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"The Truth Behind the Hate for the Vegas Golden Knights"
Ever wondered why the Vegas Golden Knights are as controversial as a referee's call in overtime? Strap in as my dad and I, both die-hard hockey aficionados, reveal the complexities behind the love-hate relationship fans have with the NHL's most enigmatic team. Together, we dissect the treatment of iconic players like Marc-Andre Fleury and Erik Haula, and address the rumors of corruption that snake through the underbelly of 'Sin City.' It's a candid chat that exposes the frosty ties between the franchise, its fans, and the murmurings of mismanagement that hover like a specter over the league.
In an episode packed with insider knowledge, we don't shy away from the contentious expansion draft that crafted the Golden Knights' saga. My father and I lay bare how George McPhee's cunning exploitation of other GMs' fears sculpted a roster that blindsided the hockey world and sent ripples of envy through the stands. With a narrative that twists from underdog triumph to bitter acrimony, this discussion is not just for Vegas loyalists or the team's detractors—it's essential listening for anyone mesmerized by the high-drama theater of professional hockey.
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Hey guys, have you ever scrolled down social media and seen nothing but hate talk for the Vegas Golden Knights? Well, sit down with us today and we're going to explain the reasons why we believe there is so much dislike for our Vegas Golden Knights. Alright, everybody, welcome back to another episode of the Vegas Guys locker room. It is Sunday. I am once again joined by my old man, hello everyone.
Speaker 1:And we are talking hockey and we're talking why are the Vegas Golden Knights so hated? In such a short time they become one of the most polarizing teams in the NHL. And a lot of hate mail out there. There's a lot of hate mail out there. So what do you think are the biggest things so far that has kind of driven that into why people hate it and what's going on there.
Speaker 2:Well, I think it had to do with the first year and how they treated the players, some of their star players at that Like Flurry was one of the star players and how they did him and it got rid of him right after the second year. I mean it's like wow, everybody thought he was French at school and then they did Haller. Haller shows up for practice and finds out that his key card don't work, so he's locked out. I mean, it was how they did things. And then he found out on Twitter that he was out, and those were the things that got people angry. That's how a lot of our Vegas fan base turned on him because of how they were treating the players.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean I don't add enough. Who was trying to? You know they tried to trade mid-season Yep no trade clause, which you know they were unaware of the certain teams that he didn't want to be traded to and you know things didn't go, went poorly from there and we never heard the information about that, how that even came about.
Speaker 2:Why didn't Vegas not know about it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was there. I think the whole thing was murky and so I know a lot. It rubbed people a lot the wrong way and people kind of did it. I mean I know people have talked about management, corruption.
Speaker 2:Explain some of that A lot of a lot of what it is is okay, Vegas, people that don't have been to Vegas and they look at Vegas, they think of Vegas as Sin City. Sin City, corruption, the mob, and so they link all that together and that's where the hatred comes from. They hate it and we did so well from the start, that's, and everybody automatically went to corruption yeah, they went right through it. So and, of course, thinking corruption, that leads to hatred and that's where the hatred came from.
Speaker 1:I think you're right. I know that a lot of people think that the mob stole from Vegas, but no, it's. It's Fortune 500 companies. Now.
Speaker 2:I'll tell you, Vegas is changed from me. I got married here in 83 and it's totally, totally different.
Speaker 1:Totally different, Completely different aspects. What do you think it all developed and stemmed from this, this growing hatred for the team. I think I think the expansion draft had a big key role on why people don't like this.
Speaker 2:The expansion draft was big because of okay, when you look at other expansion teams like Atlanta, and that they never made it. They did, they had to make changes. So you don't want to create a team and then all of a sudden they're not around anymore because they couldn't make it in the NHL. First of all, it's a bad sign for the NHL. So they had to make rule changes. They changed the rules. The only bad part was other GMs didn't do their research. They didn't find out what they should be doing properly. They were scared to make moves. Where George McPhee was the GM here and he made all the right moves. He knew what he was going to do. He had a plan set. Other GMs didn't make a plan. All they were doing is worrying about losing their good players.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think George McPhee played on that fear and he did a great job doing it, because these guys made a lot of side deals and it grew a team.
