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Like The Good Ol’ Days: With Original Misfits Watching, Golden Knights Defeat LA Kings In OT, 2-1; Another VGK Non-Sellout At 16,768 Saturday

Alan Snel , , , , , , , ,

 

 

Gerard Gallant, VGK’s first coach

 

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

LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Man, it’s strange to feel so nostalgic about the Vegas Golden Knights.

But the NHL’s 31st franchise is, indeed, turning ten years old this season and this week was a time machine experience for fans to see the likes of Gerard Gallant and James Neal and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare on the arena plaza before tonight’s VGK-LA Kings game at T-Mobile Arena.

And during the game’s first period, there was Original Misfit Cody Eakin in the crowd tonight, trying to stir fans up by banging a sword against a knight’s shield. VGK coach Ryan Craig said it was great to see Gallant, who served as a mentor for him. “It was great to see him and catch up,” Craig said of Gallant.

Misfits return to the castle at T-Mobile Arena

 

Eakin

Nearly a decade ago, the Golden Knights and their medieval theme in this old horse and gambling town won over the hearts and minds of a desert market after a madman killed 60 in a mass shooting Oct. 1, 2017.

And the Kings tonight? Well, what comes to mind is the VGK first-round sweep of the Kings in four close games in the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2017-18.

In a full circle moment with a twist, Original Misfit Erik Haula — who scored a winning double OT goal in Game 2 of those playoffs — is skating with those same Kings tonight.

Former Original Misfit Erik Haula now on the LA Kings

It was great to see Mr. Friendly Brad Hunt, who was a defenseman on tat Misfit team. Hunt now works as a scout for the New York Islanders.

LVSportsBiz.com chatted with Gallant two nights ago when the Knights fell behind to the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-0, but found a way to claw back and win, 4-3, in a shootout before an all-time low non-COVID crowd of 15,977.

The Knights took a 1-0 lead on a Trevor Connelly power play goal in the second period before the Kings tied the game later in the period.

After a scoreless third period, Mitch Marner won the game with an overtime power play goal and the VGK skated off the ice with a 2-1 OT win.

Vegas has now won five of its six games this season and hits the road for games in Minnesota and Nashville.

Busy night around the league:

PSA

Public Service Announcement

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Alan Snel

Alan Snel brings decades of sports-business reporting experience to LVSportsBiz.com. Snel covered the business side of sports for the South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) Sun-Sentinel, the Tampa Tribune and Las Vegas Review-Journal. As a city hall beat reporter, Snel also covered stadium deals in Denver and Seattle. In 2000, Snel launched a sport-business website for FoxSports.com called FoxSportsBiz.com. After reporting sports-business for the RJ, Snel wrote hard-hitting stories on the Raiders stadium for the Desert Companion magazine in Las Vegas and The Nevada Independent. Snel is also one of the top bicycle advocates in the country.

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