(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)
This week begins the unofficial start to the 2021-22 NHL season. Fresh Golden Knights prospects will hit the ice for Wednesday’s Rookie Camp and try to impress the men that drafted them and the coach that may lead them in the future. Sure, it won’t be the names you’ll see in Pete DeBoer’s regular season lineup but it’s hockey nevertheless and a reminder to fans that their favorite local team is only weeks from competing for another chance at the Stanley Cup.
Although it’s only Vegas’ fifth rookie training camp we can all agree that this is a new era for Golden Knights hockey. Who would’ve thought we’d be saying that but it’s true. Just one player off the roster changed the face and direction of the 31st franchise. Fans are still upset after the club traded Marc-Andre Fleury back in July and some (most) will never get over it. However, Vegas has a reasonable fanbase that will gladly trade in some painful news for an oversized, shiny silver chalice. That chase, in essence, starts on Wednesday.
VGK Important Dates:
Wednesday, September 15: Rookie Camp opens
Thursday, September 16: First day of rookie on-ice practice
Friday, Sept. 17: Rookie Faceoff- Vegas at Arizona, 7:30 PM
Sunday, Sept. 19: Vegas at San Jose, 2:00 PM
Monday, Sept. 20: Los Angeles at Vegas, 11:00 AM
Wednesday, September 22: Main Camp opens
Thursday, September 23: First day of on-ice practice
As you can see the schedule is fairly fluid starting Wednesday, leading up until Vegas’ first preseason game against San Jose. Beginning this week, loose diets, offseason bad habits, and summer mentalities will have to change in order to properly prepare for Game 1 of the preseason. After all, the regular season will come quick and the Golden Knights are eyeing another fast start in October.
(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)
Preseason Games Begin
Sunday, September 26: Vegas Golden Knights vs. San Jose Sharks (T-Mobile Arena, 7 p.m. PT)
Tuesday, September 28: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche (T-Mobile Arena, 7 p.m. PT)
Thursday, September 30: Vegas vs. Los Angeles (Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City, UT, 6 p.m. PT)
Friday, October 1: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Los Angeles Kings (T-Mobile Arena, 7 p.m. PT)
Tuesday, October 5: Vegas Golden Knights at Colorado Avalanche (Ball Arena, Denver, 6 p.m. PT)
Thursday, October 7: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Arizona Coyotes (T-Mobile Arena, 7 p.m. PT)
Rookie camp may not garner the same amount of attention as Vegas’ late September preseason games but nevertheless, it’s an important date on the sports calendar. Look at Rookie Camp like Labor Day, it’s not the unofficial end of summer but it’s the unofficial beginning to a new Golden Knights season. And like the last four, it should be exciting, stressful but hopefully rewarding.
While Vegas is no longer a team full of Misfits or led by a charming, Vezina-winning goaltender, the focus is still the same. From The Creator to the highly motivated players and all the way down to the thirsty fans, expectations for the 2021-22 season are the same.
Cup or bust.
sb
“Just one player off the roster changed the face and direction of the 31st franchise.” False. Absolutely false. The face of the franchise today is Mark Stone. Five years from now it will be someone else as it will be 10, 20 and 30 years into the future. Gordie Howe (my childhood hero) was once the face of the Detroit franchise. But before Gordie it was Sid Abel and Ted Lindsay. After Gordie, the face of the franchise was Steve Yzerman. Decade after decade, the face of every franchise changes – it never remains just one player. Just look at 80 years of Montreal history. Player after player being the face of the franchise. And, as for “changed the direction of the franchise” – baloney! The direction is set by the Owner and his direction is win the Stanley Cup NOW. Five years in, his direction is UNCHANGED. Win the Cup NOW. Thank you, Mr. Foley. Dry up your tears and get ready to enjoy another great season ….. you could be in Buffalo, SJ or Anaheim.
Daryl
I’m not sure most would agree the face of VGK right now is Mark Stone…. maybe if he scored in last years playoffs or even had a decent playoff run, but he, just like the rest of the offense, stunk up every arena the played in. Right now, I don’t think VGK has a face. They could be called the No Name Vegas knights.
sb
Oh my gosh. MAF’s gone. What are we going to do? Maybe the Team could all ‘take a knee’ before the start of First Period of Game 1. Maybe Management could pass out MAF crying towels as souvenirs. Dry up your tears. Game on. Play hockey. Focus on what’s important – like winning the Cup. MAF will be just fine in Chicago cashing those $7 million pay checks.
Blitz
Is that what’s important to you winning the cup? So you don’t watch the massive amount of games at all during the season. Just turn it on in the playoffs or if they make the cup. If vgk was a bottom dweller team you wouldn’t watch at all cause there is no chance for a cup?
Watching sports is about entertainment for me. Lehner doesn’t put my ass in the seat. Fleury making crazy out of position saves does. So make all the d bag comments you want about crying towels etc, but Vegas ridding them selves of Fleury in the name of salary cap, but got nothing for it, took some major shine from this team. Halleluiah Fleury is gone, now we got a giant fucking cry baby goalie, an expensive backup, an overpriced re-up on an old d man, and another old guy that maybe can make our extremely flawed PP look like just a flawed one. Sadly with all of this from the extra cap money, we still need to pray one of the cheap young guys can get us to the next level.
Frankly none of that cap relief will make up for all the times Fleury kept this team in games when the team turned to shit or started slow. Without Fleury we lose to MIN in the first round last year last year.
Where is my towel?
Daryl
You really wrote all this from a simple comment about MAF being gone??? What about the rest of the article?
knights fan in minny
who do you guys have in the cup i have the lanche and the panthers lets hear your picks
THE hockey GOD
definition of era
a major division of time that is a subdivision of an eon and is itself subdivided into periods.
a long and distinct period of history with a particular feature or characteristic.
A few short years hardly makes up an era. Another non event of article based upon a false pretense. Pass, not worthy of follow up discussion. Agree with rest of commenters here basically saying the same thing.
Contact Tracer
The new era is called “chemistry implosion” … they had the recipe, got them to the cup finals, then they decided to drop a deuce all over the recipe. A collection of islands this new team be ….. the kneeling goalie is a JOKE! …….. CURSE OF THE MISFITS ….. CURSE OF THE MISFITS …..