Looking Back At Our First All-Star Weekend

Sunday, January 29: 9:46 PM
After the All-Star Game, our group immediately shuttled back to LAX for a quick flight back home to Vegas.
For our group, as we prepare for our first season in competition this fall, it was very gratifying to be welcomed by the NHL family with open arms this weekend.
The treatment we received by the group in Los Angeles was first class, and besides having us even more excited to be part of the league in coming seasons, this weekend also created a lot of lifelong memories for our group.

And as excited as we have already been for our first games in the league next fall, this weekend served to build that anticipation even further.
We invite you to follow along on VegasGoldenKnights.com and our social media channels for more coverage, especially our new Snapchat, Golden.Knights.

Sunday, January 29: 3:59 PM
So far this season, the Metropolitan Division has dominated the NHL, with three of the league's top four teams (Washington, Columbus, Pittsburgh), and a fourth (NY Rangers) that would be within one win of first place in other divisions.

Although regular-season success doesn't always translate to All-Star success (after all, the All-Star Game is an exhibition), the Metropolitan Division skated away on top again.

And yes, their coach was Wayne Gretzky, who stepped in for Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella, who was a last-minute absentee due to family concerns.

Sunday, January 29: 3:02 PM
Goals. Goals are everywhere we look, which is great, but hopefully we don't have to ever hear this LA Kings goal horn this much ever again.
This is the goal that has stood out most to us.

Tweet from @NHL: Goodness gracious @cmcdavid97. #NHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/ipBueHDCMn
Although there were a few other things that stood out to us, too.

Tweet from @NHL: Dangle of the day. #NHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/vDtCbGdkKw

Sunday, January 29: 12:35 PM

Our group has arrived in its suite at Staples Center, where some delicious treats were waiting for us.

Tweet from @GoldenKnights: Goals are good. #NHLAllStar Golden Knights cookies and cupcakes are better���� pic.twitter.com/qXDgzMcOOv
We've settled in now. Looks like it's going to be a great day of hockey!
Sunday, January 29: 11:46 AM
Our full staff has arrived at Staples Center. As we walk around outside Staples Center, where there is a full-fledged fan fest and a lot of foot traffic and hockey exhibits and displays, it's hard not to ask ourselves how amazing it would be to host an NHL All-Star Game at T-Mobile Arena.

Sunday, January 29: 11:14 AM
Wild morning for our team.
Our team president, Kerry Bubolz, was interviewed by Channel 8, and NBC filmed a segment about our #BoldInGoldContest winners (stay tuned for more).
At the same time, despite not having any players participating, the Golden Knights have been a topic of discussion around Staples Center.

Sunday, January 29: 9:04 AM
After a great first full day at NHL All-Star Weekend, Sunday opened with a major milestone for our team.
We debuted a new Snapchat, Golden.Knights. We've enlisted the help of our #BoldInGoldContest winners to help us provide behind-the-scenes access throughout the day.

Stay tuned for more.
Saturday, January 28: 7:04 PM
Before our night finished and we return to Staples Center for tomorrow's All-Star Game (12:30/NBC), #BoldInGoldContest winner Evan Wozniak delivered a message to complete our first full day as a franchise at an NHL All-Star Weekend.

Saturday, January 28: 6:45 PM
There were truly a lot of amazing feats during the Skills Competition. Here were a few of our favorites.

Tweet from @NHL: Vroom Vroom. #NHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/fQrQVZmnJo

Tweet from @NHL: Top cheese from center ice, then this. @Burnzie88 is awesome. #NHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/WcmpUXaNLo
Saturday, January 28: 4:14 PM
Throughout the afternoon, before the Skills Competition, both our #BoldInGoldContest winners and team staff checked out many of the events outside of Staples Center.
LA Live, the complex outside of the arena that is similar to The Park outside T-Mobile Arena, was bumping. It was a mass of color, with logos of all 31 teams seen somewhere in the vicinity of the building.
The party atmosphere outside directly flowed in for the Skills Competition, which was kicked off by Snoop Dogg as the guest DJ.
Pretty hard to beat that.

Tweet from @GoldenKnights: Our first #NHLAllStar. An exciting Skills Competition. @SnoopDogg as DJ.Safe to say we can't wait to send players next time. #BoldInGold pic.twitter.com/C5m0RfjcA
Saturday, January 28: 11:15 AM
Our #BoldInGoldContest winners arrived at their hotel in Los Angeles, looking excited to represent the Golden Knights.
Saturday, January 28: 9:34 AM
Saturday started as an exciting day for the Golden Knights, starting in the morning, when our #BoldInGoldContest winners joined the team for their flight to Los Angeles.

Tweet from @GoldenKnights: It's a beautiful Saturday morning in Vegas as our #BoldInGoldContest winners depart for #NHLAllStar Weekend in LA. #BoldInGold pic.twitter.com/sXk9sbrxd
The crew is scheduled to arrive at LAX at about 10:30
Saturday, January 28: 9:00 AM
The first contingent of Golden Knights staff arrived in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon.

Shortly after we arrived, we attended the NHL 100 event, where the league unveiled the top 100 players in NHL history as part of a celebration of the league's 100th year.
While we were there, we caught up with the legendary Mark Messier, who we spoke with about Las Vegas as an NHL city.
Perhaps it's appropriate, being in LA this weekend, that Messier cited our team's birth as very much linked with hockey in California.
"I think when Wayne (Gretzky) came to LA, it opened up the opportunity, and created the opportunity for a lot of cities to become an NHL franchise," Messier said. "Not only the cities, but also created a tremendous amount of opportunities for kids to start play hockey, and dream of being an NHL player there.
"Does is surprise me? No, hockey's a global game. You can play hockey anywhere. It just shows you the amount of passion for our game all over the world, and in the southern states."
Given the stigma that Las Vegas has carried in the past as not being an ideal market for professional sports, Messier also threw cold water on the notion that pro sports couldn't succeed in Nevada.
If anything, Messier sounded optimistic when asked about how quickly he thinks Nevadans will embrace the sport.
"I don't think it's going to be different than going to any other city," Messier said. "I think there's, down in Florida there's many northern people that grew up with hockey living down there. There's many people living in Las Vegas there that probably came from a northern city that had hockey growing up. So I don't look at that as being a challenge there.
"I look at it as just being a challenge of being like any other franchise that's an expansion team that come in there and trying to get a footing and trying to create a culture and make yourself known around the world. But I don't see the city being a challenge in that regard."
As Messier's remarks closed out our Friday, we begin Saturday with our #BoldInGoldContest winners who arrive from Las Vegas this morning.