You can't say it enough. Life's good for Vegas Golden Knights fans. Your team's in first place in the Pacific Division, you have a Hart Trophy candidate in Jack Eichel (39 points, fourth in the NHL), and you're in the hunt for the President's Trophy. Sure, 31 other fanbases might hate your guts. But who cares? You have a record of 18-7-3 and 39 points. It's good to be the king.
In fact, Bruce Cassidy has become well-known for his fast starts. In 2022-23, he got the Golden Knights off to a 13-2-0 start, eventually leading to a Stanley Cup victory. The next season? An 11-0-1 start that broke NHL records, including the best start by a defending Stanley Cup champion.
This season was no different, with the Golden Knights starting the year 9-3-1. That included an 8-0-0 start at T-Mobile Arena, where the team feasted off the home crowd energy. Hot starts for Vegas have become an inevitable part of life as a result, similar to death and taxes.
But when was the best regular season finish for the Golden Knights? What was the result for the team that season? Was it with Marc-Andre Fleury in net or Jack Eichel skating up and down the ice? Let's dive into the numbers and see when the Golden Knights flourished the most.
Not surprisingly, 2022-23 was the best regular season for the Vegas Golden Knights
Before we get started, this will talk about 82-game seasons for the team. Therefore, 2019-20 and 2020-21 are gone from the conversation. With the shortened season (and regional competition in 2020-21), you can't tell what the Vegas Golden Knights would've done in that campaign.
2021-22 isn't the best campaign, either. That's for obvious reasons, such as it being the only season where the Golden Knights missed the Stanley Cup playoffs. Ironically, it wasn't the worst full season points-wise (94 in 2021-22), for that honor goes to the 2018-19 campaign (93).
However, the next season was the best regular season. In comes Bruce Cassidy, unleashing a strong forechecking style from the Golden Knights. In turn, they earned 111 points and won the Pacific Division. But the team went beyond winning the division. They also won the Stanley Cup, defeating the Florida Panthers in five games.
While Marc-Andre Fleury wasn't there to celebrate, Jonathan Marchessault and company fulfilled a promise kept by Bill Foley. Six years prior, the owner promised a Stanley Cup to Las Vegas. The result? A happy ending that has everyone smiling in Toshiba Plaza.
Fans will never forget what happened in that amazing 2022-23 campaign. It was a year the stars aligned, with key pieces like Marchessault, Eichel, and Mark Stone leading the way. The good feelings are there for the team now. But will it lead to franchise records and another Stanley Cup? Stay tuned.