At Sunday’s VGK Postgame Presser, Knights Coach Bruce Cassidy Said He Supports ‘Stricter Gun Laws’ In Aftermath Of UNLV Shooting; VGK 5 Flames 4 On Stone’s OT Winner Before 17,814
Story by Alan Snel Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell
In Las Vegas, people coped with loss of lives in two categories of violence that people know all too well.
Two Nevada state troopers were killed by a hit-and-run drunk driver in a road violence horror while they were dealing with another driver on Interstate 15 in Las Vegas Nov. 30. Then, three UNLV professors were killed by a shooter on campus last week in a heartbreaking gun violence attack.
After the tragic news, local sports events like the National Finals Rodeo, NBA in-season tournament semifinals, Raiders-Vikings game and the Vegas Golden Knights games remembered the troopers and professors in emotional pre-game moment-of-silence ceremonies. The two troopers, Alberto Felix and Sgt. Michael Abbate, were also remembered during a candlelight vigil at Allegiant Stadium.
Tuesday night, the Knights sold out VGK UNLV heart shirts for $30 before the game, with the proceeds going to UNLV student services.
In May 2022, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr spoke out against gun violence and LVSportsBiz.com asked Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy after Sunday’s game two days ago what goes through his mind when he hears about a mass shooting like the one here at UNLV in Las Vegas Dec. 6.
Cassidy said in his post-game presser that he’s from Canada and did not grow up around guns.
But he did say he supported “stricter gun laws.”
“I’m certainly an advocate for stricter gun laws. How do you get there? Everyone has said that. How do you get there? That’s on the politicians to sort through that because I think the general public is certainly willing to address some of those laws, with still having a right to firearms. How do you meet halfway,” Cassidy said.
“How it lands or ends, I don’t know. I’m not on top of the subject on a daily basis, particularly in Nevada,” Cassidy said. “But it’s another tragedy that seems like, at some point, these could be avoided a little bit.”
Cassidy also didn’t think that he talking about the shooting would affect anything.
“Me speaking out about it, I don’t think it will affect it at all. This is the people that are paid to do their jobs to sort through that and then, the people electing them. That’s one way,” he said. “You can cast your vote. Will that change it? I don’t know but that’s certainly a way you can directly impact it, at least off the top of my head.”
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After one period, the Flames and Golden Knights were tied at 1-1. Calgary’s Mackenzie Weegar scored a weak goal on VGK goalie Logan Thompson, while last year’s All-Star, Chandler Stephenson, scored a power play goal for the 1-1 score after 20 minutes.
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Veteran Nazem Kadri was credited with a goal when the puck bounced off his body into the net for a 2-1 Calgary lead in period two before Ivan Barbashev tied the game at two for the Golden Knights.
Calgary winger Yegor Sharangovich scored a weak goal off Thompson and the Flames took a 3-2 lead into the intermission heading into period three.
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Mark Stone tied the game at three in the third period and then William Karlsson gave the VGK a 4-3 lead before Calgary pulled Wolf and scored a six-on-five goal in the final minute to send the game into OT.
Stone then scored the winner and the Golden Knights skated away with a 5-4 overtime win.
It was the second straight game where the Knights blew a late-game lead but ended up winning in a SO versus San Jose and in OT tonight. LVSportsBiz.com asked Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy about his concern about not closing out teams in regulation.
“It’s a concern you have time to fix,” Cassidy said. “We do have some time.”
Cassidy did like the fact the Knights came back in the third period to tie the game and go ahead, 4-3, on the Karlsson goal. The coach hinted that would a good story line, too.
Vegas has won 20 of its first 30 games with a 20-5-5 record and has piled up 45 points in leading the league.
