Stanley Cup Champions Archives

Tag: Stanley Cup Champions Page 1 of 2

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

By the time the Stanley Cup was handed over to Vegas captain Mark Stone, coaches and players league wide were scheming up ways to copy the Golden Knights championship formula. From defensive alignments, to deeper benches and undoubtedly goaltending efficiency. Some NHL teams have the right goaltender and not enough quality players. Whereas, others have the players but are unsure if they’re good enough in net.

“Look at Vegas. They used four goalies. Depth is an important part of success in this league. But depth in that position might be the most important for teams.”
— Mike Sullivan on the @penguins goalie depth. Not the only team referencing how VGK won the Cup these days. pic.twitter.com/0IbUWomI8Q
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) September 23, 2023

This week Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan referenced the World Champion Golden Knights in his training camp opening press conference. It’s no surprise the two-time Cup winning coach mentioned Vegas because years back he had back-to-back Stanley Cup winning rosters. Like Vegas, the Penguins won using multiple capable goaltenders.

Vegas’ finals winning goalie Adin Hill went 11-4 in the postseason after injured starter Laurent Brossoit recorded five wins and two losses. The same smooth transition occurred with the back-to-back Stanley Cup winning Penguins. Old friend Marc-Andre Fleury picked up his second and third championship rings playing his role in a duel goalie tandem. Which clearly caught the attention of Sullivan and other coaches.

Eichel & Draisaitl Agree Playoff Series Came Down To Depth

By Jason Pothier

On September 21, 2023

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: @_jkarsh on Instagram)

On the night of May 15th, 2023, after the Golden Knights eliminated the Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the 2023 NHL playoffs Jack Eichel and Leon Draisaitl walked into two very different locker rooms. Eichel was promptly drenched with celebratory champagne and puffed on Ashton Aged Maduro’s with his jubilant teammates. Draisaitl stepped into a locker room that was emotional, furious, and unsatisfied with how their season abruptly ended. In fact, it was in that moment Oilers captain Connor McDavid sternly stated that he and his teammates were on notice.

We’ve heard the story now from a few places, that he cleared all but the closest team staff out of the room and laid down the parameters for his franchise going forward. That the window for learning how to win was slamming shut, and the time for applying those lessons — and winning Stanley Cups — has officially begun. – Mark Spector on Sportsnet.ca

Now, both Pacific Division contenders are preparing for a new 82-game regular season with a mutual agreement on how that six-game series ended in mid-May. In Elliotte Friedman’s latest 32 Thoughts blog, Draisaitl noticed the difference of quality bench players on VGK’s side.

At the NHL/NHLPA media tour in Las Vegas, Jack Eichel said the difference between Edmonton and Vegas in that second-round series was depth. Leon Draisaitl conceded that, but added, “We couldn’t get to our top game…They didn’t make those little mistakes we made and that was the difference.” –Elliotte Friedman in 32 Thoughts

VGK’s Bargain Binners Significantly Over-Performed In Cup Run

By Jason Pothier

On August 5, 2023

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: @GoldenKnights on Twitter)

This week NHL outlets compiled a team of the biggest bargains of the 2022-23 season. Unfortunately, zero Golden Knights players made the list, nor should they have. When Tage Thompson is the bargain bin’s top center, you can only imagine how skilled the rest of the lines and pairings are.

Sportsnet’s 2022-23 All-Bargain Team:

FORWARDS

Brandon Hagel (TBL) — Tage Thompson (BUF) — Daniel Sprong (SEA)
Michael Bunting (TOR) — David Krejci (BOS) — Gabriel Vilardi (LAK)
Zach Parise (NYI) — Morgan Frost (PHI) — Taylor Raddysh (CHI)
Stefan Noesen (CAR) — Thomas Novak (NSH) — Sonny Milano (WSH)

DEFENSE
Erik Gustafsson (WSH/TOR) — Luke Schenn (VAN/TOR)
Mark Giordano (TOR) — Rasmus Sandin (TOR/WSH)
P.O. Joseph (PIT) — Sebastian Aho (NYI)

GOALIES
Stuart Skinner (EDM)
Filip Gustavsson (MIN)

So, maybe there wasn’t enough room for VGK’s valued players, but several deserve praise after their unexpected production during Vegas’ championship run.