Speaker 1:Now, don't forget, leading into that first year, everybody said that we had the worst roster on paper and we were expected to finish last. So before you start now, you got all the great players in the draft Hold on a minute. It wasn't the case when the season had started. In fact, I bet just on the nights to win the cup because the odds were so astronomical.
Speaker 2:I knew it was the odds. It was an opportunity.
Speaker 1:Everybody's got to shine the NHL once, that being said, seattle had the same rules. Now Seattle had to build their team a quite a bit different way, because everybody had learned from how Vegas had used that fear against them and built our team the way they had Right. So now Seattle, going into the expansion draft, didn't get a lot of those side deals. In fact we're under the floor cap and had to go out and get like Philip Grubauer, who was a Vezna finalist the year before, and spend a ton of money because they were 10 million under the floor.
Speaker 1:Under the minimum, yeah, under the minimum. So they had to spend money just to get to the minimum spent for the season. So I mean, it's the same rules, two different outcomes. Unfortunately, seattle's wasn't as glorious as Vegas and George McPhee was just my most reminder.
Speaker 2:Well, not only that, the other GMs knew now after the first expansion. They knew okay the mistakes they made. They learned from them and they didn't make them during the Seattle expansion. That was a big difference, you know. It just happened to be that that's how it went. People with the GMs and other teams were just too scared to make moves. When George McPhee was like, hey, this is what I'm going to do. And he did them and you know it was only a little. I mean it was, it was smart, he would, he made a plan. The other GMs didn't make a plan. They didn't research, do their research.
Speaker 1:I think another reason people have disliked this so much is our use of the long term IR cap space that you know.
Speaker 2:Listen but it's available for everybody.
Speaker 1:Just remember Nikita Kutcher off when the Tampa Bay Lightning made their run. He sat out the entire year and they made a big joke about it when they celebrated that first Stanley Cup. The fact is, the rule is in place for everyone to use and I guarantee there's no hockey player saying, yeah, I got, I'm going to sit at the last three months.
Speaker 2:There's nobody doing it and the main entrance. I could do that either. I mean they want to win just like anybody else.
Speaker 1:And these, these players, yes, and they play for pride when they're out there on that that ice. They're talking smack and listen the guy who said he wants to be out there, those guys want and they all want to win.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they all want to win. And listen, this year it started up again with the Rumblings when Mark Stone went down. But listen, he's not even guaranteed to be back for the playoffs because of that last orated spleen and exactly, I know that's. That's something that a lot of ex players said that happened. They didn't expect him to be around. They seriously really doubt that he'll be around for the playoffs. Now they're still holding on hope and we'll see what happens. But yeah, it's the same rule.
Speaker 2:Well, we made the trade for hurdle and hurdle can fill us back. He's out, yeah, but if he comes back, that's all it's going to do is take Stone's place, and which is going to help us, and we need it. We need it right now because, according to my view of the team, they're not in their playoff mode right now. They are not.
Speaker 1:And, speaking of that, people dislike us a lot for the trades that are made, because every year we make a big splash in the trades and you mentioned this year is one of Tomás Hurdle coming up from San Jose. But I know the biggest speculation is that is because San Jose didn't give anything, get anything in return. We think they got a prospect and 2025 is first round pick and we got two thirds and Tomás. Hurdle and we got San Jose to retain 17% of his contract.
Speaker 2:San Jose. I mean, I don't understand their reasoning. During this year and all the decisions, it's like they got rid of their whole team because next year they want to start off straight. Of course I understand the fan base is not happy with that. They want to win, they want to win. That's all there is to it. And again the GMs look ahead. If they know they can't do it this season, okay, we're going to put everything in the basket next season. That's how a team management makes fine decisions.
