A 3.8 magnitude earthquake hit west of the Las Vegas Valley just before 2 p.m. on Thursday, and it was felt throughout the entire city.
A few hours later, crowds around various watch parties for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final throughout Las Vegas for Golden Knights fans to watch their team battle the Carolina Hurricanes almost could have registered on the Richter scale.
Whether it was T-Mobile Arena, Circa’s Stadium Swim, Henderson’s Water Street Plaza, UnCommons in the southwest part of the valley, the quake didn’t rattle fans from cheering on the Golden Knights.
Fans started lining up outside T-Mobile Arena nearly two hours before doors opened in another scoring afternoon in Las Vegas with temperatures eclipsing triple digits. The experience inside the Golden Knights’ arena for a Game 1 watch party was so good, fans made the trip out again for Game 2.
“It was actually like being at a game without people on the ice. It was crazy,” said fan Amy Long who was at Tuesday’s watch party with her friend Jayme Terrigno. “It was so good. The arena itself made a great job of making it as if you were at the game.”
Said Terrigino: “I’m a sports fan of a lot of sports, but there is literally nothing like being a Knights fan and being around other Knights fans. It is just the best experience.”
Crowds around Southern Nevada lived through another emotional game. The Golden Knights went ahead 1-0 in the first period and they held a 2-0 advantage into the third period.
The Hurricanes erased the deficit and scored on a power play goal to take their first lead of the game. The crowd at Henderson’s Water Street District Plaza collectively leaped out of their lawn chairs as Mark Stone’s goal with under 90 seconds left in the third period tied and score and sent Game 2 into overtime.
Everyone in Henderson let out a collective groan as Carolina scored the game-winning goal in overtime to win Game 2 and even the series at 1-1 heading into Saturday’s Game 3 in Las Vegas.
‘It’s a community’
Fans were sporting their Golden Knights attire from jerseys and shirts, to more extravagant gear such as capes and Knights helmets.
Kristopher Murphy was at T-Mobile Arena and was decked out in his own personal hockey gear from the adult league teams he plays on, which plays at America First Center in Henderson and other ice rinks around the city.
Murphy said he is a newer hockey fan and this year was his first season following the Golden Knights after attending a preseason game between Vegas and the San Jose Sharks this season.
“For me personally, it’s just been the energy. The fans – it’s a community,” Murphy said, who moved to Las Vegas from California five years ago. “It’s like a family community just for hockey.”
Murphy lives in Centennial Hills and said T-Mobile was the closest watch party for him. He’s been to several regular-season games and got a taste of what playoff hockey looks like for the first time after seeing the Golden Knights host the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference semifinals.
“It was the first time I went to a playoff game, the energy was different,” said Murphy, who was filling in at an adult league game at America First Center on Tuesday and couldn’t watch Game 1.
“Everything was just (day and night) from the regular season (games) I’ve been at to the playoffs. Everyone’s supporting the team in the regular season. But when it’s the playoffs, everyone wants us to go further. That’s what we’re all here for is just to see the team succeed.”
Parties for everyone
Watch parties at Circa’s Stadium Swim, a 21-and-over facility, and even at T-Mobile Arena have their perks for the adult crowd. But at Henderson’s Water Street District Plaza, there was more of a family-type environment with the amount of children matching the adults.
“It’s a good environment because we bring our kids to this, and our kids love it,” said fan Vanessa Bautista at Water Street Plaza. “
The watch parties in Henderson are next to the America First Center, which serves as the practice facility for Golden Knights’ AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. There are several play areas for children during games, and others are coming out of youth hockey practices at the America First Center.
“We love it because it’s a great opportunity to get out of the house and just watch (the game) amongst fans and the energy is awesome,” fan Jose Bautista said.
Linda Dudley-Olsen and her family — including her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren — made the trip from Boulder City to watch Game 2. Dudley-Olsen said she didn’t get the hockey fever until a few years into the Golden Knights’ existence, after going to a few watch parties.
“When I came to watch parties and I really got into watching it — now I’m a fan,” Dudley-Olsen said.
“(The support at the watch parties) just shows how enthusiastic our Vegas area is with the Golden Knights. People want to be (at the Stanley Cup Final) and we can’t fly out to Carolina, so it makes it like we’re there.”
’Such a bummer’
The watch parties have also provided a way for fans who don’t have access to the game to watch it. DirecTV is in a carriage dispute with Scripps, which owns KTNV Channel 13, the Las Vegas ABC affiliate which is broadcasting the Stanley Cup Final.
Long and Terrigno said they’ve heard from several fans and others online that have DirecTV who are not able to watch the games, which has given a greater importance for fans who don’t want to miss the games.
Terrigno said her husband hasn’t been able to watch games with him working being out-of-state for work.
“He works at a job site in the middle of the California desert, so they only have a satellite at their clubhouse and they have DirecTV and he can’t watch the game,” Terrigno said. “It’s such a bummer.”
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
