It was the message in 2023, the mantra, the theme, the story Vegas Golden Knights’ players would repeat time and again.
How close the room was.
How much everybody got along.
How tight was the bond between them.
It ended with a Stanley Cup Final championship and all Knights repeating such words afterward.
How important it was in the quest of a title to have such closeness.
The Knights are now going for a second Cup, leading Carolina in the best-of-seven series 2-1 with Game 4 set to commence Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena.
“I’m sure they talk about it over with Carolina also,” Knights coach John Tortorella said. “The intangibles of teams getting this far is the camaraderie. That’s what draws me into this game. Just love being in the game. Just watching the team, not just on the ice, but more importantly off it.
“They get it. It’s there with this team. I’m sure it’s the same with (Carolina).”
No matter how long a player has been with the Knights — take an Original Misfit like Reilly Smith or a Nic Dowd, who was traded to Vegas in March — the same vibe that permeated throughout the team in ‘23 exists now.
Players talk about it. They see it. Feel it.
How significant it all is to the pursuit of lifting a Cup.
Away from ice
“I think every winning team has it,” Smith said. “You get in close games and see guys blocking shots and sacrificing yourself for the team. Those things are paramount to winning. And then time away from the ice is almost as important as time on it. I’ve always been a big advocate of that.”
Dowd says he still feels like the new guy in town, but that he immediately sensed the strength of a leadership core.
He could tell right away how close the team was, that everybody can hang out with each other, have dinner together, talk to each other about anything.
“Teams that are fortunate enough to go deep in the playoffs, you hear all the same things,” Dowd said. “From top to bottom, guys are excited for each other when somebody is successful. That makes a big difference.”
It is a theme that can be tested when adversity hits during a game,and the Knights have had their share of it during this final. The most glaring of examples came Saturday, when Vegas blew all of a 4-0 lead before winning 5-4 in double overtime.
But nobody panicked when the advantage was dwindling, when the Hurricanes scored three times in 39 seconds.
Nobody let it affect their game. The Knights stayed with things as a team. They stayed together.
“You know what, there’s a lot of people in this locker room with experience,” Smith said. “We don’t have a young team. Whether you’ve played in a Stanley Cup Final or just other playoff games — I couldn’t even tell you how many playoff games some guys have been in — they’ve all played in a lot of NHL games.
“Nothing and nobody has surprised me. It seems like we’re back in the playoffs every year, so I don’t think anything is new for this group.”
It might be another reason so many outside the Las Vegas market dislike the Knights, see them as villains of the NHL, despise how much success they have created over just nine seasons.
Smith says it’s just outside noise and that’s exactly where the Knights keep such opinions. Nothing is going to crack their solidarity. Nothing is going to cause a break in their mindset.
More magic?
“The second I stepped in that room, you feel how close everybody is,” said defenseman Jeremy Lauzon, traded to the Knights from Nashville in June of 2025. “I think it’s one reason we’ve had this run. We didn’t have a great season but found a way to win our division and make the playoffs. We got hot at the right time.
“It has been an unbelievable group to be part of. I feel lucky to be in that room and compete every night with those guys beside me.”
You heard the same things in ‘23. The same message.
We know how that ended.
Is there a second dose of magic in the elixir of camaraderie?
We’ll soon find out.
Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.