Michael Amadio
16 Goals, 11 Assists, +2, 99 Shots On Goal, 2 Game-Winning Goals, 12:13 Average Time On Ice
$762,500 Cap Hit

Amadio’s output was not only surprising in the regular season, but he continued to outperform expectations in the playoffs. In 16 games, the 27-year-old pitched in with five goals and five assists for the Stanley Cup-winning Golden Knights, including a big-time game-winning goal against Winnipeg in double overtime.

As for being a bargain, Amadio scored as many playoff goals (5) as Sebastian Aho ($8.4M AAV), Aleksander Barkov ($10M AAV), Auston Matthews ($11.6M AAV), and Tyler Seguin ($9.85M AAV) in roughly as many games. While Florida was paying Barkov $2M per goal, Vegas was shelling out $152,500 per goal scored by Amadio. Surely, to the everyday Joe, six figures to score a goal seems like a boatload but compared to others mentioned, the Golden Knights got themselves a significant discount.

Adin Hill
25 Starts, (16-7) Record, 61 Goals Allowed, .915 Save %, 2.45 Goals Allowed Average, 16 Quality Starts,
$2,175,000 Cap Hit

We’ve gone over Hill’s Stanley Cup run dozens of times since June 15th. What else can we say? The third-string (or second depending on who you ask) goaltender was outstanding and unstoppable in the three series he suited up for. Hill led all qualified postseason goalies in save percentage, goals allowed average, losses and shutouts and made a fraction of what the rest of the playoff goalies make annually.

Vegas’ backstop earned $4,780 per save, $197,727 per victory, and $1,087,500 per shutout in the postseason. Compared to the three other goaltenders to start 14 games or more, the Golden Knights barely opened their wallet for a postseason victory. The Panthers paid Sergei Bobrovsky $17,094 per save, $833,333 per win, and $10M per shutout. Seattle offered Phillipp Grubauer $15,485 per save and $842,857 per win. Western Conference Finals goalie Jake Oettinger played three more games than Hill and Dallas reimbursed him $8,510 per save, $400K per win, $4M per shutout. Looking back, Hill could be one of the biggest bargains in modern NHL history.

Sportsnet Recogonizes Hill As Top 2022 Offseason Move

By Jason Pothier

On July 27, 2023

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: @TheRunninRebels on Twitter)

You’re not going to find a fan in this region that will disagree about the importance of acquiring Adin Hill last summer. The Golden Knights surprisingly added a fourth goaltender to their roster via trade with the woeful San Jose Sharks. San Jose’s front office were likely satisfied to receive a fourth-round pick for a player that was not in their plans, while Vegas got a future Conn Smyth candidate in return. Looking back, it’s as lopsided as a deal can but in reality, neither FO believed Hill would do what he did in the postseason.

Tops among this group has to be Hill, who was plucked from the San Jose Sharks by Vegas in August for a fourth-round pick. The journeyman backup had played five seasons when that trade sent him to Vegas, having spent the first four years of his career in Arizona before a 2021 trade had sent him to San Jose. He’d excelled in brief spurts for both clubs, but overall had gotten little opportunity to prove what he was capable of. –Sonny Sachdeva on Sportsnet.ca

To be fair, the national hockey media hadn’t realized before Vegas’ championship run how high Hill climbed to be in the starting role by Game 2 of the second round. Of course, the third-string goaltender was highly profiled in the later rounds, but the general public hadn’t caught up with his rise.

VGK’s Top 6 Stanley Cup Playoff Quotes

By Jason Pothier

On July 21, 2023

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

We’ve covered goal-scoring, playmaking and goaltending so let’s focus on off the ice. During their eight-week run, the Golden Knights had many memorable quotes throughout the postseason. In fact, there are enough comments from Golden Knights players to fill out a Top 26 list. However, let’s focus on VGK’s six most entertaining quotes of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.

