Las vigas. They have seen many big wins in Las Vegas over the years.
But no grand prize in history can match the one the hockey champions the Golden Knights will receive if they once again beat the Florida Panthers at home at T-Mobile Arena tonight.
Victory in the Stanley Cup Final on tape would be nothing short of the greatest moment ever in this silly fictional town – and that might only speak for cats.
Yes, we’re there now – after only four rounds.
The Vegas Golden Knights have match ball and could decide tonight’s Stanley Cup Final (02:00 SST).
on home soil.
These kinds of conditions cause the temperature to soar toward glowing lava levels in any city, even those accustomed to hockey success, but in Las Vegas in particular, the heat is reaching degrees such that an Eyjafjallajökull-style eruption in 2010 threatens to cool down.
Yes, they’ve experienced a lot of excitement in this shimmering fantasy town in the century or so since the first casino opened on what is now Fremont Street. Legendary boxing matches, unforgettable Elvis performances, poker tournaments that gave birth to legends and crazy atomic bomb tests in the desert a few miles north of the city limits.
But what’s in Destiny now, to use the terms everyone in Vegas understands, is unprecedented.
A local sports organization – a phenomenon that did not exist at all seven years ago – can win a championship that others have fought for over a hundred years and give the entire city the previously unknown feeling of being number one.
Thus, no one was at all surprised that a general celebration had actually erupted during the training of the two knights in Summerlin. The stands in the small training hall were surrounded by enthusiastic fans and the big stars – Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, Jonathan Marchesault, William Carlsson and not least the successful goalkeeper Aden Hill – were given a standing ovation as soon as they slipped onto the ice.
Exciting, one might assume he believes – but general excitement is also threatening.
There is a danger that the huge rush of passion, the knowledge of what awaits in case of victory, becomes too overwhelming.
The entire town loaded up to celebrate
We’ve seen evidence of this many times before – including last year. The Colorado Avalanche then had a chance to make the decision in their Final Five at home in Denver, but just a few days later, in Tampa, they managed to lay down the killing dagger, and Gabriel Landeskog admitted afterwards that it was just too much when the whole town loaded up for the party of the year.
Plus, the Knights are up against a group of stubborn rare cats that already turned a 1-3 sandwich in this game, against the Boston Bruins, and they’re pretty convinced they can do it again.
– Yes, we go into this match with a lot of confidence, and we know we can do it. Swedish defender Gustav Forsling (Katten Gustav, as he is called in some contexts…) said at a press conference on Monday that they are the ones who play by pressing, we have nothing to lose.
So what should “Wild Bill” Carlson and his friends do to avoid being paralyzed by stress when they now have their dream of a lifetime within reach?
Ledas: Feelings must be silenced
Niklas Lidström, who has been in this exact situation on several occasions, responded this way to a text message yesterday:
– Now comes the cliché, but you have to “stay in the moment”. So the elimination of feelings you know will come if you win. Don’t get ahead of the events. It works, but it’s hard.
Las Vegas hopes you succeed, because the jackpot of all time in Jackpot City is coming true.
