As expected, the Vegas Golden Knights celebrated in style as the famous strip were shut down to celebrate the city’s first major sports title. The Golden Knights had already lapped up the spoils of victory following the emphatic 9-3 Game 5 win to claim the Stanley Cup vs. Florida Tuesday, but there was more to come Saturday night.
‘Vegas has become a market just like all the other major ones now, slowly but surely,’ coach Bruce Cassidy said Friday. ‘You gotta build some history to do that. And to build history you gotta win championships.’
Tens of thousands of fans packed out the Toshiba Plaza which reached capacity and beyond, cheering on its heroes as they went on a 1-mile parade route around Sin City. Prior to the parade, Las Vegas police said they prepared for upwards of 100,000 people to cram street-level viewing areas along Las Vegas Boulevard.
The parade route, arena and plaza also hosted a championship victory celebration last September, after the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Connecticut Sun to win the WNBA Championship. The women´s basketball team also plays at T-Mobile Arena.
Always a mecca for boxing and sportsbooks, Las Vegas now boasts the NFL’s Raiders and an upcoming Formula One race amid ongoing efforts to attract MLB’s Oakland Athletics and an NBA expansion franchise.
Following the capture of the Stanley Cup Tuesday night, players from the NHL’s best franchise turned up for DJ Steve Aoki’s performance at Omnia Nightclub. Given recent events, Sin City is increasingly at the center of the sports world.