Speaker 1:You got to. Yeah. So this like stems from all those big trades that we made, the stone trades we've done in the past. But listen, they're getting trades on this. I mean, patcher-odi was another move that was made big time. But listen, for Patcher-Odi I think there's only one guy we really gave up in all those trades because we gave up a lot of young players and a lot of good young talent that haven't manifested yet, except for Nick Suzuki, who we did give up to Montreal to get Patcher-Odi. But hey, listen, those are the gambles you got to make. You know, you got to make these gambles, you got to be willing to spend the money. Some Owners are just not willing to spend that money and I think that's huge for us is because our owner wants to win now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and a lot of the fan base that haters so much don't think of that. Yeah, they don't look at that now they, they really don't.
Speaker 1:And you know, yeah, we make big trades, we make big splashes. You knew that we're gonna do it again this year, because that's just our.
Speaker 2:M oh, like, like I said at the beginning of the year you know they Of the first season. We had everything going for us, oh yeah, and we got the notoriety we got and they built up our team, they made our team that, they gave us the momentum, they gave the fan base, created. Everything happened that first year and it was a phenomenal Seen and it just didn't happen. It was all. It was all all looked at carefully. The Bad part about that was a lot of the other GM's didn't do their research and follow, no, what we were doing. Well, we knew how to play the expansion and they should have done the same thing, but they didn't do the result. They were just too busy hanging on their players.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it just created a lot of animosity.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know, I think, the key moments that led into this, you know, of course, making that Stanley cup that first year, and everybody on out, okay, it's very, especially With October.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, when they had the October shooting. You know all that. But then again that's what created the fan base and you know, and it wasn't playing like that. It happened, but you can't blame the team for that. Don't hate the team for that. It was just a creation of a good team, plain and simple, and it brought out the best of everybody. That was the best thing.
Speaker 1:It brought out the best of every player, everybody on everybody out there, who of course was not a Vegasville nice fan. That first year of course went to the. You know the show. They want to bring something positive to Vegas. I get it. And when we compare it to the Patriots in 01, exactly, I never saw that. Because when you know 9-11 and that tragedy that happened, why wouldn't you want a New York team there?
Speaker 2:Right, why? Why Patriots? Yeah, so I wouldn't I get it.
Speaker 1:It's called the Patriots, but I would, you know another young. Everybody thought we were gonna be this push over. And then, with the shooting that happened on October 1st, everybody thought, okay, they feel sympathy, they want to bring something positive to Las Vegas. And they think they, they gave us basically a free ticket to the Stanley Cup playoffs. And and then, of course, we got to the Stanley Cup finals the first year, and I think that's where the, the hatred guys started, you know, and it's it's, it's one of those reasons people don't like us.
Speaker 2:Exactly well, because they don't know the true facts of of the whole thing on that first year. That first year had everything to do with momentum and it was the players. It was the players that put all that together and got the season going. I mean, it just happened that way. And and the fan base, just because they were a new team, they just hated it for it. But you can't take, you can't put hate on something that somebody's doing the right thing. It's the NHL, it's not Vegas, it's NHL.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Well, I think the only reason and just to summarize why people don't like us here, it is we win, Exactly we win, they don't like the fact that we won the Stanley Cup in six years.
Speaker 2:And we're in the playoffs.
Speaker 1:Five out of five of the six, five of the six, when their team is still sitting at home waiting to get their first Stanley Cup. Yep and I just it's just pure jealousy.
Speaker 2:And now that we won, the Stanley Cup in the six years. Yes, I would not even put more fire to the place along on there because we became those that lovable underdog Yep into the evil Empire saying that that's the only comparison I see with the Patriots is they were the lovable underdogs and then they became the evil Empire.
Speaker 1:Yeah so that's why I take it, and I think that's the only reason people dislike us is because we simply win.
Speaker 2:We're not, we're not and by then, doing as well as they do, they make people talk more about Vegas, absolutely, and that's the whole point of it and that's what pisses the cost, the fan base off.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's it. That's got them around up as simple. Just us winning.
Speaker 2:Yep, why are you talking about my team? You should be talking about my team.
Speaker 1:That's all the time we've got for today. Thanks for joining us. Thank you and we'll see you in the next one, guys.