On Saturday, thousands of fans of the Golden Knights team lined the Strip in Las Vegas to participate in a Stanley Cup victory parade and rally in front of the team’s home arena. This marks the first NHL championship for the city. The team was established as an expansion franchise in October 2017, and the parade was a reminder of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, which occurred five years ago. Guests in high-rise hotel rooms overlooking the parade route were awakened by security guards asking to check around windows for guns or other weapons.
The parade route started from an area near Flamingo Road and proceeded for about a mile (1.6 kilometers) to Tropicana Avenue before ending in a fan rally at Toshiba Plaza and the Park District in front of T-Mobile Arena. The Las Vegas police had prepared for more than 100,000 people to cram into street-level viewing areas along Las Vegas Boulevard for the celebration, which was compared to the annual New Year’s Eve fireworks shows that sometimes drew an estimated 400,000 people.
A Team that Heals Community Trauma
The parade held special significance for the people of Las Vegas, who recalled the city’s darkest hour when a lone gunman rained bullets from the 32nd floor windows of the Mandalay Bay hotel into a crowd of 20,000 people at an outdoor country music festival across the street in October 2017. Fifty-eight people died that night, and more than 850 were injured. The gunman killed himself before the police could reach him, and his motive for the attack was never firmly established.
The Golden Knights hockey team played a critical role in helping to rebuild the spirit of the community after the tragedy. Players who dubbed themselves the Golden Misfits after being drafted from other NHL teams embraced survivors, first responders, and volunteers. Over the years, the team has become a key part of “Vegas Strong” events aimed at healing community trauma.
Team owner Bill Foley famously predicted that the Golden Knights would make the playoffs in three years and win the Stanley Cup in six years when the team was first established. The franchise surprised many by making the playoffs in their first year and advancing to the championship before losing to the Washington Capitals in five games. This year, the Golden Knights cruised through the playoffs, never facing an elimination game, and routed the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 on Tuesday. Team captain Mark Stone recorded a hat trick, and Jonathan Marchessault received the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
Marchessault is one of the six original members of the Golden Knights, and he and the others — Reilly Smith, William Karlsson, Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb, and William Carrier — were among the first to hold the Stanley Cup during postgame celebrations. All week, players have been spotted celebrating at some of the same glittery resorts the procession passed. The casinos have familiar names: Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Bellagio, Horseshoe, Paris Las Vegas, Cosmopolitan, Planet Hollywood, New York-New York, Aria, and MGM Grand.
The celebration was a testament to the Golden Knights’ incredible journey, from an expansion franchise to a Stanley Cup-winning team, and their role in helping to heal the community after a tragedy. The parade and rally were a reminder of the strength of the human spirit and the power of a community coming together to celebrate in the face of adversity.
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