NHL, Golden Knights Return To Las Vegas Minus Fans Thursday Night: VGK 5 Anaheim 2
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
They cranked the arena’s famed powerful sound system full throttle like in the good ol’ pre-pandemic days at the Big Ice House by the Strip and the Vegas Golden Knights players came flying out from underneath the stands and onto the T-Mobile Arena ice as the Wick theme music blared like it did during the first three VGK seasons.
Yes, the Vegas Golden Knights’ ardent fans were missing in the building. Even without the fans — these revenue-generating customers — the NHL returned to Las Vegas Thursday for the first time in more than 10 months. It was 312 days to be exact. COVID-19 was the reason why last season was paused in March and this truncated 56-game, competition-only-within-the-division season started in mid-January.
A novel coronavirus led to 62 new deaths reported in Nevada Thursday — a new high for the state, surpassing the previous single-day record of 60 on Jan. 6. America has suffered nearly 390,000 deaths because of COVID-19.
LVSportsBiz.com complied with strict protocols to cover the Knights’ return to T-Mobile Arena Thursday evening when the Golden Knights scored three goals in period three to break a 2-2 tie after two periods and score a 5-2 win. The Knights’ Mark Stone was the top star of the game and even waved to an imaginary crowd of 18,000 plus after the win.
“It was our first game at T-Mobile where it wasn’t sold out,” Stone said after the game. “A few things were different throughout the game, but when you step on the ice, nothing really changes.”
Media had to use a specific entrance and stay in the press box at all times. There was no wandering the Big Ice House by the Strip. LVSportsBiz.com also reported from the first sports event in Las Vegas after the shutdown when we covered UFC’s first show in Las Vegas in May. And we also covered all eight Raiders home games at an empty Allegiant Stadium. Here’s how a piece of an empty T-Mobile Arena looked: (The gold and red on the bottom bowl seats are best characterized as seat wraps and are gold and red like the team’s new golden and retro red jerseys.)
Without fans, the Golden Knights game tonight is nowhere near the entertainment product that Las Vegans have come to enjoy.
That’s not because the team didn’t try. Arena hosts Mark Shunock and Katie Marie Jones were back for season four along with the Golden Knight character played by Lee Orchard. Shunock counted down from 10 and screamed it’s, “Knight Time,” in an effort to replicate the atmosphere recognized as among the most intense and colorful in the National Hockey League.
Carnell Johnson, known as “Golden Pipes,” was back to sing the national anthem. He didn’t pause to allow the crowd to yell, “Knight,” like he would normally do with 18,000 maniacs in the arena. Instead, he sang, “night” — something that just seemed strange because VGK fans are famous for screaming, “knight,” at that point of the anthem.
After watching both the the NFL Raiders and NHL Golden Knights play without fans, the games look like a glamorized pick-up game with the players donning fancy uniforms. The videos, music and canned fan noise only go so far in terms of a live entertainment product in Las Vegas. Naturally with a pandemic, the games are programming for a TV audience and fan base these days.
At Allegiant Stadium, you can hear the sounds of football players striking each other with no fan noise during the action. And at the hockey arena, the sound of wooden sticks striking a rubberized puck was plain to hear, too.
VGK player introductions by PA announcer Bruce Cusick were spruced up with the lowering of the big Knights helmet from the arena ceiling as players were introduced one by one as they emerged from the giant arena prop. Truth be told, the first 20 minutes that ended in a 2-2 tie were marked by sloppy hockey, something that was of little surprise given a training camp of only 10 days and no preseason matches.
The Knights came out flying with original Misfits Jonathan Marchessault and Tomas Nosek notching goals in the first few minutes of the opening night game. The Ducks responded with two goals to knot the game at two. after the first period
There was no scoring in the second period and the Knights and Ducks entered period three with the score, 2-2.
“A wonderful hello to everyone watching at home,” Shunock said over the PA system between periods two and three.
Stone, the newly-minted team captain, notched his first goal of this pandemic season 49 seconds into period three to give the Knights a 3-2 lead. After the game, coach Pete DeBoer said during the media Zoom session: “He led the way, that’s why he’s wearing the C. He has the ability to raise his level at important times and that’s what you want your captain to do in those moments of a game.”
Stone’s linemate, Max Pacioretty, scored off a pass from the captain to give the VGK a 4-2 lead at 10:59 of the third period.
Just so fans know, the Drumbots were also back in action and doing their part as part of the in-game entertainment. There is no activations on the ice, an NHL-wide protocol. The Drumbots and the VGK cheerleaders stayed in the castle area at the arena.
VGK goaltender Robin Lehner received the season-opener start over Marc-Andre Fleury and played well enough to keep the Knights ahead in period three.
Alex Tuch scored an easy empty-netter with 13.8 seconds left to secure the 5-2 win. A plastic pink flamingo made a victory appearance and they played Viva Las Vegas to celebrate in the fan-less venue.
And extra credit if anyone knows this guy (not the mascot)
