Golden Knights, Vegas police continue special bond in playoffs

LAS VEGAS -- The plan was to take a picture in front of the Enterprise Area Command, a substation of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
The Vegas Golden Knights were playing the San Jose Sharks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS).

Officers and staff members were going to gear up -- "Knight up," as they say -- for a social media post. Captain Todd Raybuck said they wanted to show the Golden Knights "the love and support they've shown us," that "we're here for you because you've been here for us."
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But the Golden Knights invited them to the practice rink instead, and so here they were Wednesday, posing in front of a police SUV in front of City National Arena, officers and staff members and cheerleaders too.
"I've been serving this community for more than 26 years, and nothing has drawn this community together like the Vegas Golden Knights," Raybuck said. "We've got this incredible sense of community now to rally around this team, and we're really excited to see them get so far in their inaugural season.
"We're waiting to escort the Stanley Cup right here in Las Vegas."
The picture speaks a thousand words about the bond between Las Vegas and its first major league professional sports team, particularly for first responders in the aftermath of the mass shooting on the Strip on Oct. 1.
One officer, Sergeant Justin Van Nest, the tall man in sunglasses and a Golden Knights jersey, was on Las Vegas Boulevard when the gunman opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay onto the Route 91 Harvest Festival of country music. Van Nest helped keep a group of about 30 people against a wall and out of danger.
"He ran the scene," officer Keith Twigger said. "The body-cam video on the news is his. Like, that's the guy."
Fifty-eight people died. Hundreds more were injured.
The Golden Knights canceled a promotional event and visited victims, families, first responders and blood banks.

At their home opener Oct. 10, each player was introduced with a first responder in the pregame ceremony. The Golden Knights literally stood behind the first responders. Defenseman Deryk Engelland, who played for Las Vegas of the East Coast Hockey League in 2003-05 and lived in the city in the offseason, thanked them in a speech.
Van Nest watched on television at home.
"Absolutely amazing," Van Nest said. "They immediately wanted to not just support the community and those victims, but also the police department and all first responders -- the firefighters, the medics and everybody that was there. They supported all of us. I don't think you could ask for more from a sports team."
But the Golden Knights have done more. It wasn't a one-time thing.
Engelland and his wife, Melissa, helped develop the Vegas Strong Hero of the Game program. They bought tickets to home games throughout the regular season for victims, families and first responders, and met with them.
The Golden Knights sent players and their mascot, Chance, to Trunk or Treat at the Enterprise Area Command, which covers the entire southwest valley, about 80 square miles and 250,000 residents. They helped pass out Halloween candy to almost 15,000 people.
"And they stayed from opening to close," Van Nest said. "They didn't just make an appearance."
As part of the Sheriff's Leadership Series, in which leaders and up-and-comers in the department learn from others in the community, the Golden Knights invited about 50 officers to learn how they put the team over the individual.

Those are just some examples.
"[The Oct. 1 shooting] was a dramatic and traumatic event," Raybuck said. "But the one thing that's gotten us through that is our community support, and the Vegas Golden Knights are a huge part of that community support. They've been there for us ever since, and I know that moving forward we'll continue to be outstanding community partners."
Van Nest was not a hockey fan before. He is now.
"Absolutely," he said. "I watch all the games."

He is not alone, and not just because the Golden Knights are winning.
"They're Vegas born," Twigger said. "This is our team. They were bred here for us. You can't go to a police station, you can't walk [past] any private desk without seeing Vegas Knights gear, because it's our community team. It's so important to us that we have that."
Especially now.
"If they had [a record] like a normal expansion team I don't think they would have had any less support, just because of the timing of the start of the season and the tragedy of that event," Lieutenant Bret Ficklin said. "They just stepped up like they'd been here 20 years. I'm a Las Vegas native. I couldn't tell you what a blue line is. But after what they did, I'm a big fan."