I’m shocked, SHOCKED, none of the players talked about this when comparing atmospheres. (Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)
After each game opponents consistently praise the Golden Knights, the arena, and you, the fans. Last night we thought we were dealing with a different animal though. Nashville was the darling of the NHL a year ago, and the atmosphere in and around Bridgestone Arena has been described as second to none. Neither Ken nor I have been there so we left it in the hands of those who have, and we were quite surprised by the answers.
Oh, I think ours is way better. The atmosphere today was incredible, when we score the first goal the crowd gets into it. Even when we don’t the media (game ops) people do an incredible job of getting people involved in the game and it’s been really unbelievable. It’s been a big part of our success. -Alex Tuch
It’s very similar. The crowds, the way they are reacting, they are standing and yelling. It’s really fun to play in front of. -Shea Theodore
It was a really cool experience being there last year. It’s a lot like that here. -Brad Hunt (was a healthy scratch for the Predators throughout the entire playoff run last year)
Ok, fine, we weren’t surprised by those answers. But these…
It seemed like every chance it got extremely loud. They were at the edge of their seats, which is like our building. It’s a good atmosphere, but wish it went our way. It could’ve made it a little more quiet out there. -Craig Smith, Predators Forward
Very impressive. I thought the warm up music and everything, was a good atmosphere, fans were there, which I thought was pretty exceptional. As much as it probably fires them up it fired us up and ready to go. The crowd here you could definitely tell they were into it. -Smith
Very cool, great atmosphere. I mean it’s awesome, first season and then sold out. The fans are loud and like I said it’s a really cool atmosphere. -Roman Josi, Predators Captain
And lastly, Malcolm’s brother gave the Vegas fans a quick shoutout.
PK only had a second, but takes time to compliment the Vegas atmosphere. Compares it to Nashville. Only #76 can pull off wearing that hat. pic.twitter.com/HGTeck61u6
— Jason R. Pothier (@JRPothier) January 3, 2018
Yeah, it was pretty awesome actually playing here today. I think right away it’s one of the top places to play in the league. -P.K. Subban, Predators Defenseman
Talked to two different groups of Nashville fans, asked about the atmosphere compared to Smashville, all unanimously said "it's good, but it's not Nashville" #Bias
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) January 3, 2018
Tough Loss for us last night, but Hats off to @NHL @GoldenKnights Did not expect that type of crowd or atmosphere. pretty awesome! ☝🏿
— P.K. Subban (@PKSubban1) January 3, 2018
Take a bow Golden Knights fans. You’re making a difference in Las Vegas and around the league. And by the way, how friggin’ cool are the Subbans?
TK
The fans in Vegas have more teeth.
Jay (the pro audio dude)
I have been to several games in Nashville (I am there a lot for work) and the atmosphere at Bridgestone has always been amazing, not just last year. We are just new to it here in Las Vegas and do not have the coordinated taunts, chants, etc. We need to add to our GO KNIGHTS GO list of chants. They have https://section303.com/chants which is the section that started the craziness and has become what 17k people all say together (pretty amazing indeed). They are loud, they are coordinated, but we are louder no doubt (I am an audio guy, I know these things)
Nothing can top the Vegas atmosphere, the arena, the sound system, the content of the Knightron, the drumline, our Golden Knight, (and where did dancing T-shirt guy go….he should be there every game). We are 1st class all the way and all who come here know it. The word ENVY comes to mind when visiting teams step into our house and hear what we do as fans. The passion for this team in such a short amount of time is why Las Vegas was the perfect choice for expansion. Praise be to Foley.
BC
TK … I see you over there and I would agree.