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Hockey players are known for flipping a switch and taking their game to the next level when the Stanley Cup Playoffs roll around each year, and there’s typically plenty of bad blood between the teams that find themselves facing off against each other while on the hunt for hockey’s greatest prize.
The squads that compete in the NHL postseason head into things knowing they’re going to encounter some increased physicality and plenty of the gamesmanship guys like Tyler Bertuzzi have deployed to try to gain an edge, but the vast majority of the hurdles they encounter are typically restricted to the ice.
However, it appears the Golden Knights have really gone out of their way to make life difficult for their opponents based on some accusations that have surfaced out of Las Vegas.
It was hard not to root for the Golden Knights when they staged a wildly improbable run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2018 on the back of the expansion draft acquisitions who led them there in the franchise’s first season of existence.
However, it’s become incredibly easy to root against them thanks to a number of managerial decisions that have rubbed fans across the league the wrong way as they’ve slowly but surely evolved into one of the most unlikeable teams in the NHL.
Now, Vegas has given its haters even more ammunition thanks to a new claim that was floated during a recent episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast concerning the team’s ongoing first-round matchup with the Winnipeg Jets.
During the show, co-host Elliotte Friedman noted the Golden Knights had refused Winnipeg’s request to turn the lights at T-Mobile Arena on before the start of their allotted practice time when they faced off in the Western Conference Finals in 2018.
Now, it sounds like the team has unlocked a new level of pettiness, as Friedman said he heard the Jets were not exactly thrilled after they arrived at the arena this week and discovered an exercise bike reserved for Jets players had apparently had its pedals removed prior to their arrival.
It’s hard to imagine that was an oversight when you consider pedals are pretty essential when it comes to using that particular piece of equipment, and while I’m sure some fans will appreciate that kind of trolling, Vegas still isn’t doing itself many favors if it’s looking to rehabilitate its image.