The Sixteen: Golden Knights Win First Ever Stanley Cup in 9-3 Victory

The stage was set for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. It came down to the Vegas Golden Knights leading the Florida Panthers 3-1 in the series, and there was a chance to win it all in front of the Vegas home crowd.

Golden Knights fans had been waiting since 2017 for the Stanley Cup, but hockey fans in Las Vegas had been waiting their entire lives to have a team bring home a major sports championship.

The evening kicked off with a concert from Steve Aoki.

After the concert, fans were treated to a flyover courtesy of Nellis Airforce Base.

To set the tone for the evening, 'The Misfits' were the starting players for the night as William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith, Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb made the starting lineup. This decision by Bruce Cassidy was an emotional one that certainly gave chills to Golden Knights fans everywhere.

Halfway through the first period, none other than Captain Mark Stone scored the first goal shorthanded.

Just two minutes later, Nicolas Hague put Vegas up 2-0.

Heading into the middle frame, the vibes were up in The Fortress. However, two minutes in, Aaron Ekblad scored to cut the Golden Knights' lead to 2-1.

It wasn't one-goal game for long.

Alec Martinez, who is known to score big goals (including a 2014 Stanley Cup winner in double overtime) extended Vegas' lead to 3-1.

After Martinez's goal, the Golden Knights began piling it on. Two minutes later, Reilly Smith made it 4-1.

Of course, it was a true 'Misfit' goal, with assists from William Karlsson and Shea Theodore.

Mark Stone scored his second of the night five minutes later to make it 5-1. With two seconds left in the period, Michael Amadio scored to put Vegas ahead, 6-1.

To hype the crowd up even more, 50 Cent was in the building to ring the siren during the second intermission.

At the 8:22 mark in the third period, Ivan Barbashev made it a 7-1 game.

The Panthers got two back shortly after Barbashev scored, with both Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett grabbing a goal each.

Then, to make the evening even more magical, Stone snagged an empty-net goal for the hat trick. The captain, who had been injured for several months of the season, just scored three goals in the Stanley Cup Final. It was a storybook ending for a player who had dealt with much adversity over the last two seasons.

With 1:02 left in the game, Nicolas Roy secured Vegas' ninth goal of the game. 9-3 Golden Knights. The Stanley Cup now belonged to them.

Jonathan Marchessault was awarded the Conn Smythe for his dominant postseason performance. The 'Misfit' racked up 25 points in 22 games throughout the playoffs.

It was time to pass Lord Stanley around the ice. Bill Foley's dream of 'Cup in Six' was officially a reality.

The celebration moved to the locker room, and it was time to dance the night away.

🏆 - Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights)

A Stanley Cup win is emotional for everyone, but perhaps one of the most emotional moments of the night came from Keegan Kolesar, who spoke about the passing of his father.

"I thought about my old man. He passed away three years ago from COVID," Kolesar said postgame. "I'm so proud I could do this, and I know he'd be proud of me too."

Scoring Summary:
1st 11:52 | Mark Stone (9) (SH)
1st 13:41 | Nicolas Hague (2) from Jack Eichel, Jonathan Marchessault

2nd 2:15 | Aaron Ekblad (2) from Nick Cousins
2nd 10:28 | Alec Martinez (2) from Jack Eichel, Alex Pietrangelo
2nd 12:13 | Reilly Smith (4) from William Karlsson, Shea Theodore
2nd 17:15 | Mark Stone (10) from Brett Howden, Chandler Stephenson
2nd 1958 | Michael Amadio (5) from Reilly Smith

3rd 8:22 | Ivan Barbashev (7) from Jack Eichel, Shea Theodore
3rd 8:47 | Sam Reinhart (8) from Sam Bennett, Brandon Montour
3rd 11:39 | Sam Bennett (5) from Gustav Forsling, Sam Reinhart
3rd 14:06 | Mark Stone (11) (EN)
3rd 18:58 | Nicolas Roy (3) from Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb