NHL Commish Says League Revenues Pushing $6 Billion A Year; Game 1: VGK 5 Fla 2 Before 18,432

 

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     Story by Alan Snel   Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell 

The National Hockey League’s annual revenues are climbing toward $6 billion, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in response to LVSportsBiz.com’s question on how league revenues were doing.

Bettman made his remarks to his annual chat with the media prior to the first game of the Stanley Cup series in Las Vegas Saturday. Ninety minutes later, the puck dropped for Game 1 of the Vegas Golden Knights vs Florida Panthers game.

The Knights went on to defeat Florida, 5-2,  thanks to three goals in the third period after a 2-2 tie after two periods. Zach Whitecloud, Mark Stone and Reilly Smith (empty-netter) all scored in the final 20 minutes to give the VGK a 1-0 lead in the Best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final.

VGK goalie Adin Hill was outstanding, making several world-class saves.

“You have to learn to move on,” Hill said about giving up a goal.

VGK Original Misfits Jonathan Marchessault and Shea Theodore joined Misfit Smith in scoring three of the Knights’ five goals. Those three players are among the six Misfits still with the club.

“Those guys have been the driving force since day one,” Stone said after the game.

Attendance was announced at 18,432 as the Knights not only scored goals, but doled out some hits, too.

Florida coach Paul Maurice noted his team lost the first game against Boston, too, and came back to win the series. “Everyone can breathe,” Maurice told media at his postgame presser.

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As for the NHL commish before the game, LVSportsBiz.com also asked Bettman about giving himself a self-assessment on diversifying the league fan base, which is mostly white. Bettman said attendance and TV ratings are up, so things are improving.

We also asked Bettman’s opinion on Las Vegas’ effect on the league. He mentioned how the team is the “darling” of Las Vegas and a great addition to the NHL.

Bettman was in a funny mood, cracking jokes about the pink blazer worn by a Palm Beach Post reporter with the quip, “That works in both Florida and Las Vegas.”

And he invited questions even when the questions began to wane, noting there was “a second wind” of inquiries when reporters began tossing inquiries his way.

The Knights put on their usual high-standard pre-game show before Game 1

After Michael Buffer told the massive crowd of 18,000 plus, “Let’s get ready to rumble,” the Panthers and Golden Knights traded goals in the first 20 minutes.

Eric Staal scored a shortie at 9:40 on a gorgeous wraparound goal after getting VGK goalie Adin Hill out of position.

But Knights Misfit Jonathan Marchessault tied the game at one a power play off a gorgeous pass from center Chandler Stephenson.

It was 1-1 after one.

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Midway through period two, VGK’s talented defenseman Shea Theodore, who was goal-less through the first three rounds, performed some pretty stick handling before skating into an open zone for a clear shooting alley on the Panthers’ hot goalie, two-time Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky.

Theodore fired an accurate wrister past The Bob and the Knights led, 2-1, in period two.

“He found his soft spot” in the offensive zone, Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy observed after the game.

The Knights thought they were going to take a 2-1 lead into the second period.

But with 10 seconds left in the stanza, Aleksander Barkov, won a draw and linemate Anthony Duclair fired a wrister that beat Hill.

Another 2-1 lead in the second period evaporated and Game 1 was tied at two apiece after 40 minutes. But Cassidy said the veteran team regrouped between the second and third periods to move on from the late period goal.

The Knights owned the third period thanks to goals by Whitecloud and Stone.

Whitecloud put VGK ahead, 3-2, and then Stone scored one of his patented stole a pass/score a goal moves and the Knights had a 4-2 lead.

Smith added an empty-netter.

Final: Vegas 5 Florida 2

The Knights have the veteran stability to not panic when the opposition scores the first goal in the playoffs.

The VGK have won 8 of 11 games when scored upon first in the postseason. The Knights, while not having any players with gaudy stats during the regular season, rely on a deep roster of players who share the load when it comes to scoring and playing defense in the playoffs. As Cassidy put it, there are no passengers or weak links. The six-man defensive unit might just be the NHL’s best group of blueliners.

There is also a “taking care of unfinished business” mentalityy this season after losing in the Finals in 2018 and not even making the playoffs in 2022. It’s a cliche, but the Knights are playing like a team with a single-minded mission.

Game 2 is Monday here in Las Vegas at 5 PM Vegas time.