The Vegas Golden Knights kicked off their home opener on Tuesday night against the Arizona Coyotes.
Emotions were running high, as it kicked off the era of hockey in a city that many thought wouldn’t be plausible. That was trivial compared to the bigger meaing: the city is just eight days removed of the horrific shooting that took the lives of 58 concert goers and injured over 450 civilians just two kilometers away from the T-Mobile Arena.
The hype in the city for the team was already pretty big, and the heavy hearts made the home opener all the more meaningful. Here’s a snapshot of the pre-game tributes, which honoured some of the first responders at the shooting, and included a moment of silence that lasted 58 seconds to honour the 58 victims.
Surviours of the shooting were given the opportunity to take part in the ceremonial puck drop.
The Golden Knights are without a captain, so they asked Deryk Engelland, who’s resided in the city since 2003 after his time with the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL, to speak to the fans about why the city is so special to him.
It’s incredibly hard to find any silver linings that transpired out of the shootings, but if we had to pick something, it would be the bond and solidarity the city showed that was evident inside the rink on Tuesday night. The players were full of adrenaline and emotion that made a tangible impact early, as the Golden Knights rode the emotions and got out to a 4-0 lead in the first period.
What a terrific ceremony, and hats off to everyone that was involved. #VegasStrong
