Champions! Golden Knights win Stanley Cup, revel in coronation

June 14, 2023 / by Ben Gotz

THE GOLD JERSEYS WRAPPED around Mark Stone as he came to the T-Mobile Arena bench.

The record announced crowd of 19,058 was deafening as hats hit the ice behind the Golden Knights captain. But all that mattered to the Knights was each other, as they pulled in for a tight embrace that was the purest distillation of the bond that brought the team to its ultimate goal.

Spurred by a hat trick from Stone, the group completed its journey to the pinnacle of hockey in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night. The Knights put in one of the best performances of the postseason to eliminate the Florida Panthers with a 9-3 win and become the seventh franchise in NHL history to win a championship in six seasons or less.

Gold streamers fell from the rafters as the team finished its six-year journey from expansion team to championship club by piling on top of one another by the glass behind its net. The Knights are the 21st active franchise to clinch a Cup, and they did it with depth, determination and a deep commitment to one another that will stand the test of time. Their reward is being linked forever, as their names will join the 3,489 already etched on hockey’s hallowed hardware.

Owner Bill Foley said “Cup in six” before his team even played a game. In year six, the Knights got it done.

“It takes an entire organization,” said right wing Jonathan Marchessault, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP. “This is something we will always remember. It’s an unbelievable feeling. It’s definitely the best feeling in the world.”

The buildup

It felt more like a coronation than a game from the beginning.

The fans — who entered excited after a pregame concert from DJ Steve Aoki and a flyover from two F-15 and two F-35 fighter jets from Nellis Air Force Base — erupted before the first puck drop after a surprise from first-year coach Bruce Cassidy. He started five of the Knights’ remaining six original members — Marchessault, left wing Reilly Smith, center William Karlsson, and defensemen Brayden

ABOVE: Confetti showers the crowd during the Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup championship celebration outside T-Mobile Arena on June 17, 2023. ELLEN SCHMIDT / LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

OPPOSITE: Golden Knights fans celebrate during a rally at Toshiba Plaza after the team’s Stanley Cup championship parade on June 17, 2023. CHITOSE SUZUKI / LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL