Not many Vegas Golden Knights fans remember the old days of the Detroit Red Wings. Going back to the 1990s, the Red Wings were the most hated team because of their success. They were consistent winners who always got the best players, whether it was Brendan Shanahan or Sergei Federov. Back in the day, the Red Wings were IT. Heck, the Red Wings had the "Hockeytown" moniker bestowed upon them.
Now, you have the Vegas Golden Knights as your Stanley Cup champions. They're the new team everyone hates, mainly because of their consistent success. Now, Bruce Cassidy isn't Scotty Bowman and probably won't be as such. However, there are some similarities between the two franchises. What's the one constant between the two?
Incredible Ownership Coupled With a Top-Tier Front Office
The Detroit Red Wings were run by a passionate owner named Mike Ilitch. The Detroit native cared so much about winning that he'd pour millions of dollars into winning rosters. Whether it was Luc Robitaille, Brett Hull, or Dominik Hasek, there wasn't a player Ilitch would pass up. All he'd do was tell Jim Devellano or Ken Holland which guys he wanted.
The result? Six Stanley Cup Finals appearances during his tenure, bringing home four Stanley Cups to the Motor City. With the Red Wings dominating the non-salary cap era and some of the early salary cap era, they were the envy of the NHL world. A team built on a winning culture, led by an owner willing to win. That's what the Vegas Golden Knights have now.
With Bill Foley building a winning culture in Las Vegas, the Vegas Golden Knights have become a successful franchise like the old-school Red Wings. Granted, they don't have the Stanley Cups that Detroit has, nor is it possible they'll gain as many. However, the foundation is in place for a successful run.
That's why general manager Kelly McCrimmon got the likes of Anthony Mantha, Noah Hanifin, and Tomas Hertl. With the team in win-now mode, the Golden Knights are a team that simply reloads. They don't care about draft picks, but rather about bringing home another Stanley Cup.
The Price of Being Successful
The result is becoming the envy of the NHL. With successful trades and a winning culture breeds many hockey fans wishing they had something like this.
"Why can't my team get players like Tomas Hertl?"
"Why can't we consistently get to the playoffs?"
"How do the Vegas Golden Knights get to the Stanley Cup Finals twice in their first six seasons? It's not fair!"
Well, it's something like this. Establishing a winning culture starts at the top, as proven by Mike Ilitch's will to win. With Chris Ilitch and Steve Yzerman now running the show, the Detroit Red Wings have worked hard to recreate that magic. That was done by acquiring the likes of Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat this season. It's proven successful, with the Red Wings sitting in a playoff spot.
The Golden Knights can recreate that same magic in the modern NHL era. With a winning owner and front office, Vegas can replicate that success and bring home another Stanley Cup. Who knows? Maybe the Vegas Golden Knights and the Detroit Red Wings will meet in the Stanley Cup Final at some point.