Golden Knights Deliver With Wild Parade As Only As They Can
Vegas hits home run with Stanley Cup celebrations...
We were not disappointed.
There were high hopes for the Vegas Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup Parade on Saturday because, well, Sin City does know a thing or two about throwing a party after all.
Vegas is the ultimate destination for overindulgence, wild, wild parties that last way beyond the early hours of the morning and, most importantly, good times.
The Golden Knights ticked all those boxes and more on Saturday.
You could argue that there was a slight risk of the 2023 Stanley Cup Parade being anti-climatic given the high expectations born from where it was being hosted. Thankfully, those fears were quickly wiped out.
In-fact, you could make the bold statement that Vegas has just thrown the biggest party in its history.
With fans lining the Strip in bumper numbers, new meaning was given to the phrase ‘the greatest street on the planet’ as Golden Knights players, coaches and team personnel made their way down Las Vegas Boulevard. It was quite the scene as players got off the Parade bus down the strip to pose for pictures with fans, while Jack Eichel ran down the Strip shirtless with a Golden Knights flag. Players got doused in champagne while lifting the Stanley Cup above their heads, and the tens of thousands of fans in attendance soaked up every single moment of a Championship Parade that has now set the bar impossibly high for other teams and cities to follow. Oh, and some lucky fans even got a mouthful of beer thanks to fourth-line grinder Keegan Kolesar.
Sin City has always been the gold standard for epic gatherings, and this was no different.
The biggest party, however, came at Toshiba Plaza just outside of T-Mobile Arena where a rally to end all rallies was staged.
Kudos to everyone involved for putting together a spectacle that will truly live long in the memory. This was a home run of a celebration and, even by its own lofty standards, Vegas has never seen a party like it.
It started with forward William Karlsson - clearly buckled after days of celebrating with the Stanley Cup at Owner Bill Foley’s Rock Creek Cattle Company Ranch in Montana - falling down the stairs as the Golden Knights players were introduced.
Don’t worry, Wild Bill was just fine and he went on to live up to that nickname and then some by delivering one of the all-time epic Parade speeches you will ever hear in your life. Words don’t do it justice - please just listen to it below.
You won’t be disappointed.
After Karlsson eventually got done after six minutes of alcohol-fueled greatness - and a little rendition of ABBA’s Dancing Queen for good measure - the sea of Vegas fans that had absolutely packed out Toshiba Plaza were treated to a slew of unforgettable moments.
From Head Coach Bruce Cassidy leading chants of ‘back-to-back’ to the entire Golden Knights roster getting the heroes welcome they so deserved, Sin City was the place to be on Saturday.
It was so loud at times that the entire stage shook, and a flood of drones high in the sky that formed to make the shape of the Stanley Cup made for a stunning visual in the Vegas night sky.
The Vegas Golden Knights were one of the most dominant Stanley Cup champions we have seen in decades. Now they also hold the honor of throwing one of the most memorable Parades in recent memory too.
There’s a good chance these players are still full of adult beverages by the time Training Camp opens in September. They will certainly still be on the high that comes with winning the best championship in all of sports.
And these players deserve an all-time epic party that lasts the entire summer. With the brilliant tradition that is the ‘Day With The Cup’ - where every player and coach gets an entire day with the Stanley Cup - the Golden Knights are just getting the celebrations started.
Vegas survived a gruelling 82-game regular season and then overcame every obstacle thrown their way to win one of the hardest championships there is. And they did it in as impressive a commanding way as we’ve ever seen.
They’ve earned the right to party like absolute Kings.
This group of players can also party a little harder knowing that the vast majority of this roster will run it back in 2023-24 too. Sure, there may be one or two departures with goaltender Adin Hill and forward Ivan Barbashev set to command a lot of money in NHL Free Agency, but the Golden Knights’ core and their array of big hitters are all under contract for the long-term.
As such, don’t be surprised if the Knights rise up to meet their Head Coach’s proclamation by going back-to-back and winning the Stanley Cup again next year. It won’t be easy - repeating never is - but this Vegas team has all the pieces, the battle scars and now the championship pedigree needed to win a second straight championship.
And then put on another party for the ages.
Although it will have to go some in order to top what we witnessed on Saturday night - a Stanley Cup celebration to end all other Stanley Cup celebrations.
Vegas sure knows how to throw a party. And now they know how to throw a Stanley Cup Parade.
I have a feeling it won’t be their last.
