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See how many awards the Vegas Golden Knights have won

By Kyle McKenna

LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 20: William Karlsson of the Vegas Golden Knights poses with the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy given to the player best combining sportsmanship and ability in the press room at the 2018 NHL Awards presented by Hulu at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on June 20, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 20: William Karlsson of the Vegas Golden Knights poses with the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy given to the player best combining sportsmanship and ability in the press room at the 2018 NHL Awards presented by Hulu at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on June 20, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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The Vegas Golden Knights are the epitome of overachievers in professional sports. Find out how many awards Vegas has won since its inception back in 2017-18.

It seems that NHL fanbases have at least once experienced a point in time when their favorite team went through a string of years without winning an award, or witness an all-star caliber skater snake bitten while leaving the NHL Awards show empty-handed.

As for the Vegas Golden Knights, the team has already collected some hardware, and more than most teams can account for since joining the league in 2017-18. Does this leave a number of NHL cities bitter?

Absolutely.

Without further ado, FanSided looks at the four awards that the Golden Knights have earned.

Prince of Wales Trophy

Let’s get the big one out of the way. While Vegas didn’t hoist Lord Stanley after advancing to the 2017-18 Cup final, the Golden Knights still won the Prince of Wales Trophy and were crowned as Western Conference champions. Yes, year one in Vegas.

To put things in perspective, the San Jose Sharks have never won the Prince of Wales Trophy since the Teal’s inception back in 1991-92. Prior to last season, the St. Louis Blues earned the title three times but from 1967-70.

The Minnesota Wild and Arizona Coyotes are also teams that have never won the Western Conference, let alone advance to a Stanley Cup final.

Lady Bing Memorial Trophy

Entering the 2017-18 campaign, forward William Karlsson arguably displayed some of the nicest flowing hockey-hair the league could offer. However, the Columbus Blue Jackets specifically asked the Golden Knights to select him in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, while also picking up David Clarkson’s not-so-friendly contract.

Karlsson shocked the hockey world when he finally found the right fit under head coach Gerard Gallant’s system and with his Island of Misfit buddies on the ice.

The former 2011 second-round draft pick displayed commendable leadership on the ice with his clutch performances and positive energy during the Knights’ first season. Yet, No. 71 didn’t stop there. Karlsson recorded 78 points that season, while netting 43 goals and chipping in 35 helpers.

One year after just trying to crack the lineup for a team that (then) had never advanced past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Karlsson earned the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.

The trophy is awarded to the player that “exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.”

Mark Messier Leadership Award

The 2017-18 Vegas Golden Knights will be remembered for various reasons, but one of which was how the first-year team gave the city hope after a devastating travesty.

Most fans will always recall defenseman and team captain, Derk Engelland’s speech at T-Mobile Arena in early October after the massacre. It was then apparent that the captain was the voice of the city’s first major professional team. Yet, Engelland led his team on a historic run with his humble style and gritty play on the ice.

Engelland was awarded the Mark Messier Leadership Award in June of 2018. The honor is awarded to the player who “exhibiting best leadership.” Skaters prior to Engelland winning the award are notable names such as Shane Doan and Daniel Alfredsson – just for the record.

Jack Adams Award

Gerard Gallant and whoever took a photo of him entering a taxi one night in Raleigh, NC probably didn’t mean to break the internet in 2016-17. Gallant was fired from the Florida Panthers after a road loss to the Carolina Hurricanes and he was spotted taking a taxi back to the airport.

It wasn’t a pretty sight.

Still, the hockey universe repaid Gallant and it was well deserved for one of the most respected coaches in the NHL. Vegas bet on Gallant to lead the expansion Knights in what was expected to be a losing season by most experts.

However, hockey fans know the story and Gallant earned the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s Coach of the Year in 2017-18. The Golden Knights posted a 51-24-7 record that season.

Next. See Who Vegas Took First In The Expansion Draft. dark

Present Day

The Golden Knights continue to prove that they’re not messing around when it boils down to winning a Stanley Cup within five years of the team’s inception. The team is built to win now and for years to come. It should be interesting to see how many more awards Vegas takes home, while other NHL cities sit there and sulk – probably watching from the Casino’s in Vegas, too.

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