Greatest show on ice: Knights’ ever-evolving in-game show tops in the NHL

Walking to a seat at T-Mobile Arena is like entering a movie theater.

The lightning starts low to build anticipation for the surprises to come. Projections featuring the logos of the coming attractions — the Golden Knights and their opponent — flash across the ice.

A who’s who of Strip performers and celebrities such as Donny Osmond, Katy Perry and Aces point guard Chelsea Gray welcome people to the game on the video board.

Then things really get started.

In a flash, fans are watching the Golden Knight step into an on-ice coliseum to battle with a black-cloaked opponent. Lightning is shot one way. Flames are fired the other, only to be deflected back. Soon the Golden Knight stands alone welcoming a giant descending golden helmet — nicknamed “Elvis” — that players will skate out of.

The intro never fails to get the crowd going. The energy at a Knights game can ebb and flow depending on how things are going. But it’s always there at the start.

That’s a credit to the Knights’ entertainment crew, which has won “The Stanley” for the NHL’s best game presentation the only two times it has been awarded. The group still hasn’t gotten complacent. This year’s show has plenty of updates, designed to provide fans the best experience possible.

“It’s been the same goal from the beginning,” Knights vice president and executive producer Andrew Abrams said. “We want you to walk away and say, ‘Wow, that was amazing.’”

‘The Golden Age’

The Knights, in their sixth season, thought it was time for a refresh.

For five years, they’ve led the charge on game presentation, with their high-level production creating admirers and imitators across the NHL. But the team’s 11 full-time entertainment staffers “knew we wanted to do more and could do more,” Abrams said.

The desire for innovation coincided perfectly with new ideas the marketing department was coming up with. The Knights were rallying around the slogan “The Golden Age” because they planned to make their gold jerseys their primary ones at home.

Both departments fed off each other to create content and find ways to engage fans. The Knights also partnered with in-arena host Mark Shunock for suggestions and reached out to entertainers for fresh or updated videos throughout the game.

“As an organization, we have to continue to evolve because we put so much of our organizational reputation on (our show),” Knights president Kerry Bubolz said. “So we have to keep delivering it.”

The team has kept butts in the seats so far. After missing the playoffs last season for the first time, the Knights are averaging an announced crowd of 18,027 per game. That’s 103 percent of T-Mobile Arena’s listed capacity. No other NHL team is packing its building as full.

“Hockey’s an important part of what we do, but it’s not the only thing we do,” Bubolz said. “This is the entertainment capital of the world, and I believe because of what we’ve done the first five years, our fans expect that kind of full experience, not just a hockey experience.”

In-arena changes

The updates were obvious when goaltender Logan Thompson grabbed a poker chip pillow after the Knights’ first home game.

The team no longer has its three stars come out and simply acknowledge the crowd. It’s giving them something they can throw. The chips are not available in stores, so the only chance to get one is by sticking around after the game and hoping to catch one in the stands.

The postgame toss isn’t the only thing new at T-Mobile Arena.

The Knights have added more lights to give them 234 in the building. That helps them create the dimmer, theatre-like atmosphere as fans walk in. It also makes a difference during their pregame show featuring the Golden Knight’s battle with his opponent, and in-arena DJ Joe Green’s music segment “Knight Club” in the second intermission.

The Knights’ pregame video and fight, as always, were revamped this season. The Golden Knight even got a fresh suit of armor.

The Knights have also created multiple versions of some of their in-arena games and sponsored activities to mix things up for season ticket holders and other fans who are often at games.

The team also has a variety of uniforms for its on-ice crew, the “Knights Guard,” to match the special warmup jerseys it wears for holidays or theme nights.

“The VGK brand as a whole, we’re just trying to be unique,” Abrams said. “That’s been our core value from the beginning is be unique, be different. We’re continuing to do that.”

Player assist

The first notes of the “Golden Girls” theme were another sign things were different.

The Knights were limited in what they could do with their players the past three seasons because of COVID-19. The level of interaction couldn’t be what it once was. Those restrictions are gone now, so players are more involved in the team’s content.

