They did it! They really did it!!! They won!!!!
The Stanley Cup trophy will reside in Las Vegas after winning the fifth game of the Stanley Cup Finals outscoring the Florida
Panthers 9-3.
The entire town went wild!
The Vegas Golden Knights have a storied history wrapped in destiny. The team was founded in 2017 after several years of trials and tribulations.
Founded in 2017, they made it to the finals of the Stanley Cup tournament their first year in the league! Just six
years later they the historic Stanley Cup beating the Florida Panthers in the fifth and final game.
The Golden Knights compete in the National Hockey League Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Jonathan Marchessault was the team’s leading scorer in 2023.
Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, Reilly Smith, William Carrier, Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb are the only six remaining members of the Golden Knights who played in the inaugural season.
If you’re a hockey fan you’re probably up to date on the
team, it’s history and accomplishments. As interesting and amazing as
the team’s accomplishments are, I find another aspect of the team to be most compelling.
The Visionary – Bill Foley
The Vegas Golden Knights became the first major professional sports franchise to be based in the Las Vegas market. A lot of people feel the team’s success was one of the factors that prompted the Raiders to come to “Sin City”. The birth of the Knights also became the first NHL expansion team since 2000.
The team is owned by Black Knight Sports & Entertainment, a consortium led by Mr. Foley and the Maloof family, former owners of the Palms Hotel.
It has been a wild ride from the beginning with many hurdles to overcome. It became evident Mr. Foley had a vision and was not to be deterred. He committed to pay the league’s whopping $500 million expansion fee and began building the building blocks very methodically. He hired the team’s principal staff and began building the teams future identity. Foley hired former Washington Capitals general manager McPhee became the team’s first general manager. In November 2016, the name of the team was revealed as the Vegas Golden Knights
The name itself didn’t materialize by accident. Mr. Foley attended the United States Military Academy. The Black Knights are an elite West Point parachute team that Mr. Foley believes, “Is the epitome of the warrior class.” Thus, the Golden Knights is a tribute to the elite group of military warriors.
“Golden” was included in the name because Foley stated, “Gold is the number 1 precious metal”, and Nevada is the largest gold producing state in the America.
So, now that we have a little background on the current Vegas Golden Knights creation – who is Bill Foley?
Mr. Foley is a former attorney, specializing in financial services. He’s a “self-made” billionaire. He is chairman of Fidelity National Financial, Cannae Holdings and Black Knight Financial Services. Mr. Foley is the lead investor, chairman, and CEO of Black Knight Sports & Entertainment, a consortium that owns the Vegas Golden Knights. He is also managing general partner of Black Knight Football and Entertainment, which owns Premiere League football club AFC Bournemouth and a stake in French Ligue 1 club FC Lorient. As of 2023, Mr. Foley has an estimated net worth of US$1.6 billion according to Forbes.
By any standard Bill Foley is a visionary, brilliant businessman and winner. We’re glad to have him in Las Vegas!
