grandfather of 21 and great-grandfather of two. For more on Baratta, we published this story Monday.
We chatted with “Wolverine” fan Jason Griego, “Golden Pipes” anthem singer Carnell Johnson and many other fans who remembered Baratta in this pregame video. Fans called Baratta a “fan legend” and said he will always be remembered at the Big Ice House.
Before the game started, arena host Mark Shunock told the bog crowd, “He’s been with us since day one.”
Even former VGK game entertainment chief Jon Greco, who took a job with Madison Square Garden, commented on Facebook:
“He was one of the original VGK KNIGHT TRON characters… he was a go to when we all needed a great reaction to help express how we all felt. He added to the VGK game day fan experience and we are forever thankful for him for elevating the show and our lives with pure joy.”
Fans have fashioned T-shirts in Baratta’s memory, like this one brought by fan Emily Merz, who spoke about the shirt in the video above.
Golden Knights team president Kerry Bubolz helped drape a Golden Knights jersey with “Hulkamania” on Baratta’s Section 8, Row B, Seat 1 seat.
And fans in section 8 wore Hulkamania shirts to remember Baratta.
The Knights also ran a pre-game video honoring Baratta.
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