They say you have to enjoy it. To soak up every moment. To share it with your friends and family. Win or lose, being in the Stanley Cup Final is special. Lots of players never get the chance.
For this version of the Vegas Golden Knights being in the Final is an excuse to get the family together. The whole family.
Families which raise an NHL player make untold sacrifices. Money, time, energy. Parents drive to practices and games. Siblings get carted along to travel tournaments. So now, during the best two weeks of an NHL players' time in the game, everyone gets to share in the fun.
The VGK Family Lounge was bursting Saturday night with over 100 family members of the team in attendance for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Jackie Stone was still a bit nervous. Cam Theodore wanted to talk about his very impressive playoff beard. Bob Eichel had a size extra-large smile on his face. Vegas had just taken a 5-2 win and while the players were in various stages of post-game routine, their families were enjoying the moment of being together and having just watched their sons, brothers, husbands or dads take a 1-0 lead in the SCF.
The Stanley Cup Final, at least in Golden Knights style, is a family affair.
"None of us get here without our families. It's reality. I don't get to play the game I love without my parents putting in all the hard work," says Alex Pietrangelo, a VGK defenseman and father of four. "My wife and kids. Players talk about sacrifices at this time of the year. My wife has to make more sacrifices than me at this time of the year. More time and energy than I have to. She gets in. She's been down this road. Without her I wouldn't be able to do what I do, now and in the regular season."
Cam Theodore has been a regular on VGK Father's Trips since the team began holding them. He's a happy guy and loves being around his son and his teammates.
"It's awesome to have my parents here. Whatever excitement I have, it's triple on their end. They're so pumped and excited for me and the team," said Shea Theodore. "You come out of the dressing room and it's so cool to see everyone is in town and doing this together. Cheering everyone's kids on. Every parent happy for all the players. It has that minor hockey tournament vibe to it. It shows what kind of family we are around here."
Brett Howden was in for a surprise when he got back to Vegas after the Western Conference Final and his house is currently packed with family.
"I have 13 people here. My father-in-law. My wife. My parents. My two sisters and my brother and their significant others. And all my siblings' kids. It means a lot. Once we clinched against Dallas I found out they had already booked flights. I'm glad I didn't know that," said Howden. "My parents mean everything to my hockey career. Well, everything not just hockey. They let me go away at a young age to do what I love. It wasn't easy for my mom. I was the baby of the family and to see her youngest leave was tough. But they supported me. And it's great to see the smiles on their faces right now."
Hockey parents spend a lot of hours with their kids. Driving to rinks for practice and games then standing, shivering and watching from the stands.
There are lots of nights, take a Tuesday night in February in Columbus, when the Golden Knights are just about the only support one another have in the building.
But a home game in the SCF? That's a different situation.
"Mom and dad, aunt and uncle and then my girlfriend's family. All here and it's great," said Nic Hague. "You don't get here without them. It means a lot to me. These people, everyone at the game for me, they're my biggest supporters. They're with me."
Hague says he takes a lot of joy in seeing his teammates' families.
"You get to know everybody's family over the years. We're one big extended family," said Hague. "So we get to share it with everyone. My family really enjoys it and I'm sure that's the same with everyone."
