Happy Fourth of July, from everyone here at Vegas Hockey Knight! It's time to celebrate America's independence from British royalty and the freedoms we have as a nation. It's also time to fire up those hot dogs and hamburgers while firing off some fireworks.
Just make sure your hands are intact and you practice handling your fireworks safely. We don't want anybody's hands looking like Jason Pierre-Paul's now.
With that, let's have a little fun on Independence Day and taunt the British with some tea. We're going to add a Golden Knights twist to this glorious holiday and honor some players who embody the American spirit.
It doesn't matter if they're captains of the team or represent the United States during international play. All I know is that these players are everything the red, white, and blue is all about (even if one of them happens to be Canadian).
So let's celebrate America's birthday and the Golden Knights. After all, you wouldn't have hockey in Las Vegas without a little revolution against a British king!
1.) Mark Stone
Okay, so Mark Stone isn't exactly American. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which essentially disqualifies him from ever running for office. That's not even mentioning the fact that he's not 35 years old. It's a shame because he would make for a fairly solid President of the United States.
I mean, look at this photo above! He exudes Presidential energy all around, especially at the podium. That comes with being the Captain of the Golden Knights, after all. Scoring 108 goals and 215 assists in seven seasons with Vegas will get you such recognition.
Who knows? Maybe Congress and the Supreme Court will make an exception and let Stone run for President in 2028. Considering how crazy the United States has gotten in the past decade, it wouldn't surprise me.
2.) Noah Hanifin
Last season, Noah Hanifin had a decent campaign in Vegas. The defenseman scored 10 goals and 29 assists, chipping in 106 blocked shots in the process. While he got off to a bumpy start in his first full season in Las Vegas, he eventually turned it around and became a threat.
But the Boston native is more infamous for being Jack Eichel's best buddy. Their friendship dates back to their youth hockey days in Massachusetts. Heck, both were picked in the top five of the 2015 NHL Draft (Eichel was second overall with the Buffalo Sabres while Hanifin was fifth overall with the Carolina Hurricanes).
3.) Jack Eichel
What else is there to say about the Massachusetts native? He scored 28 goals and 94 points last season, marking an arrival as a premier player. Now? He's got Mitch Marner on his wing, making him even more potent.
He also had an impressive showing at the 4 Nations Face-Off, scoring four assists. Overall, 2024-25 was a banner year for the American center, for he finally showed the world what he was capable of.
What will 2025-26 bring to the table? Stay tuned. But Golden Knights fans know one thing. Their "Captain America" will come through in a clutch, ready to save the day... and America.