Golden Knights GM George McPhee on Popularity of Vegas Hockey
- Updated: November 19, 2019
Photo credit: Erik Verduzco, Las Vegas Review Journal
When they entered the league in 2017, some would not have been inclined to take the Vegas Golden Knights seriously. After all, despite having a roster that included established veterans like Marc-Andre Fleury and James Neal, the Golden Knights were still an expansion team.
Even after opening the season by paying a poignant tribute to the victims of the dreaded Las Vegas shooting, the NHL’s newest team had gotten off to an auspicious start, tugging on the heart strings of hockey fans everywhere regardless of where their allegiance lies.
Before long, though, the soft spot others felt for the Golden Knights turned into animosity, mostly because the club had exceeded expectations, suddenly becoming a serious threat to the league’s most established clubs.
Photo credit: L.E. BASKOW/AP
Of course, in addition to the right players, the Golden Knights had the right staff in place as well, most notably George McPhee as general manager.
Just prior to Monday evening’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Toronto, I had a chance to speak with the Golden Knights GM, who was kind enough to share some thoughts on the popularity of hockey in the southwestern United States overall.
“Well, Wayne Gretzky cleared the way for part of the country,” McPhee admitted, chuckling. “He generated interest in hockey, providing opportunities for young players.”
As for Las Vegas, specifically, McPhee summed things up articulately.
“We have a tremendous following in Las Vegas,” McPhee continued. “They’ve wanted professional teams for a long time. Fortunately, the first one they got was an NHL team and they’ve really taken to it. It’s become a great thing for the community because most of the stuff in Vegas is for tourists but the Vegas Golden Knights are for locals.”
That is certainly a good way of describing the popularity of hockey in Sin City. This writer likely could not have put it any better.
Photo credit: JOHN LOCHER/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Having played parts of seven NHL seasons with the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils, McPhee made a name for himself in later years as an executive.
In 1997-98, in his first season as GM of the Washington Capitals, McPhee led his new team to a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Final where they were swept by the high-powered Detroit Red Wings.
Still, McPhee’s GM career in the NHL was off to a promising start. So, while the Capitals did struggle for a few years following their first Finals appearance, McPhee remained the go-to guy in D.C.
Over the years, McPhee would add to his stock, drafting the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Braden Holtby, gradually building a championship team until his departure in 2014.
Upon taking his career to southern Nevada, the 61-year-old continued his success as a general manager, guiding the expansion Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018, much to the chagrin of the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks, who the Knights eliminated en route.
Even though they lost the Final to his former team, the Capitals, George McPhee was largely responsible for Vegas’s unprecedented success.
So, love him or hate him, George McPhee needs to be respected for not only bringing the Golden Knights as far as they did in 2018 but for helping to make them an immediate league force both on and off the ice.
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