Power-Packed And Emotional Four Days For Las Vegas’ Two Major League Teams
Story by Alan Snel Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell
Outside of NHL playoffs, the Vegas Golden Knights and Las Vegas Raiders have entered an emotionally power-packed four-day window starting Thursday.
Tonight, the Golden Knights host the New York Rangers and two fan favorites still — former VGK coach Gerard Gallant who led the Original Misfits to an unlikely and stunning run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2018 and hard-hitting Ryan Reaves, who attracted many Vegas fans for his bone-crunching hits on the ice and community activities like starting a beer line of brewskies.
Gallant was fired nearly two years ago and replaced by a former coaching rival, Peter DeBoer, who has been fired by San Jose in 2019. It was a fascinating contrast of personality types — the gritty Gallant with his meat-and-potatoes approach and the button-down DeBoer, who attended law school and has been known to don a three-piece suit.
Gallant has led the Rangers to a sparkling record of 22-8-4. Reaves is part of the lineup. His personable demeanor won over Knights fans, plus his punching power was impressive, too, even if he wasn’t the most skilled offensive player.
Then another Misfit — former Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury — returns to T-Mobile Arena with the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday, the first time Flower skates on Vegas ice since being traded to Chicago in a salary dump by the Golden Knights.
Las Vegas sports fans adore Fleury, a talented and athletic goaltender known for his smile and practical jokes.
And then to cap the four-day span, the Raiders will play their most important game in Las Vegas on Sunday when they host the Las Vegas Chargers in what is essentially a play-in playoff game with the winner earning a berth to the NFL Super Bowl 14-team tournament. The league approved one extra playoff team per conference, from six to seven.
The 17th game of the regular season gives the Raiders one final crack at making the playoffs during a Raiders season that has season the head coach resign, a fast receiver kill a woman while driving allegedly driving drunk and another first-round pick cut because he threatened a person with a gun on social media.
The Raiders fans are a loyal and colorful bunch of people who trace their emotional connection to the franchise in the 1970s when the Raiders were one of the NFL powerhouses and boasted a roster of colorful misfits who found a home at the Coliseum.
The family of the late John Madden will ignite the Al Davis flame and the Madden Cruiser will be on display for fans to check out Sunday.
Expect a lot of Raiders fans from California to make the trek to Allegiant Stadium with secondary market tickets.
