- NHL. Vegas Golden Knights looking for double prizes: the Stanley Cup... and free lap dances for life!
- NHL. TV reporter stiff-armed a guy to keep him out of her camera shot during Game 2 of the NHL Stanley Cup
Bill Foley had a message to send when he paid a prohibitive expansion fee to bring the Vegas Golden Knights into existence in 2016. He had no interest in the standard timeline for an NHL expansion franchise -- linger in the league basement for a few seasons, draft and develop top draft picks, spend wisely but not lavishly to build a team around them.
Instead, Foley wanted instant success and a Stanley Cup within six years.
In Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night, the Golden Knights crushed the Florida Panthers to clinch their first Cup -- just when Foley said they would.
Win now, worry later
The Golden Knights began competing during the 2017/18 season and immediately showed they were for real. Vegas qualified for the Stanley Cup Final in its first season of existence, and even though they lost to the Washington Capitals, it was clear this was no ordinary expansion team.
The following season, Vegas paid a to acquire two-way forward and eventual captain Mark Stone in a trade from Ottawa. The Golden Knights signed top free agent defenseman Alex Pietrangelo to a $61.6 million contract in 2020, then acquired Buffalo Sabres star Jack Eichel in a blockbuster 2021 trade.
A dominant 2023 postseason
With all these pieces in place, Vegas steamrolled to their first Stanley Cup, losing only six of its 22 playoff games and never needing to play a Game 7 in any series.
The Golden Knights averaged four goals a game in the playoffs and scored at least five goals in three of the five games against Florida. And all their high-profile acquisitions chipped in to close out the series on Tuesday -- Stone scored a hat trick in Game 5 against the Panthers, while Eichel provided three assists and Pietrangelo nabbed an assist of his own.