"A pact I made with my son," Brett told NHL.com prior to the game.
Brett, who played 21 years with the Kansas City Royals, said he and his son, Jackson, picked up the Vegas Golden Knights' fever when they went to their game against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on Oct. 7. It was Vegas' second game of the season.
"The next thing you know, we started following them," Brett said. "And they got off to that tremendous start. My son is going crazy."
Brett said Jackson would call him after every game.
"He'd just say, 'Dad, they're still winning, they're still winning,' " Brett said. "So, I made him a pact that if they make the Stanley Cup Final, I'll go to a game."
And that's why he booked a weekend trip to Washington. That's why Jackson was wearing a Marc-Andre Fleury Golden Knights' sweater inside Capital One Arena.
Brett said Game 3 was his first Stanley Cup Final game he has ever attended. He grew up in Southern California and used to attend Los Angeles Kings' games, especially in the baseball offseason, when Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille were playing.
Now he has a new team.
"I can call myself a Knights fan," Brett said. "What an inaugural season."
Brett said he and Jackson chose to attend a game in the nation's capital instead of Las Vegas because they haven't visited D.C. often. They also did some sightseeing.
Brett admitted his hockey knowledge is limited, but he does have a stake in the game. He and his brothers, Bobby, Ken and John, have owned the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League since 1990. Bobby runs the team as president. George isn't involved.
Brett said he was offered to buy a minority stake in the Golden Knights with a group of other investors, but he passed on the opportunity. It hasn't stopped him from getting swept up in Golden Knights' fever, though.
"I've been watching the playoffs with the Knights as much as I can watch," Brett said. "I'm just so very impressed by how they skate. I mean, aren't they faster than most teams?
"We're going home tomorrow. I know I'll watch the game Monday."
