Reliving the day the Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup

Getting out of work for a Vegas Golden Knights watch party

It's June 13, 2023. I was working at the Animal Foundation, going through another day as the KEPPT Coordinator. Getting ready for the upcoming week and stocking up the pet food pantry was just another Tuesday. But game five of the Stanley Cup Final was going to be huge. As in hundreds of thousands in attendance at the Toshiba Plaza-huge. This was a can't-miss event where the masses would cheer in unison for kept promises from seven years ago.

After all, who wouldn't want to see a Stanley Cup prophecy fulfilled in the sixth year? It would be a testament to ownership's might, making challenging decisions along the way. Such an opportunity comes once in a lifetime, so I approached my supervisor about getting out early. There was no way I was missing the ending of this movie.

Luckily, she was reasonable and easy-going about the whole situation.

"As long as you got the PTO for it, you're good."

That was enough for me to head out of the shelter for half a day and drive to Toshiba Plaza, overwhelming heat be damned. There's nothing more important than a potential clincher. That's especially true when it's the local team set to win the entire Stanley Cup playoffs. Of course, getting there early was key since there would be so many people.