Hockey, Hockey, Hockey

It would never happen.  

The team, the arena.  The fans, the league.  The thought of professional ice hockey in Las Vegas seemed foreign to the point of being ridiculous.

Perhaps it was years of loving the game that infused this jaded mind.  Or the season tickets the family had for the raucous Las Vegas Thunder or the less-raucous, but still successful Las Vegas Wranglers.

It also could be tied to years of playing the game, studying the history of the NHL observing what works and what doesn’t.

The NHL in Las Vegas would never work.

Both the Thunder and Wranglers came and went.  Hockey, by and large, vanished from Las Vegas as well.  Rinks built during the economic boom went back to being the empty warehouses they were before.  

Nevertheless, someone wanted to bring professional hockey to the city.  Count me among the naysayers.

Locals don’t want to go to the Strip.

There’s no fan base.

Also…what?

But then, here they were.  A wealthy banker, a new arena and loads of season ticket holders gave birth to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Cue October 10.  The emotional component of Las Vegas’s tragedy just days earlier cannot be ignored.  The Golden Knights were ready to play its home opener and the addition of a united community looking for distraction only fueled the energy within the team.

It’s only been a month of Golden Knights hockey.  The team has gotten off to a start unprecedented for an expansion franchise.  But perhaps also unprecedented is the start for the team.  Hiccups?  Sure.  Crowds overloaded with visiting team fans?  No doubt.  

But it’s working.  It’s happening.  It’s remarkable.

Enjoy the ride.