LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights have never been short on their contributions toward Southern Nevada since entering the league in 2017. Be it in season, or offseason, the Knights have stitched themselves into the valley’s fabric for sports and entertainment.
“It’s two ways – the impact the team’s had on the community and the way the community’s had an impact on the team,” defenseman Zach Whitecloud told The Hockey News recently. “I mean, we’re a team that’s community-based, we like to do as much as possible as we can in the community.”
Since the Golden Knights’ inaugural season, the state of Nevada has seen growth in hockey participation, increased hockey programs and expansion into new communities, and new facilities to meet the high demand.
The arrival of the Golden Knights resulted in a 268% increase in total number of hockey players. To date, the NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund has invested $3.6 million to support the Golden Knights’ youth hockey programs. The team introduced extensive learn-to-skate and NHL/NHLPA Learn to Play programs, and built strong community partnerships with Clark County School District, the City of Las Vegas, and the Boys and Girls Club to create greater access to ball hockey.
The Golden Knights also created LosVGK, a Hispanic/Latino community outreach program introducing hockey to people of all ages who are new to the game.
In 2016 when the Golden Knights were granted a franchise, Southern Nevada had three community ice sheets. Now, there are seven sheets of ice, more than doubling the access to ice for the community.
In June, Whitecloud, a member of the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition, was joined by fellow members JT Brown, Anson Carter, Julie Chu, Mark Fraser, Jordan Harris, Georges Laraque, Al Montoya, Abby Roque, Anthony Stewart, and P.K. Subban for a Ball Hockey Clinic at the James Boys and Girls Club.
The group donated $20,000 on behalf of fellow coalition member and former Golden Knight Ryan Reaves to provide 10 Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada with street hockey equipment and staffing for two months of hockey programming. The group also donated to provide a 500-square-foot mural at the James Boys and Girls Club, leaving a long-lasting memento that will be a tribute to youth hockey.
It marked the 11th community event hosted by the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition this season, celebrating hockey with hundreds of boys and girls across North America.
“Vegas is my home,” Reaves, now with the Maple Leafs, shared in a text message with The Hockey News. “The Boys and Girls Club helps provide a safe place for underprivileged kids to be kids and explore sports. There wasn’t a better place for me to help grow the game of hockey. The most recent donation will help provide equipment for that facility and hopefully help grow future NHLers, or at very least a few new hockey fans in an area that may not usually be exposed to the game.”
Now, just in the first month of the regular season, the Knights’ fast start doesn’t just have them sitting atop the Pacific Division, but once again support their community.
From feeding fans to giving them entertainment at one of the city’s premier venues, to providing valuable fundraising for the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation.
The team announced Tuesday that with the support of team partners, the team has:
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Scored 39 goals in seven home games – 44% more than the next closest team – raising $9,750 for the VGK Foundation, in partnership with Naqvi Injury Law, which donates $250 for every goal scored at T-Mobile Arena.
“Obviously, with our community goals as a team we like to try and get out, do activities, go to different places, be a part of the community, be out amongst it, and it’s a great place to live,” Whitecloud said. “Being a being a part of that comes with being a part of the community. Personally, I don’t think of myself as someone in the community, I’m just a part of the community. Our community makes us feel that way and we’re proud to be a part of that and I’m proud to take part in that.”