That started with the parody video “Thank You for Being a Fan” that introduced the Knights’ opening-night roster Oct. 11. It was a follow-up to the team’s past spoofs of “Happy Days” in 2018 and “Gilligan’s Island” in 2019.

Owner Bill Foley was pushing the team to get back to videos like that. The Knights did plenty of skits before the pandemic, including one with right wing Jonathan Marchessault spoofing the movie “Home Alone” to promote holiday ticket packages in 2019. Foley wanted more.

“Let’s be a little bit more silly and have more fun,” said Foley, who hopes to have one skit a month.

His directive resulted in the team’s “This is the Golden Age” commercials, modeled after the humorous “This is SportsCenter” ones that helped make ESPN famous. Foley was involved in the first, sitting between Marchessault and center William Karlsson as they re-created a scene from the movie “Dumb and Dumber.”

Karlsson, who said he’s seen the movie but can’t quote it as well as many of his teammates, said it took only about 20 minutes to shoot.

“Kind of nailed it quick,” he said. “We had to learn a few lines, but I guess our memory’s pretty good.”

It was only an appetizer for things to come.

Shots

Knights rookie Paul Cotter receives about 100 texts for his birthday or when he scores a goal.

He’s never gotten as many as he did for his one-word appearance in the team’s second “This is the Golden Age” spot.

Cotter, Thompson, center Jack Eichel, defenseman Brayden McNabb and rookie Jake Leschyshyn were filmed in the Knights’ video room at City National Arena reacting to a guest instructor: Rapper Lil Jon, who has been featured on the T-Mobile Arena video board for years.

The new coach’s main advice? “Shots!,” a nod to the 2009 LMFAO song he was featured in. The video was an immediate hit. The Knights said it was viewed approximately half a million times across multiple platforms the first day after it was posted Nov. 3.

“The media group did a great job,” McNabb said. “Everyone liked it.”

It required a bit of movie magic to pull off. Lil Jon was filmed first and even ad-libbed some of his own dialogue, like shouting “Nabber my bro” at McNabb. The players recorded their parts a different day. They had to stretch their acting chops reacting to someone who wasn’t there.

“It was really cool,” Cotter said. “It was weird creating it, but the final product looked pretty good.”

It wasn’t long before the video had a life of its own. Coach Bruce Cassidy referenced it Nov. 5 after a 6-4 win in Montreal. The Knights followed Lil Jon’s advice and fired 42 shots, their third-highest total of the season.

“Lil Jon gets a lot of credit for this one tonight,” Cassidy said. “He’s 1-0 in his career with the shots, shots, shots.”

Evolution

Fans who came to T-Mobile Arena early enough for warmups Nov. 15 were treated to a shirtless surprise. Chippendales dancers were behind the San Jose Sharks’ net.

It’s not the only twist the Knights have brought to the building. They had specialty towels on every seat for their Nov. 26 game against Vancouver, their first in their Reverse Retro jerseys.

The team designed an entirely new intro video and opening sword fight for the night. It highlighted the old Las Vegas neon signs the jersey was inspired by and showcased the fact that the sweater can glow in the dark, a first for a professional sports franchise.

“They broke the mold on what a pregame show is supposed to be,” said Adidas’ design director for hockey, Matty Merrill, who worked on the Reverse Retro jerseys. “They’re just taking these things we built together and making it even better.”

The two games showed the Knights never take the easy route. They’re always pushing the envelope, looking for the next thing that’s going to impress their audience or bring a smile to someone’s face.

Not everything they do is going to be successful. Season ticket holder David VanderKlipp, for example, misses some elements that got spectators more physically involved, like a drone camera that used to hover above the crowd. But the team is always willing to try stuff.

That’s what has made the Knights successful six years running.

“I think they’re still the best by far in the NHL,” VanderKlipp said. “They set the bar pretty high for themselves and continue to reinvent what happens in hockey arenas.”

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.