Golden Knights energized by fans at open practice ahead of Game 4 of Cup Final

LAS VEGAS -- It was hard to tell who was enjoying the Vegas Golden Knights’ open practice on Monday more -- the fans who jam-packed the practice facility or the players themselves.

As they have done all season long, the Golden Knights welcomed fans to City National Arena in Summerlin for an open practice, but this time the stakes were much higher. The Golden Knights are two wins away from winning the Stanley Cup, leading the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 in the best-of-7 series with Game 4 at T-Mobile Arena on The Strip on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, SN, TVAS, CBC). 

Not surprisingly there was a standing-room-only crowd ranging from senior citizens to infants. They cheered when the players first came onto the practice rink, chanted “Go Knights Go” several times during the 45-minute session, and a few even hung around afterward to see the extra players and scratches get in some work. 

“It's really cool. It's a passionate fan base, it's a loyal fan base, and you know what, they've gone through a lot with us and honestly, it's hard to say really how (much) it means,” forward Keegan Kolesar said. “You look back years ago, and having no fans (during COVID), you realize how much we need it, they need it.”

In fact, coach John Tortorella said he believes his team gets an extra boost from having fans at every practice, something few teams in the NHL do. 

“I think the players practice harder,” Tortorella said after the practice. “They're entertainers, they love having people around to see them play. So, I thought it was fantastic today.”

And the feeling is mutual. 

Donna Summey and her two sons, Declan, 10, and Oden, 7, were thrilled to be at the open practice for the first time on Monday. Standing inches from the rink, Donna and her boys had big smiles on their faces, especially when the pucks from Vegas players blasted off the glass behind the net. 

“It’s pretty amazing to see these guys up close,” Donna said. “I think it’s pretty cool how they make it open. They’re probably already used to the crowds, so it doesn’t bother them. I know it makes a difference for the kids to be able to see them.

“And the part about hockey, they make it more of a family type of thing. They are community-oriented as far as sports goes.”

The Golden Knights arrived in the NHL around the same time Declan was born. He has been hooked on hockey and is now playing his third season in the Vegas Junior Golden Knights program. 

He said the best part of the open practice is, “I get to stand right next to the Golden Knights players.” 

Vegas forward Mitch Marner, who grew up in Toronto, can relate. 

“It's something that you remember doing as a little kid, is always trying to watch NHL guys, trying to get out to practice, summer skate, trying to just watch them at all times,” Marner said.  “So that's where your memory goes back to, is when you were a kid trying to watch NHL guys skate, and just how fun it was to kind of just watch what they did.”

Forward Nic Dowd, who was traded to Vegas from the Washington Capitals this season on March 5, said he would have loved to have had a chance to watch NHL players up close while growing up in Alabama. 

“You get to see a bunch of these little kids that were just all of us at one point in our life,” Dowd said. “I didn’t have an opportunity to come and watch NHL players practice, being that I lived in Alabama. But I think looking back at that, if I was a kid and had an opportunity to do that, that would be pretty special. 

“For fans to get to come in and engage right on the glass and get to watch practice and see guys, and kids can get pucks and whatever it may be, it’s pretty special. Vegas has done a great job incorporating that into their organization. That speaks volumes to the players and people within the organization as well.”

Defenseman Rasmus Andersson, who like Dowd was traded to Vegas during the season (from the Calgary Flames on Jan. 18), said practicing in front of fans is something he had to get used to. 

“It's different what I've been used to, you know. In Calgary, we had one practice a year where there was a lot of fans, and so it's different,” Andersson said. “It's fun, and you know, it's exciting for them to see kind of what we do on a practice day, so it's a lot of fun out there, honestly. 

“And you know, you catch yourself staring up, it's a lot of people, and all of a sudden it's your turn to go in practice, so not quite used to that. So, but it's fun, and you know, I hope they enjoy as much as we do.”

The number of fans at the open practice and the Vegas players embracing them being there speaks to the special relationship between the team, which played its first NHL season in 2017-18, and the Vegas community. 

“We really appreciate them coming and finding time to support us at our practice,” center Jack Eichel said. “We feel the support of our fans the whole year. If it's a Tuesday in February and we're practicing at 11 o'clock, there's people in the stands supporting us.

“It's incredible being a part of this community and representing them. I think all of us, as players, really feel that, and yeah, it was, it was really cool, obviously, they come out to practice, and the amount of people that were here today, it seemed like there was no, nowhere to sit.”

Tortorella said he senses the strong relationship between the community and fans in each of the Stanley Cup Final cities. 

“I mean, this is the Final. It's both buildings during the regular season and throughout the playoffs,” Tortorella said. “(The fans) love their team, they show up to support them. They're reaping the benefit in watching the first three games of this series. I think it's been very entertaining for them, and to have them come out here today. 

“There is a bond.”