I can't tell you how many times I've told people about my affection for Las Vegas as a city. It's given me numerous opportunities to shine and an incredible community to interact with. On top of that, you have a winning franchise that has done magical things in its first nine seasons.
But what I didn't realize was that there was a documentary about the expansion team in its first season. It was called Valiant and it can be found on Amazon Prime. Originally released in 2019, the documentary featured numerous prominent figures within the Golden Knights community, ranging from Ken Boehlke from SinBin, Gary Lawless, Jonathan Marchessault, and Bill Foley.
Of course, I was tipped off to this by one of my X (I call it Twitter) followers. The documentary touched on everything, ranging from the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft to the team's magical run. But that's not all the series touched on.
It also tapped into an emotion (or two) many Las Vegas residents felt during that run. You could feel these emotions after the tragic mass shooting on October 1, 2017, happened. When the Golden Knights' fanbase was devastated by a horrific event, who's going to step up and give you hope?
I felt an overwhelming sadness and hope when watching Valiant on Amazon Prime
Originally, I was going to talk about how I only felt one emotion during the entire documentary. That would've been sadness since it talks about the mass shooting that occurred on that fateful October 1 in 2017. Thinking about the impacted families had me feeling hurt for them, especially with those families not having the people they cherished around anymore.
Of course, that feeling can also correlate to the ending of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. The Golden Knights ultimately lost that series to the Washington Capitals, 4-1. But there was another feeling that came up after watching this documentary: hope.
The funny thing about the 2017-18 run was that it fueled the 2022-23 run. Think about it for a second. Jonathan Marchessault wins the Conn Smythe Trophy during that run and celebrates alongside his fellow "Golden Misfits," Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb, and William Karlsson. That also went with Bill Foley's six-year promise, when he made the bold proclamation that Vegas would win a Stanley Cup by that time.
Think about the term "Misfit" for a second. That terminology also fits with the Las Vegas community since many citizens moved from other parts of the world. I moved from Michigan in 2019 since I felt disconnected from the "Rust Belt" attitudes and instantly found a community. Yes, there have been some bumps in the road. But not many places can say that about any city except for Las Vegas, thus the hope part.
Also, think about how fortunate Las Vegas is as a city to have the Golden Knights. You could have a team whose owner only cares about being the media darlings for FOX and the NFL and doesn't have too much of a connection to its own city. You can't say that about Bill Foley and the Golden Knights, who've turned tragedy into hope and a winning franchise.
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