If you’re a fan of any hockey team, last June’s expansion draft likely made you nervous. Each team formally lost one player, while others lost more than one after trades were made. Nervous about losing players, sure. Nervous about how good that Vegas Golden Knights hockey club would become? Probably not so much.
Fast forward to now, with teams having played about 30 games, and guess who sits near the top of the Pacific Division? Yes, that team that didn’t even exist six months ago!
Vegas is doing a lot of things right. They have a beautiful, brand new arena in the heart of the city, making it easy for tourists to take in a game. Their goalie and one of their leading scorers both played in the Stanley Cup Final, albeit in different sweaters. They hired coach Gerard Gallant, who already had proven success as an NHL head coach. Their Twitter account is a must-follow. This brand new team already has a personality. An identity. And they’re winning.
Vegas really has shocked the hockey world in how good they’ve been playing. Some maybe expected their hot start to fizzle, but it just hasn’t, and it’s looking like it won’t. The Golden Knights are currently third in the NHL in goals per game and can boast two five-game win streaks. They’ve lost in overtime just once, and they are currently five points back of the top two teams in the league.
If you like the game of hockey at all, this is a team you’re going to want to follow down the stretch. It’s really hard not to root for them.
