Golden Knights cherish Stanley Cup parade, remember 'Vegas Strong'

LAS VEGAS --Bleary-eyed revelers woke up Sunday morning to find the iconic Julius Caesar statue in front of Caesars Palace wearing a Vegas Golden Knights jersey, complete with hockey stick in hand, over his trademark loin cloth.

Just in case anyone needed a reminder of the surreal celebration that was the Golden Knights' Stanley Cup victory parade down the famed Las Vegas Strip less than 24 hours earlier.

Which, for the most part, they didn't.

Almost six years after the horrific mass shooting that took place at Mandalay Bay and left 60 dead and more than 850 injured, tens of thousands flooded the streets on and around Las Vegas Boulevard again in what many called the most memorable event around here in recent times, this time with a much more uplifting outcome.

RELATED: [Golden Knights celebrate with party on The Strip | Vegas championship parade live blog]

In a place that has hotels modeled after the New York City skyline, a medieval castle, and a giant glass pyramid, that's saying a lot.

All because of a hockey team located smack dab in the middle of the desert.

All these thoughts were going through the mind of Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon when he rode in the parade past landmarks like the Bellagio Fountain, looking up and down Las Vegas Boulevard at the estimated 100,000-plus people who lined the route.

Could all this be true?

This was, after all, a franchise that, as owner Bill Foley pointed out in the post-parade pep rally, was mocked upon its inception by some in traditional hockey markets who quipped that it would be difficult, given Las Vegas' geographical location, to skate on sand.

Who knew, in only their sixth season, the Golden Knights be walking on air, hoisting the Stanley Cup over their heads, much to the glee of those shoehorned on the sidewalks to get a glimpse of their hockey heroes?

"I knew it would be amazing," McCrimmon told NHL.com, reflecting on the day. "I just had no idea to that level. To experience that was incredible. The amount of people, how well it was done, the energy in the crowd, just everything about it.

"It was magnificent. It was a beautiful moment for the city because of how passionate they are about our franchise and what it means to them."

What the Golden Knights mean to Las Vegas, judging by what was witnessed Saturday, cuts deeper than just a championship sports franchise.

This is a community where the word "boredom" does not exist in its vocabulary. From the felt gambling tables to its cache of Hollywood shows, there is a glut of things to do. And now, with the Las Vegas Raiders firmly entrenched, talk of the Oakland A's moving here and, perhaps, an NBA franchise on the horizon, the professional sports market stands to be saturated, too.

Will attendance dip if the Golden Knights start losing? Remember, this is a team that has yet to face real adversity, magically reaching the Western Conference Final four times, the Stanley Cup Final twice, and winning it all this season. And now, with other pro sports leagues following the NHL's footsteps into Nevada, is the notoriety of hockey here in danger?

That remains to be seen, but judging by the vibe around town, it seems unlikely for a handful of reasons.

First off, the locals have a bond with the Golden Knights. This was the first professional team in the so-called Big Four sports (NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL) to come here. It didn't relocate from somewhere else like the Raiders from Oakland. They feel this was their team from Day One, which will always give them a special relationship.

Secondly, the Golden Knights brass did a great job from the get-go marketing the team. Critics had a legitimate point when they asked why out-of-town visitors would come to The Strip to watch hockey when there were so many other things to do, but that wasn't the audience the team was targeting. The people who call Las Vegas home 12 months a year, they were the target audience.

That bond between community and team solidified in the heartbreaking time immediately following the shooting tragedy of Oct. 1, 2017. With the Golden Knights scheduled to play their first-ever home game nine days later, the team changed its tact, steering away from the original honoring-the-birth-of-the-franchise celebrations to honor the victims and hail the efforts of firemen, doctors and first responders.

The community hasn't forgotten what the Golden Knights have meant to the healing process.

When the rally outside T-Mobile Arena started, the "Vegas Strong" banner inside the rink, listing the names of the victims, was brought outside and dangled above the stage. Golden Knights in-arena host Mark Shunock told the crowd those names will never be forgotten.

The ensuing heartfelt cheers were sprinkled with tears. It was an emotional moment on a day full of them, and a reminder of how a team and a one-time broken city were partners, hand in hand, on the road to recovery.

You don't forget a partnership like that, no matter the won-loss record of the team you cheer for. There is a much more human layer to it.

"It's been there from Day One," McCrimmon said. "And the interesting thing, and I've told this to people along the way, it was so entirely genuine.

"It was driven by the players at the time. This was them waking up the next morning asking, 'What can we do? Where can we go? How can we help?' Obviously, the organization took the lead on it, but this came from the players, and I think that created a bond that remains incredibly strong to this day."

Six years later, the Golden Knights had a chance to thank the city, just like the city had a chance to thank them.

"The celebration was for the fans," McCrimmon said. "We've had different events for the players and the coaches and their families, but this was for the fans.

"It was phenomenal, what they did."

The pinnacle of the ceremony may have come near the end of the rally. With the Cup on stage, and players spraying each other with champagne and beer while surrounded by Vegas showgirls, they joined the massive crowd to sing "Viva Las Vegas" by the legendary Elvis Presley.

At this point, coach Bruce Cassidy couldn't help himself. The man who was fired by the Boston Bruins one year earlier amid allegations that he was too strict, too hard, too unforgiving, started dancing and swiveling his hips, all the while wearing a smile of unbridled joy.

Hardly the actions of someone unfairly labeled as being too serious.

Then again, the outpouring of love from the fan base hardly resembled the actions of a community that not so long ago was labeled a non-hockey market.

Because it is now.

All you have to do is drive past the statue of Caesar today to see that.