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Vegas Golden Knights honor first responders and shooting victims during emotional pregame ceremony

By Ian Oland (@ianoland) on October 10, 2017 | 1 Comment

If the Vegas Golden Knights end up as good as their touching pregame ceremony was opening night, they are going to be a very, very successful franchise.

Tuesday, after over a year of waiting, the expansion Golden Knights finally played their first home game against the Arizona Coyotes. But it was the minutes before puck drop that were the most memorable. In the shadow of a harrowing mass shooting that killed dozens of people and injured hundreds more, the Golden Knights held an emotional pregame ceremony in which the team honored the shooting victims and first responders.

The most poignant tribute was a 58 second moment of silence for the 58 people lost in the tragedy.

Video

Here’s a another look.

The Golden Knights’ message was all about uniting the community and moving forward with courage and strength. For the game, the traditional board advertisements were replaced with the phrase “#VegasStrong.” On top of that, the team opened with a video honoring the unsung heroes of the city including doctors, police officers, fire fighters, and nurses.

During player introductions, the franchise also announced a select first responder onto the ice. Each received a loud ovation.

The ceremonial puck drop was conducted by survivors of the Las Vegas shooting.

During the national anthem, which was performed by a member of the Route 91 Harvest Festival Team, first responders, the Golden Knights, and the Arizona Coyotes lined up behind each other as the survivors stood at center ice.

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Before puck drop, defenseman and Las Vegas native Deryk Engelland was given the mic and addressed the crowd at T-Mobile Area.

“Like all of you, I’m proud to call Las Vegas home. I met my wife here. My kids were born here and I know how special this city is,” Engelland said. “To all the brave first responders that have worked timelessly and courageously throughout this whole tragedy, we thank you. To the families and friends of the victims, know that we will do all that we can to help you and our city heal. We are Vegas Strong.”

Once the puck was dropped, it was all Vegas.

2:31 into the first period, Tomas Nosek would score the franchise’s first home goal, going seven hole on Antti Raanta.

Engelland, like a fairy tale, would score the team’s next goal. In his previous 471 career games, he had scored just 22 goals.

The Golden Knights would score four goals in total in an explosive first period, taking a 4-1 lead into intermission.

They’d win 5-2.

The Coyotes and Golden Knights both saluted the crowd at the end of the game. What a night.

Headline photo: @PR_NHL