So some of you wanted more from the "Fun Facts" side of things. Most of you knew various tidbits and pieces of lore, making the article obsolete. I've gone harder than before and compiled more facts.
Now, there aren't the Vegas Golden Knights facts you're thinking off the top of your head. You probably didn't know these things about certain players, leaving you in the dark.
Believe me it kept me up at night, leaving me to dig harder. So what are we looking at here?
Well, I had to think outside the box for five facts. For example, who scored the last goal in the 2023 Stanley Cup run? Who has the most goals per game? These facts are far out, so buckle up, dear reader.
1.) Shea Theodore scored the first playoff goal in franchise history
Game 1 of the 2017 first round was a doozy. There wasn't much scoring to the point where the score was 1-0. It was a goaltender battle between Marc-Andre Fleury and Jonathan Quick, with Fleury ultimately winning the battle.
But who scored the first playoff goal in franchise history? It was none other than Shea Theodore, who scored in the first period. Tomas Nosek assisted that goal and Fleury got the first playoff shutout in history. Ironically, Theodore wasn't one of the stars in that game, with Fleury, Quick, and James Neal grabbing the honors.
2.) Nicolas Roy scored the last goal in the 2023 Stanley Cup run
Fans will remember Mark Stone's historic hat trick in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup. It didn't matter if it was a shorthanded goal or an empty-netter. The Captain won the Stanley Cup and nearly won the Conn Smythe.
However, Nicolas Roy capped off the Stanley Cup run with a goal with 1:02 left. He buried a goal in front of Sergei Bobrovsky after multiple rebounds, putting an exclamation point on a dominant championship run.
3.) Max Pacioretty has the most career goals per game in Vegas Golden Knights history
Believe it or not, Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault don't lead this category. One would think that having multiple franchise records or being the team's face would earn you such an honor. But that's not the case here.
Instead, it's Max Pacioretty, who averaged 0.43 goals per game during his Vegas residency. Putting things into perspective, Eichel is second with 0.41 goals per game while Marchessault is third with 0.37.
4.) Ryan Reaves is tied for seventh in Golden Knights penalty minutes all-time
People remember Ryan Reaves for getting into fights and bullying people on the ice. To this day, Evander Kane is still cowering like a chicken from thinking about the Battle 4 Vegas legend. However, fans will be surprised to see he's not as high in one category as people would believe.
Reaves has 158 penalty minutes in his Golden Knights career, good enough to be tied for seventh in franchise history. He's tied with Zach Whitecloud in this regard, which is an interesting combination. So who has the most penalty minutes in team history? That would be Brayden McNabb with 322.
5.) Ilya Samsonov is fifth in Golden Knights history
Fans aren't going to remember Ilya Samsonov much, aside from him making Steve Dangle's head explode against the Utah Hockey Club. The Russian goaltender was forgettable overall with a GAA of 2.82 and a save percentage of .891.
However! He's fifth in team shutouts with two! He got one against the Calgary Flames on December 29, 2024, and got another against the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 7.
BONUS: William Karlsson wanted to be a soccer player
William Karlsson wanted to play for AIK Football. It was his goal to become the Swedish Cristiano Ronaldo and take over Europe's soccer scene. Ultimately, he chose hockey and won a Stanley Cup, which is cooler.