Vegas Championship Parade More Than Just A Stanley Cup Celebration
Las Vegas, NV. – After prevailing over 31 other teams in order to hoist the Stanley Cup, the Las Vegas Golden Knights were set to host a championship parade and rally on the Las Vegas Strip. While this was an opportunity to throw a party with hundreds of thousands of the team’s biggest fans, there was a deeper meaning attached to it.
Just nine days after the 2017 Las Vegas shooting on the Strip, the city’s new NHL team hosted its first-ever regular season game. The Golden Knights retired the number 58 in honor of the number of victims. The team rallied around the city, embraced the “Vegas Strong” attitude, and helped heal a community that experienced extreme trauma. The 2023 Stanley Cup parade and celebration once again showed that the sport of hockey is much more than what it seems to be, especially in the city of Las Vegas.
Stephen R. Sylvanie
On Saturday, June 17, the Vegas Golden Knights and fans filled the Las Vegas Strip and celebrated like there was no tomorrow. The sound of fans cheering, the smell of presumably every beer in existence being chugged, and the sight of confetti falling everywhere accompany all professional sports championship parades. Vegas had no shortage of any of those but had an additional goal in mind; to remind everyone of the reason behind the win.
As one of the team’s in-arena hosts Mark Shunock declared at the parade, the win was not all about the Stanley Cup. It was also about mending the city from tragedy. On stage, the “Vegas Strong” banner with 58 stars honoring the 58 victims was raised for all to see behind the player's speeches. Not only have the Vegas Golden Knights done everything correctly on-ice this season, but they have done right by the city that welcomed them back in 2017. Winning the Stanley Cup was not only a result of hard work and determination but a culmination of what the city has hoped for and deserved for six years.
AP Photo / John Locher
