Vegas Golden Knights: Three reasons to be thankful for on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is all about being appreciative of the people and things you have in your life and, for many of us, the Vegas Golden Knights will factor into that.

Happy Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for? I know I am incredibly thankful to be able to cover the Vegas Golden Knights, and long may that continue!

Although it hasn’t exactly been a vintage start to the 2019-20 regular season for the Golden Knights, they also had a similar record this time last year and then went on an incredible run.

So have hope. Because, while this roster does feature its fair share of flaws, it is still one of the best constructed teams in the NHL, and its loaded top six forward unit alone will win games.

There is still a hell of a lot of hockey left and I firmly believe that the Vegas Golden Knights have the weapons at their disposal to be able to see off the Vancouver Canucks and the Arizona Coyotes, before challenging the Edmonton Oilers for the Pacific Division.

Anyway, back to the point of today and there is a lot to be thankful for. I have whittled my list down to three…

Hockey in Vegas

We have had an NHL franchise in Las Vegas for a few years now but it is days like today where you can take a moment and really be thankful for having a hockey team to support.

Not many people predicted that the Golden Knights would be a success, and fewer could foresee just how much of a home run awarding Las Vegas a hockey franchise has been.

The organization has got it right both on and off the ice and, while the team are in win-now mode, the infrastructure is already in place to ensure that hockey keeps on growing throughout the Vegas area, even when the success isn’t there on the ice.

It has been one hell of a ride so far with one trip to the Stanley Cup Final and another postseason outing last year, and hopefully we will have a deep playoff run to look forward to this year.

But, one thing is for sure, there is nothing quite like hockey in Sin City.

George McPhee / Kelly McCrimmon

Front offices in hockey are vitally important, and the Vegas Golden Knights should be incredibly thankful for having two incredible hockey minds at the helm.

President of Hockey Operations George McPhee started this whole process and his hard work and knowledge of the NHL has ensured that the people of Las Vegas has had a winning team to cheer for from the very start.

And then there is General Manager Kelly McCrimmon, who took over as the GM of this franchise in the summer following reports that teams like the Edmonton Oilers were interested in his services.

You can see why they would be.

After all, both McPhee and McCrimmon are responsible for the team we see on the ice now, and they have reset the blueprint when it comes to building a hockey team from scratch.

Not only did they build a team in the image of Head Coach Gerard Gallant, giving him all the tools to succeed from day one, they have also been incredibly aggressive in making sure that this team keeps moving forward.

From signing the likes of Paul Stastny in free agency to making bold trades for stars in the ilk of Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone, the tandem of McPhee and McCrimmon have done everything in their power to put the Vegas Golden Knights in the best possible situation to succeed.

And they will continue to do.

There will be some flexibility when it comes to cap space at the Trade Deadline, and don’t be surprised if the front office make a big move or two if they feel it will help push the Knights over the finishing line and towards the Stanley Cup.

Mark Stone

There are a number of different ingredients that go into making a Stanley Cup contender but, chief among them, is a legitimate game-changer.

And the Vegas Golden Knights have that in Mark Stone.

Stone has all the intangibles that normally go into the makeup of an elite player in the National Hockey League, and he’s also a different breed.

Because, as well as being able to produce offense in a big way and come up clutch, Stone is also one of the premier two-way forwards in the NHL.

Through 27 games the wing has 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points, including nine power play points and one game-winning goal.

But, to go along with that production Stone has also blocked 19 shots, dished out 13 hits and he already has 22 takeaways after leading the league in that category last year.

Stone is also Captain Clutch and he has that big-game mentality, which will be key down the stretch and during the postseason.

I’m incredibly thankful that the Vegas Golden Knights have a player like that at their disposal.