Fast forward to about the midpoint of the regular season. It seemed like a good time to go back to Las Vegas to take stock of the Golden Knights, who were first in the Western Conference and second in the NHL in point percentage (.726).
Oh, by the way, they were holding a fan fest downtown on a Sunday afternoon. Originally scheduled for Oct. 3, it had been canceled in the wake of the shooting. The Golden Knights had visited victims, families, first responders and blood donors instead.
Might be a neat little event, right?
Ten thousand people showed up. They lined the length of a city block at the Fremont Street Experience, six deep on each side of a red carpet, and packed an area in front of a stage. Fathers, sons, mothers and daughters. Wearing hats, shirts and jerseys. Holding signs, pens and phones. Cheering. Chanting.
"Uhhh … Unexpected?" Fleury said with a laugh. "It's crazy, you know?"
Games were over capacity. So were practices. Merchandise was flying off the shelves. Kids were signing up to learn how to skate. So many people were stopping players for autographs as they tried to drive out of the practice facility, the Golden Knights had to stop it and set up an area for kids inside.
"It's been a really cool story so far," Neal said. "Hopefully we can keep it going. This city's going to be one crazy hockey city."