VGK Fans Come To Pick Up Game Posters, But Not Allowed To Watch Training Camp With Pandemic
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
No fans.
Before this most unusual season for the Vegas Golden Knights, practices during the playoffs during the franchise’s first two seasons often attracted packed houses at City National Arena, the VGK training center.
But in year three when the Knights fired popular coach Gerard Gallant and replaced him with former San Jose Sharks coach Peter DeBoer, a team that found its groove before a novel coronavirus pandemic halted the NHL is re-starting with a training camp before no fans.
On Tuesday morning, DeBoer and his coaches put the Knights through their second day of training camp to prep the team for the 24-team pandemic playoffs that begin April 1. The Western Conference teams will play in the bubble in Edmonton, while the NHL clubs from the East head to Toronto. It’s a made-for-TV sports event as the two dozen teams pursue a Stanley Cup north of the border with no fans allowed at games.
Naturally, no VGK fans were allowed to watch the Golden Knights training camp workout Tuesday in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Golden Knights PR set up 19 spots along the bleacher railing for media and VGK staffers to watch and document the fast-paced practice. I bicycled to City National Arena and was happy to draw a temperature reading of 98 degrees on the 110-degree day to enter the building after answering questions about my health. I bellied up to the railing in the number four seat position and took in 90 minutes of spirited practice.
The Knights have two starting world-class goaltenders: Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner. Fleury had the workout off, but Lehner practiced and looked sensational. He’s a big and agile man with a touch of humor on his Twitter account and a quick glove hand to snap pucks out of mid-air.
Fans did come to the building in Downtown Summerlin to pickup game posters from four home games that were scrubbed because of a virus pandemic that claimed the lives of 135,000 Americans. It remains to be seen if sports like the NHL, NBA and MLS can re-start their seasons without the spread of the COVID-19 altering the return-to-play plans. Meanwhile, MLB and WNBA are looking to launch shortenen seasons in a few weeks.
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