- Vegas ranks fifth in the NHL in wins (401) and first in playoff wins (76) since debuting in 2017-18
- The Golden Knights have reached the Stanley Cup Final three times and won it in 2023
- Read below for how one expansion team changed the way pro sports looks at Las Vegas
The Golden Knights open Season X on Tuesday night against the Blackhawks at T-Mobile Arena. A giant “X” is frozen into center ice and stitched onto every road jersey this year, marking a full decade since Vegas landed its first major professional sports franchise.
Its reach stretches well beyond the ice. Vegas convinced other leagues the city could support more than casinos and tourists, and the rest of pro sports followed. The NFL’s Raiders moved to town in 2020, and the WNBA’s Aces arrived in 2018.
Major League Baseball’s A’s are relocating to Las Vegas in 2028, the PWHL expanded there this year, and the NBA is now exploring an expansion team of its own.
None of it happens without the winning. Since debuting in 2017-18, Vegas ranks fifth in the NHL in wins with 401 and first in the league in playoff wins with 76. The Golden Knights have made the playoffs in eight of nine seasons, reached the Stanley Cup Final three times and won it all in 2023.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told NHL.com what Vegas has built in its first ten years. “It’s been tremendous,” Daly said. “Obviously incredible things that the organization has accomplished.”
Commissioner Gary Bettman credited the way owner Bill Foley set the franchise up from day one. “[Foley] and his people have done everything that you would want to do in Las Vegas for the creation of the first major league professional team there,” Bettman said. “It’s worked well, and I think it’s given Las Vegas an identity beyond The Strip.”
Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog was asked what Vegas has meant for the rest of the league. “I’d be lying if I said they didn’t make this league a better place,” Landeskog said. “It makes our league and the Stanley Cup that much harder to win because Vegas is in it.”
Vegas’ only captain, Mark Stone signed a two-year, $18 million extension this offseason to stick around for the anniversary season.
Mitch Marner made a similar bet last summer, leaving Toronto for an eight-year, $96 million deal. He reached the Cup Final in his first trip with Vegas and led every playoff scorer with 29 points.
Marner explained why the move clicked so fast. “The great thing about Vegas is the passionate fanbase, the team you get to play for,” Marner said. “They have high standards for everyone.”
League revenue has nearly doubled since Vegas’ first season, on pace to hit $8.1 billion this year, according to Bettman. Chicago is just the opponent standing between the Golden Knights and Tuesday’s anniversary kickoff.
