Golden Knights fans say Stanley Cup ‘brought community together’

They chanted “We want the Cup!” all through the game. There was never any doubt that the Golden Knights would give it to them.

When it was over, in a lopsided 9-3 victory over the Florida Panthers, the thousands of people gathered in Toshiba Plaza outside T-Mobile Arena erupted in an epic Vegas-style celebration that also brought out some emotions — given the team’s association with the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting.

There was screaming, cheering, dancing, beer raining down. Then Elvis Presley’s ode to Sin City began to play, and thousands of people belted out “Viva Las Vegas!” at the top of their lungs.

After Elvis, Queen’s “We Are The Champions” played and everybody sang along with that, too.

“I was here for the very first game,” Shane Warner, 40, of Las Vegas, said while standing outside of New York-New York about a half-hour later. “And this is absolutely surreal.”

As fans poured out from Toshiba Plaza to nearby bars and hotels and on to the Strip, things appeared to stay civilized.

A group of fans waved a giant Golden Knights flag as car horns blared in support. There were no reports of riots, fires or cars being tipped.

Police reported two misdemeanor arrests near the arena around the time of the celebration.

“No other issues were reported,” a Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson said in a Wednesday email.

Amid the jubilation, there were also emotions, given the team’s association with the shooting at the Route 91 Harvest festival.

“And being there and experiencing it from the beginning after such a devastating moment on 1 October, I feel like it brought the community together even more than we already were,” said Dayna Roselli, 47, co-host of the “Vegas Revealed” podcast with Sean McAllister.

“So it’s very emotional.”

McAllister, 44, of Las Vegas, recounted then Golden Knights’ defenseman Deryk Engelland’s “We are Vegas Strong” speech on the ice before the puck was dropped for the Golden Knights’ first-ever home game on Oct. 10, 2017, nine days after the mass shooting.

After the victims and first responders were honored on the ice, and Engelland articulated the new team’s pledge to help the city heal, the Golden Knights won that game against the Arizona Coyotes 5-2. The Knights would go all the way to the Stanley Cup Final that year, losing in five games to the Washington Capitals.

“I mean, listen, seeing Deryk Engelland on the ice back in Season 1, bringing this town together and having this team mean something more to Las Vegas than hockey, has meant everything from the day they were created,” McAllister said. “And to now have this crowing achievement that the team has worked hard for, and the city has rallied behind so much, I don’t think there’s any higher achievement.”

As the crowd’s exuberance reverberated outside the arena and along the Strip, the team had its own Las Vegas-style celebration by bringing the Cup to Omnia Nightclub at Caesars Palace.

Contact Brett Clarkson at bclarkson@reviewjournal.com.