Golden Knights Start Season V With Historic Game With NHL’s Newest Team, Seattle Kraken, At T-Mobile Arena: Final, Vegas 4 Seattle 3 Before 18,431 Tuesday
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By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Just the facts: Vegas Golden Knights 4 Seattle Kraken 3
VGK goal scorers: Jonathan Marchessault, Max Pacioretty (2) and Chandler Stephenson
Attendance: 18,431
Storyline: Knights scored game’s first three goals on NHL’s Opening Night. Seattle, in its first ever game, scored the next three. Stephenson’s goal in third period looked like it was possibly kicked in, but Toronto reviewers said good goal.
Pregame: The knight took care of the kraken.
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Season-openers are always a wellspring of hope and optimism. But Tuesday’s Vegas Golden Knights-Seattle Kraken ice breaker to the 2021-22 season carried extra significance as a “normal season” began after two pandemic-stricken NHL seasons.
It’s the first regular season game ever for the Seattle Kraken, the National Hockey League’s 32nd team that brings back memories of the Golden Knights’ first game in 2017.
“It’s a dream come true,” Seattle Kraken fan Paul Buxton said before the game. He noted four years ago he attended the Knights’ first ever home game Oct. 10, 2017 and held a sign looking forward to an NHL team in Seattle. Tonight, he sat in section 20 thanks to a $380 ticket and soaked up the Kraken’s first regular season game four years later.
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But now it’s Season V for the Golden Knights and you will see the VGK roll out marketing promotions to celebrate the franchise’s fifth year. or Year V.
Linda Grandis was among the announced attendance of 18,431.
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Here are your Opening Night rosters:
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The Golden Knights start season five without Marc-Andre Fleury, the “face-of-the-franchise” prankster, defending Vezina Award winner and future Hall-of-Famer who was shipped to the Chicago Blackhawks in order for the Knights to dump his $7 million-a-year salary.
Goaltender Robin Lehner, he of the fastest Twitter finger in the NHL, is the Main Man between the pipes for the Golden Knights in this new post-Fleury era. But don’t expect to see VGK fans shed those Fleury number 29 sweaters quite yet.
LVSportsBiz.com asked VGK coach Pete DeBoer about his assessment of Lehner on Opening Night.
“It was a tough game for him,” DeBoer said, noting Lehner was replacing the popular Fleury as the team’s marquee goalie. “There’s no hiding from that,” DeBoer said Lehner knowing that he’s the number one goalie succeeding Fleury.
Lehner was pleased, based on this Tweet.
After the game, VGK captain Mark Stone, who picked up three assists and was a plus three for the game, said the team did some “soul searching” over the summer after the Knights bowed out to the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL semifinals after defeating Minnesota and Colorado in rounds one and two.
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It’s also a big night for the NHL, which has a new TV deal with ESPN to broadcast the sport after NBC had the rights. It’s a back-to-the-future deal for the NHL.
This is a return to ESPN for the National Hockey League, which had a deal with the Connecticut-based sports network in the 1990s and early 2000s. The agreement includes extensive highlight rights and coverage on the ESPN App and social media. International media rights – including in Latin America, the Caribbean and parts of Europe – are also part of the agreement.
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It will be interesting to see if the Golden Knights do anything to enforce the local/state indoor mask mandate. We documented many fans not wearing masks at Golden Knights home games during the preseason.
LVSportsBiz.com contacted Gov. Steve Sisolak’s office and the state’s COVID-19 information center about the topic, but received no response about the fans in the arena who blow off wearing a mask in the state’s battle to lower the COVID-19 rate. More than 716,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus. Sisolak is a big Golden Knights fan and his daughter is even employed by the team.
The Golden Knights’ own cameramen document fans not wearing masks during the game in the videos posted on the arena’s center-hung scoreboard. It’s right there for everyone to see — the fans who do not wear masks at game.
The Knights, unlike many pro teams and event promoters, do not require attendees to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19. It’s attend at your own risk of getting infected by the coronavirus.
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In the Las Vegas market, there is a cloud in the sports world of Raiders coach having to quit after a slow of toxic emails written by Gruden was found during an unrelated investigation of the Washington Football Team workplace problems and of owner Dan Snyder. Raiders owner Mark Davis attended Golden Knights games in the past. We won’t see that tonight.
