I love playoff hockey.
As I sat on my couch yesterday watching Game 5 of the NHL Western Conference Finals my hands were shaking, my blood pressure was elevated. In short, I was a nervous wreck.
I was a wreck because this new team, this band of (Golden) misfits have wormed their way into my heart. I'm a fan, dismissing my Detroit Red Wings fandom for this new upstart, this team that shouldn't exist.
I have no physical connection to Detroit, I just liked the team growing up. The Red Wings are responsible for many of my memories when it comes to NHL hockey. The 1997-1998 back-to-back Stanley Cup champions were a great team, I loved them having rooted for them since the early eighties when I was just becoming a sports fan.
But a lot of my fandom is like that.
In college, I went to a school that doesn't have intercollegiate athletics. So I'm a sports free agent so to speak. My first college football memory is Bo Schembechler pacing the sidelines, of big offensive linemen wearing helmets with wings bowling over the other teams defense and big, bruising running backs chewing up yards.
Yes, I am a Michigan fan. I dabbled locally, tried to become a fan of the UH Cougars, but my heart wasn't fully in it. I never went there but I bleed Maize and Blue. Oddly, I don't 'hate' Ohio State (mostly). I married a Buckeye so I'm OK with them. Yes, I want to beat them at everything, and they have some of the rudest fans I've ever met, but when it comes to pure sports 'hate' I'm firmly in the anti-Sparty column. There is nothing about Michigan State that I like at all. They have zero redeeming qualities and it's wins over them that I covet more than anything.
In pro sports it's a different animal. I've always been a Houston Astros fan first and foremost. They are my #1 team in all sports. Last year was almost a religious experience for me. Outside of that however the local teams don't really move the needle for me.
I pull for the Houston Rockets, but NBA basketball is not all that interesting to me. I find the off-season to be far more interesting than anything they put on the court. It was cool back in the 90's when the Rockets won, but not life-changing.
I was good with the Oilers, and like every other Houstonian I was depressed when they went away, but I've never bought into the replacements, the Houston Texans. I could care less if Bob McNair's prayer circle wins or loses. When it comes to the NFL I am now, and will always be, a 49ers fan.
Again, I have no connection to the city, I've never even been there. But growing up all it took was Ronnie Lott, Roger Craig, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana and the rest of the team to hook me for life.
And then we get to Vegas.
Unlike the other teams I DO have a connection to Vegas. The wife and I visit the city 3-4 times per year and it's become like our second home. It's not even the casinos or the tourist areas, but the local gems that we've come to love. Would that I could find employment there I'd make the jump in a heartbeat. I don't like what's happened recently to Houston, I'm ready to let it go.
So Vegas got a team and we went all in. Granted, just as almost everyone else, prior to the season starting I thought they would be lucky to win 20 games. They were an expansion team, I was ready to suffer through several seasons of possibly competitive, but ultimately losing hockey.
Then game the draft. And, unlike others, I was kind of stoked by the team they crafted. Of course I LOVED Mark-Andre Fleury, I thought he gave them instant credibility in the goal. I like the pick-up of James Neal, I thought they had some interesting options at Forward with Marchessault, Karlsson and Riley Smith, I really like the pickup of Nate Schmidt, and Derek Engelland as well. All in all I thought this team might not be all that bad.
I could have never imagined this.
After the tragedy of October 1st the wife and I sat and watched not only the first game against Dallas, but the first home game, the one that was so well done in memory of the victims. We continued to watch, and cheer, and (most often, living in Houston) follow the team online.
And they continued to win. And win some more. Even with Fleury and Malcom Subban and Maxime Legacy getting injured for a brief period of time this team won. Suddenly they were in first place in the Pacific division and showed now signs of slowing.
They got healthy, finally got Fleury back and we watched from afar as T-Mobile became the Fortress in more than just name only. We FINALLY got to attend a game in February, bought a ton of Vegas Knight's gear and it's been all systems go since then.
Like much of Vegas we've fallen in love with this rag-tag band of misfits, cast-offs, a team that shouldn't even be here, but somehow is.
We've become Golden Knights fans over the course of the year, and it's been glorious.
GO KNIGHTS GO!!!!!!!!!
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