Club Stanley Cup: Inside the Golden Knights afterparty on the Strip
Steve Aoki isn’t often an opening act. But the famed Strip nightclub and dayclub DJ set the stage for the superstars of the night late Tuesday at Omnia Nightclub at Caesars Palace.
Hugging. Bouncing. @steveaoki @GoldenKnights #Vegas #StanleyCupFinal pic.twitter.com/CXeJmaS7AM
— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) June 14, 2023
The Vegas Golden Knights and the city’s now-favorite prop, the Stanley Cup, rolled into the club at about 2:15 a.m. The team was celebrating, at high revelry and volume, its Stanley Cup Final-clinching 9-3 victory over the Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena.
What seemed to be the entire roster was on hand, led by captain Mark Stone and original “Misfits” William Karlsson and Reilly Smith.
Bring it in! Crazy. Loudest night of my life … @steveaoki @GoldenKnights #Vegas @reviewjournal #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/FlL9Riauqs
— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) June 14, 2023
The Golden Knights had held a private, friends-and-family party at Jewel at Aria following their on-ice Cup presentation celebration at T-Mobile.
The entourage initially took up a VIP area opposite Aoki. The DJ screamed, “Everybody screaaaaam!” And boy, did they.
The place was truly rocking. Coupled with the din at T-Mobile, the Golden Knights put on one of the loudest evenings ever in the city. The party moved to the stage at about 2:45 a.m., with Aoki firing party cannons and the team rapping along.
Mark Stone takes it away … #StanleyCup #Omnia @CaesarsPalace @GoldenKnights #Vegas pic.twitter.com/kHmOi73yYk
— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) June 14, 2023
Stone, Karlsson and Smith were among several players who hoisted the trophy from the DJ booth. Emcee Mark Shunock was in the mix. Aoki wore a golden No. 77 jersey. Star goalie Adin Hill joined Aoki in a rap-off, which ended in a tie (per audience response).
About 4,100 jammed the club. As the team left the stage, Aoki shouted, “This is our night!” Or maybe he meant, “Knight.” Either way, he was right.
A previous version of this story misidentified Keegan Kolesar in a photo caption.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