6. Pietrangelo Shrugs Off Slashing Suspension in the Second Round

It is what it is, I’m not going to sit here and dwell on it. The league took care of it, so we’ll move on… There have been a lot of shots both ways, I’ll just say that. It’s pretty obvious what’s going on, there’s some premeditated stuff coming at me but (the Department of Player Safety) didn’t really seem to care in the meeting. I’ll get up and take it. I’m not going to lay on the ice like we’ve been seeing. I’ll get up and play the game the way it needs to be played. At the end of the day, we’ve got a job to do, they’ve got a job to do. – Alex Pietrangelo

When lead defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was suspended for his slash on Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl in the second round no one was surprised. It was a heat-of-the-moment situation and unlike anything Vegas fans had ever seen before from #7. However, Pietrangelo stated his case to the NHL’s Department of Player Safety, and they required the d-man to sit for one game, much to the chagrin of the Oilers and their fans. When asked, Pietrangelo didn’t hold back.

Golden Knights Championship Season Extends Past July

By Jason Pothier

On July 5, 2023

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: @_jkarsh on Instagram)

Normally, Independence Day is consumed with fireworks, patriotic colors and baseball. In Southern Nevada, July 4th cookouts were painted gold and were still buzzing about Vegas’ first hockey championship. It’s been less than a month since the Golden Knights were crowned Stanley Cup champions and the fanbase continues to party like a stage full of Misfits.

NHL players have skipped most towns, 32 Thoughts signed off for the season and hockey reporters everywhere have transitioned into covering other sports. But not in Las Vegas. Nic Hague and Zach Whitecloud participated in Summerlin’s Independence Day parade. At Las Vegas Ballpark, Golden Knights championship tee shirts outnumbered Aviators gear by 2-to-1. Oh yeah, and VGK’s Development Camp is updated daily right here. There’s no way of getting around it. This city is hockey crazy and it’s not fading anytime soon.

Last year, the Golden Knights season ended ten weeks prior to July 4th. Not only was it a long, disappointing season, Vegas fans waited nearly six months in between games. After a successful Cup run, it’s been an action-packed few weeks. First came the parade, days later was the NHL Award Shaw and Draft, and free agency is currently underway. One event has rolled right into another keeping the Golden Knights in headlines across sports.

More Championship Parade Pictures

By Ken Boehlke

On June 23, 2023

In Team Ops

A friend of the site and amazing photographer, Jason Karsh, was at the parade and shared a bunch of incredible photos with us. Enjoy.

Give Jason a follow on Instagram for even more pictures.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Vegas The Talk Of Original Six Hockey Fans

By Jason Pothier

On June 22, 2023

In Fans

(Photo Credit: @_jkarsh on Instagram)

If you plan on traveling over the next few weeks, be prepared to chit-chat about the 2023 Stanley Cup champions. From the West Coast, Midwest, and Northeast, the Golden Knights Cup run has become a common conversation among sports fans.

I just don’t understand how a team can be so competitive and capture a Stanley Cup in six seasons. It’s mind-boggling to me that my team hasn’t been able to put together something so impressive like Vegas has. Maybe, we needed that coach behind our bench. -Dennis McCaul, Connecticut native & NY Rangers fan

At this moment Vegas fans cannot understand what it’s like to go through decade-long droughts like Islanders, Rangers, or Canadiens fans have gone through since before the turn of the century. Albeit all three clubs are massively popular with their fanbase, but to them it’s still a failure of a season if their team wasn’t the last one standing.

Local fans were introduced to a winning culture from the first puck drop of their 2017-18 inaugural season (“We played Arizona, and we beat the shit out of them”), but the Golden Knights didn’t take center stage in the sports world like they have now. Winning a championship brings more attention, more out-of-town observers, and more jealousy. While Ranger fans are frustrated with their team’s disappointing season, they were entertained and impressed with Vegas’ five-game Stanley Cup accomplishment.

I’m not sure why I cared. I was so pissed off by the Bruins performance I stopped watching the playoffs. Towards the middle of the conference finals I started paying attention again and the Golden Knights were the team I was rooting for. Obviously, Cassidy was a big reason for that but I also enjoyed watching the players on the team. They played like a team. Really, what I expected from the Bruins. Don’t even get me started, but overall I was glad to see Vegas win. -Jim Selvitella, Massachusetts native and Bruins fan

Specifically, Boston fans felt a connection to the Golden Knights because of their respect for former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. Many B’s fans have convinced themselves that if Cassidy hadn’t been let go in Boston, their team would’ve lifted their first Stanley Cup since 2011. Others were happy the coach won before their favorite team. That’s typical behavior from a fanbase with so much disdain for the Bruins brass. In their opinion, the wrong people were let go and Cassidy ended up being the scapegoat.

