Inside wild Las Vegas celebrations as Golden Knights win first Stanley Cup

14 June 2023 , 09:59

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Mark Stone captained the Vegas Golden Knights to their first Stanley Cup triumph (Image: Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Vegas Golden Knights celebrated in style after winning the Stanley Cup.

The Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 of the prestigious Cup. That saw Bruce Cassidy’s team win the series 4-1 to secure their first ever Stanley Cup.

The Golden Knights were only formed in 2017, and reached the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season in 2018 before losing to the Washington Capitals. Five years later, and the Las Vegas franchise lifted ice hockey's famous trophy for the first time.

Team captain Mark Stone scored three times to help the Golden Knights secure the victory. Reilly Smith, Michael Amadio, Ivan Barbashev, Nicolas Hague, Amex Martinez and Nicolas Roy also finding the net to help the Golden Knights to victory.

With a 6-1 lead at half-time, Cassidy’s team had a relatively comfortable second half on their way to winning the Stanley Cup. It was also a first triumph for head coach Cassidy, who has been coaching in the NHL for two decades.

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“The rewarding part is seeing it all come together at the right time,” Cassidy is quoted saying in the Washington Post. “Every coach in this league works hard to prepare their team, puts in a lot of time and effort, sacrifice away from your family at times, so, that’s the rewarding part. And then to get your name on the Cup is the ultimate reward.”

After the Game 5 win, the Golden Knights players were in an understandably celebratory mood after making franchise history. On the ice, Cassidy was joined by assistant coach John Stevens in lifting the trophy to present to the fans at the T-Mobile Arena.

Jack Eichel and the whole Vegas Golden Knights squad celebrated with the Stanley Cup in the locker room (Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)

After celebrating on the ice, the Golden Knights team went back into the locker room where the partying continued. Many players were captured on camera enjoying a drink of champagne from the Stanley Cup itself.

Stone, who captained the Golden Knights to their first ever Stanley Cup triumph, was overcome with emotion after being handed the trophy by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

"I can't even describe the feelings in my stomach right now," Stone told ESPN. "It's everything you can imagine.

The Vegas Golden Knights were only formed in 2017 and six years later have won their first ever Stanley Cup (Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)

“The grind of an 82-game season, four playoff rounds, you grind and you grind and you grind and at the end of the day you're the last team standing. It's incredible."

After winning the Stanley Cup, the Golden Knights are expected to take part in a trophy parade which is likely to be around the Las Vegas area. The date and time of when the parade will take place has yet to be confirmed.

Mark Wakefield