The Bandwagon

Their presence is easily identifiable by the sporadic cheering.  Hoots and hollers from the bowels of Channel 8, not coincidentally, at the same time as a Vegas Golden Knights game.

In this case, it was a matchup with the Anaheim Ducks.  A true test of the expansion team, which through the first half of the season, has passed nearly every exam.

A young core of the technical staff at KLAS are among the first, charter members of the Golden Knights’ bandwagon.  If game night and work are the same, the small room normally used for editing video and tuning in live shots becomes a closet-sized viewing party.  

Don’t worry, the work still gets done.

On this occasion, I joined the small gang of flat-brimmed hat wearing, jersey donning Golden Knights supporters.  The idea of in-depth hockey discussion in the desert is no longer strange, even for a relative local.  

Carlos and Jeff, like myself, play the game.  Ryan is slowly learning the sport.  Jonathan on the assignment desk is a, shall we say, passionate Los Angeles Kings fan nonetheless enthralled by the newcomers.  Conversations bounce between whether the team will trade its assets and plan for the future, to whether Vegas can make the playoffs.

The December game with Anaheim eventually found its way into overtime before Vegas, as they seem to do like clockwork, won again.  An brief eruption of shock could be heard from the station’s core as the small group of us celebrated.  But beyond that, it’s another striking reminder of the grip the team has on Las Vegas.

If it’s not in a darkened corner of a television station, the same enthusiasm can be found at the restaurant at City National Arena, where the Golden Knights practice.  On game night, the place is packed.  When the national anthem is sung, everyone stands.  When the team scores, chants start spontaneously.

One is well aware Las Vegas’s hockey fan base is not as large, or even as passionate, as other established cities.  Comparing the desert to Montreal or Boston would be ill-advised.

Comparing the newest NHL market with Phoenix, or Carolina, or another relatively recent addition to the league shows how fast this franchise has been embraced.  Winning has a lot to do with that, and the Golden Knights seem to win frequently.  It’s also the valley’s first major, professional sports team.  

Maybe Las Vegas just wanted something to cheer for.