Overall, it’s been a mixed bag of emotions from mostly Eastern Conference hockey fans. You’ll notice more anger, frustration, and sourness from Western Conference and specifically Pacific Division fanbases. Outside of Miami-Dade County, East Coast fans are largely happy the Golden Knights became this season’s champions. The players, the coach, the theatrics. Vegas stole fans away from eliminated teams along their 2023 Stanley Cup chase. The bandwagon will likely end on opening night in October.

Whose Names Will Be Engraved In The Stanley Cup For The Vegas Golden Knights

By Ken Boehlke

On June 20, 2023

In Team Ops

(Photo Credit: @keeperofthecup on Twitter)

The greatest honor in the sport of hockey is to have your name engraved onto the Stanley Cup. The rules state each team is allowed to submit 52 names from their organization to be immortalized.

From players to coaches to front-office executives to the owner, you’ll probably know most of the names that make the cut. But, while 52 is a lot of names, the Golden Knights will have to make some tough decisions on who to choose. Here’s a list of names that are guaranteed to be on the Cup followed by the group in which Vegas will have to make some difficult choices.

Locks (Players) – 21

All 21 of these players are 100% guaranteed to have their names engraved on the Cup.

Mark Stone (captain), Michael Amadio, Ivan Barbashev, Laurent Brossoit, William Carrier, Phil Kessel, Jack Eichel, Nic Hague, Adin Hill, Brett Howden, William Karlsson, Keegan Kolesar, Jonathan Marchessault, Alec Martinez, Brayden McNabb, Alex Pietrangelo, Nic Roy, Reilly Smith, Chandler Stephenson, Shea Theodore, Zach Whitecloud

Locks (Non-Players) – 20

These 20 non-players are all guaranteed to have their names engraved on the Cup as well.

Bill Foley (Owner), George McPhee (President of Hockey Ops), Kelly McCrimmon (GM), Kerry Bubolz (President/COO), Bruce Cassidy (Head Coach), John Stevens (Assistant Coach), Ryan Craig (Assistant Coach), Misha Donskov (Assistant Coach/Skills Coach), Sean Burke (Goalie Coach), Dave Rogowski (Video Coach), Aaron Heishman (Head Athletic Trainer), Doug Davidson (Strength and Conditioning Coach), Raul Dorantes (Manual Therapist), Chris Davidson-Adams (Equipment Manager), J.W. Aiken (Assistant Equipment Manager), Pat Maino (Assistant Equipment Manager), Vaughn Karpan (Director of Player Personnel), Bob Lowes (Assistant Director of Player Personnel), Andrew Lugerner (Director of Hockey Legal Affairs), Rick Braunstein (Director of Team Services)

Next is the “strong chance” group, which are all very likely to have their names engraved on the Cup. 90+% chance.

Stanley Cup Champions Parade Mega Post: Streams, Tweets, Videos, Quotes, More

By Ken Boehlke

On June 17, 2023

In Fans

The Golden Knights are set to celebrate the Stanley Cup with the greatest city in the world. The Champions Parade will begin at 7 PM on the Las Vegas Strip and commence at Toshiba Plaza for the rally.

TV Info

The event will be aired live in Las Vegas on KTNV Channel 13 locally and NHL Network nationally.

Alternate broadcasts are also available on KVVU Channel 5, KSNV Channel 8 and KLAS Channel 8.

A live stream of the parade and rally can be found at KTNV.com/live.

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Praise Be To Foley, Vegas Golden Knights Hockey Website

Tag: Stanley Cup Champions Page 1 of 2

Back-To-Back Winning Coach Highlights VGK’s Championship Net Security

Eichel & Draisaitl Agree Playoff Series Came Down To Depth

VGK’s Bargain Binners Significantly Over-Performed In Cup Run

Sportsnet Recogonizes Hill As Top 2022 Offseason Move

VGK’s Top 6 Stanley Cup Playoff Quotes

Golden Knights Championship Season Extends Past July

More Championship Parade Pictures

Vegas The Talk Of Original Six Hockey Fans

Whose Names Will Be Engraved In The Stanley Cup For The Vegas Golden Knights

Stanley Cup Champions Parade Mega Post: Streams, Tweets, Videos, Quotes, More

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