Golden Knights Stanley Cup championship parade live blog

Welcome to the Vegas Golden Knights championship parade. After winning their first Stanley Cup title with a 9-3 victory against the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday, the Golden Knights are celebrating with a procession along a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard followed by a rally in front of T-Mobile Arena. NHL.com independent correspondent Paul Delos Santos is there to provide the sights, sounds and highlights from the festivities.

RELATED: [Golden Knights celebrate with parade, party on The Strip]

12:45 a.m. ET

The festivities have come to a close, so it's time to sign off. Be sure to check NHL.com later today for further coverage from here.

12:15 a.m. ET

The 2023 Stanley Cup champions have hit the stage with the Cup. After slipping onstage, William Karlsson is shirtless. The crowd is going wild for this.

Midnight ET

The "Vegas Strong" banner from inside T-Mobile Arena, honoring the 60 people killed in the mass shooting nearby on The Strip on Oct. 1, 2017, is hanging outside the arena for the occasion. Golden Knights in-arena host Mark Shunock tells the crowd that those names will never be forgotten and prods the fans to send up a loud cheer in honor of those lost.

Minutes later, the fans chant "Cup in Six" -- a reference to owner Bill Foley's stated timeline for the expansion Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup within six seasons, which they accomplished this week right on schedule -- as Foley addresses the crowd from the stage. Foley says the team is not done, but he won't make any predictions.

11:30 p.m. ET

The buses have arrived at the rally, and the players will be onstage in about half an hour.

11:15 p.m. ET

Elvis is in the building! Flamingos are here at Toshiba Plaza as well. The party will continue once the buses arrive.

11 p.m. ET

Toshiba Plaza is at capacity, according to KTNV television, with more fans on the outskirts. The buses are nearing the end of the route with the crowd still cheering them on. Confetti is flying. No official word yet on how many fans are in attendance.

10:45 p.m. ET

Beads are flying out of the buses. It's like Mardi Gras in Las Vegas as the parade inches closer to Toshiba Plaza and T-Mobile Arena.

10:30 p.m. ET

The Bellagio fountains are providing a backdrop to the festivities. Players are spraying champagne into the crowd. Mark Stone has gotten off his bus and started high-fiving fans.

10:10 p.m. ET

Mark Stone and Jack Eichel are two of the players on the first bus. The crowd roars when Stone, the Golden Knights captain, lifts the Stanley Cup. Owner Bill Foley is also on the bus, which is starting to make its way down Las Vegas Boulevard.

9:55 p.m. ET

The parade is turning the corner to Las Vegas Boulevard. The police cars are escorting the buses to The Strip. The Vegas Vivas dance crew and drum line are marching down the street leading the procession.

9:45 p.m. ET

Fans have been lining up all day for a chance to enter Toshiba Plaza, site of the post-parade rally. Staff members are handing out gold towels, flags and pompoms, and some on the buses are tossing out T-shirts and cups to drivers on Frank Sinatra Boulevard.

The party is just getting started.