Golden Knights, fans ready to see Stanley Cup in Las Vegas

Las Vegas is buzzing.

From the locker room to the stands, the city has Stanley Cup Final fever again.

After the “Welcome to Impossible” run to the Cup Final in 2018 fell short, the Golden Knights have earned their second opportunity in six years to claim the ultimate prize in hockey. Game 1 against the Florida Panthers is Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.

After not attaining their goal in the team’s magical inaugural season, players and fans are ready for a different ending. Fans gathered Friday at City National Arena to watch the Knights’ final practice before the final.

“It was obviously a great opportunity to be challenging for the Cup in our first year,” Golden Knights forward Reilly Smith said. “We’ve had a lot of good chances to get back here, and it doesn’t come around too often. … I think everyone in our locker room is really excited about the chance we have in front of us.”

From Day One, the Knights have shared a unique relationship with the city of Las Vegas and its fans.

Nine days before their home opener, Stephen Paddock opened fire at the Route 91 Harvest festival, leaving 60 dead. The city was in mourning.

While most Knights players were strangers to Las Vegas, they took the time to help the city heal. They visited first responders. They participated in blood drives. And when the puck dropped on Oct. 10, 2017, they gave the city an escape.

A love story was born.

“How they’ve been so active in the community and how the community has embraced them, it’s incredible,” Knights fan Kevin Miao said. “They’re just so generous. Everything that they do within the community, from Oct. 1 in the very beginning all the way till now. They have been just such a big part of the city.”

Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault, one of the six remaining members of the inaugural team along with Smith, William Karlsson, William Carrier, Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb, is ready to reward such a passionate and loyal fan base with a win over the Panthers.

“They’ve been the best fans since Year One, and we’re lucky to have them,” Marchessault said. “They love you for who you are and what you do in the community and all that, so it definitely would mean a lot to bring (the Stanley Cup) to them.”

For some fans, seeing the Knights hoist the Cup would mean everything.

“I would be really special,” Madison Coursey said Friday.

“I would cry,” her friend Cody Sadia added.

Contact Rochelle Richards at rrichards@reviewjournal.com. Follow @RoRichards24.