There isn’t a soul alive who looked at the assortment of castoffs and retreads who made up the Vegas Golden Knights’ opening-day roster and said, “Yep, that’s a Stanley Cup finalist.”
That’s what made the “Golden Misfits” label so endearing.
But while national pundits expected the worst from the team — along with indifference from the city — they tended to agree on one other prediction: It’s Vegas, so at least the games will be entertaining.
They had no idea.
Pregame pandemonium
Just as the National Hockey League had never seen anything like the Golden Knights, hockey purists had no idea what to make of the team’s bonkers pregame show that only grew more over the top with each playoff victory.