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In 2017, the Las Vegas Golden Knights staged an incredibly improbable run to the Stanley Cup Finals in their first year of existence, although the expansion team was ultimately unable to top the Capitals in their quest for hockey’s greatest prize.
The franchise proved that season wasn’t a fluke, as that 2021-22 campaign marked the first (and, to date, only) time they failed to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Golden Knights headed into this year’s postseason as the top seed in the Western Conference, and they were able to dispatch the Jets, Oilers, and Stars en route to earning the right to face off against the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Finals.
On Tuesday night, they did what they failed to do in their inaugural season with a 9-3 victory in Game 5 that brought the Stanley Cup to a city that didn’t even officially exist when the trophy was first handed out in 1893.
The win gave fans who’ve had to wait six whole years to see the Golden Knights hoist the Stanley Cup a reason to celebrate, and we were treated to some pretty wild scenes outside of T-Mobile Arena as it became increasingly clear the Panthers were down for the count.
Well it looks like Las Vegas fan base has grown pretty well through the years this is so sick outside T Mobile Arena 👀 right in the middle Las Vegas Strip 🔥🙌
🎥 @nhl pic.twitter.com/37avrjh7XZ
— IslandersLive (@IslandersLive53) June 14, 2023
Vegas fans are HYPE
pic.twitter.com/piDNjPtNfn— Playmaker Betting (@playmakerbet) June 14, 2023
The win was also a very exciting development for one spectator who’d purchased a ticket in the hopes of seeing the Golden Knights cap off a couple of parlays that had the chance to net him a grand total of $115,000 when everything was said and done.
The bettor in question was in possession of two separate tickets that hinged on a Golden Knights Stanley Cup victory to win: the first involved a bet on the Nuggets to top the Lakers in the Conference Finals, while the second featured successful wagers on Argentina to win the World Cup and Denver representing the Western Conference in the NBA Finals.
The fan arrived at T-Mobile Arena with a sizeable wad of cash already on hand, and they were more than happy to make it rain in the closing minutes of the third period after the Golden Knights added yet another insurance goal to pad their already sizeable lead.
CASHED $115K IN FUTURES ON THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS AND MADE IT RAIN AT T-MOBILE ARENA 🤑
(IG: jongrace @circasports) pic.twitter.com/zlSBCaebpd
— br_betting (@br_betting) June 14, 2023
I can’t say I would’ve gone the same route, but I also can’t blame him.