NHL Welcomes Media Friday For Sunbelt Stanley Cup Final: Game 1 For VGK vs Florida Starts Saturday In Las Vegas
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Story by Alan Snel Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell
Compared to the manic zoo of Media Day during Super Bowl week, the National Hockey League’s Media Day for the Vegas Golden Knights vs Florida Panthers was a tame series of comments from relaxed NHL players spiced with lots of photos of the Stanley Cup trophy at T-Mobile Arena.
It was a time for NHL’s media members to make re-acquaintances and chat with stars like Vegas’ Jack Eichel and Florida’s Aleksander Barkov (Finnish, not Russian) and coaches Bruce “Butch” Cassidy of the VGK and Paul Maurice of Florida. The general managers, VGK’s Kelly McCrimmon and the Panthers’ Bill Zito were on hand to answer questions, too.
Game 1 is Saturday at 5 PM Las Vegas time and it’s the debut game of a series that will result with one of these NHL sunbelt markets winning its first-ever Stanley Cup championship.
LVSportsBiz.com also caught up with NHL Chief Content Officer Steve Mayer, who discussed the entertainment game plan of having music performer Marshmello before Game 1 at 2:45PM on the plaza outside T-Mobile Arena and VGK fan favorite Lil Jon perform for Game 2. His pool party DJ set will originate from the Wet Republic at MGM Grand Hotel.
The eighth-seeded Panthers in the East have followed an unexpected path to the Finals thanks to upset wins of Boston, Toronto and Carolina, while the top-seeded VGK of the West toppled Winnipeg, Edmonton and Dallas.
The Golden Knights rely on a balanced lineup of capable scorers on the first three lines, augmented by a rock-solid group of six defensemen led by past Cup winners Alex Pietrangelo and Alex Martinez.
Goalie Adin Hill has secured the starting job between the pipes thanks to solid puck-stopping and a poised demeanor. Hill laughed the other day when told by LVSportsBiz.com that he looks like he’s hanging out a bar when he relaxes between plays by leaning backwards against the goal post with his arms flopped on the cross bar.
This VGK team includes six Original misfits from the miracle Year 1 squad that followed a Hollywood script ride to the Cup final only to lose to a Washington team led by star Ovechkin. The inaugural season team was happy to travel an unexpected journey to the final, while this Year 6 team appears on a business mission to secure a title.
During his chat today, McCrimmon repeated his belief that season one was “lightning in a bottle,” but he said the roster was made of players who could not sustain competing for a championship every year. So he acquired players like of Mark Stone, Pietrangelo and Eichel.
Las Vegas is gearing up for the final.
Marquees of many hotels — bot on the Strip and off the Strip — will turn its messages to rooting on the Golden Knights between 8PM and 9 PM Friday night.
At downtown Circa hotel-casino, every television at Circa will play the championship matches with full audio for all games. This will include inside the world’s largest sportsbook, Stadium Swim and bar venues around the property. Games will be played at 5 p.m. June 3, 5, 8, 10, and if needed, on June 13, 16 and 19.
