Golden Knights Receive Commemorative Golden Rooster

When it comes to Chinese New Year, animals take on symbolic meaning.
In the Year of the Monkey, the association is with the animal's cleverness, which is often equated to that of a smart person.
Similarly, the Year of the Ox, with oxen considered a significant part of farming in an agricultural society, is meant to represent diligence, persistence and honesty.
Years of the Horse, Snake and Goat similarly have certain characteristics associated with their beginning, with all Chinese New Year animals meant to be a predictor of character traits that will be rewarded in that calendar year.
With this being the Year of the Rooster, 2017 in the Chinese calendar is supposed to be a year laden with trustworthiness, as well as a strong sense of timekeeping and responsibility at work.
As the Golden Knights seek to embody all of these traits as we build towards our first NHL season starting this fall, the Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas awarded team owner Bill Foley with the symbolic Golden Rooster on Thursday to help ring in the Chinese New Year.

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"We're going to prominently display it because it is our launch year," team president Kerry Bubolz said. "It's the Year of the Rooster. It's so unique, it's so awesome to learn about other cultures."

Of course, when it comes to hardware, a hockey team receiving a Golden Rooster isn't exactly commonplace.
Mandarin Oriental general manager Donald Bowman elaborated on how Thursday's presentation came about.
"I think this was a great opportunity to really show our welcome from the community to the Golden Knights," Bowman said. "Of course, we know there's a huge support for professional sports and the professional sport of hockey in Las Vegas. From a business person's perspective, the Golden Knights are going to do an enormous amount for our business, and other businesses.
"I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to really say thank you for being part of our community. And celebrating Chinese New Year with you, as you were born in the Year of the Rooster."

But still, a "golden" rooster for the Golden Knights?
"We found a Golden Rooster; of course, they're not all golden," Bowman said with a laugh. "It's something only a Mandarin Oriental concierge could find.
"I truly believe that this rooster, 'Stanley,' is going to bring a lot of luck to the Golden Knights. It's just a placeholder in the trophy case until they win the Stanley Cup."

No, our team's new Golden Rooster isn't the Stanley Cup.
But for a team yet to have a roster, receiving a rooster was a memorable way for our team to begin building its trophy case.