Golden Knights Preseason Giveaways Draw Quite The Social Media Reaction (Psst, That’s Not JFK, That’s New Coach Bruce Cassidy)
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By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
It’s Rocky Mountain field trip time for the Vegas Golden Knights with team representatives making pit stops in cities like Boise, Missoula and Salt Lake City.
But back here in Las Vegas, the VGK faithful have been having a field day with their comments about the Golden Knights “miniature gold statue” freebies that are scheduled to be doled out at preseason games at T-Mobile Arena.
How do we put this politely? Well, frankly, LVSportsBiz.com will simply allow the Facebook comments on the Vegas Golden Knights page to speak for themselves.
It’s not every day that a piece of sports memorabilia is compared to a butt plug. But those Golden Knights — masters of creating maximum exposure for their brand — seemed to generate quite a few provocative comments on social media platforms after unveiling the miniature golden statues.
The Reilly Smith statue prompted some to say that the figurine doesn’t really look like the original Misfit who signed a three-year, $15 million deal in July.
The Mark Stone mini-bust statue is also part of the lineup besides Smith and Cassidy, who is the team’s third coach in six seasons.
In past seasons, the Golden Knights have handed out pucks, bobble heads and coins as giveaways during those home exhibition games.
After an incomparable Year 1 in 2017-18 when the team followed a miracle-on-ice script and reached the Stanley Cup Final while rallying a city shaken by a mass shooting on the Strip, the Golden Knights are seeking a renewed identity entering Season 6 in 2022-23.
The team’s goalie, Robin Lehner, the man who supplanted face-of-the-franchise Marc-Andre Fleury, will miss the entire season because of hip surgery. There are talented players that have been acquired over the years like Jack Eichel, Alex Pietrangelo and Mark Stone.
But the scrappy, never-say-die chemistry of the Year 1 Misfits team is long gone and the parts seem disjointed in the lineup after the VGK missed the post-season in 2021-22 for the first time in franchise history.
The team had a waiting list of season tickets in 2020, but now the the same team is pitching 11-game partial season ticket deals entering Season 6.
Pietrangelo is pictured in the season ticket deal ad. But there’s not the emotional connection between the VGK fan base and Pietrangelo that you saw between fans and former defenseman Nate Schmidt, who was traded to create space for Pietrangelo.
When the Raiders and Golden Knights played a charity softball game at Las Vegas Ballpark July 18, there was no Pietrangelo. But Schmidt was there last month and the emotional bond that is so valuable in marketing was plain to see between fan and ol’ Schmidty.
ADD to story: On Monday morning, the VGK issued a press release saying that for 24 hours starting Monday at 10AM PT, all single-game tickets for team’s home games during 2022-23 season at T-Mobile Arena will be free of fees. That’s right — no fees on tix until 10AM PT Tuesday.
Plus, another ticket marketing strategy: During thus same 24-hour promotion, full-season members can buy up to four additional single-game tickets at their 2022-23 season ticket holder price for any date during the VGK 2022-23 season.
The Golden Knights still have a very formidable local fan base while owner Bill Foley fills his arena in Henderson with programming like the minor league Silver Knights hockey club, the Indoor Football League Knight Hawks and the G League minor league basketball team called the Ignite.
Foley is not as visible as Raiders/ Aces owner Mark Davis, who sits courtside at WNBA Aces games and is seen chatting with fans before basketball games.
The Golden Knights play their first exhibition game in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche on Sept. 25, then play four straight preseason games at T-Mobile Arena on Sept. 26, 28, 30 and Oct. 4. The last exhibition game is Oct. 6 in LA against the Kings.
