Hockey is celebrated for its fights. But those drop-the-gloves skirmishes interruption retired during games.
In Las Vegas, the battles commencement adjacent earlier the puck drops. Those faceoffs are staged amid rings of occurrence projected connected the ice, swirling spotlights and a narrator bellowing “Raise those torches! And assistance america support our Fortress!”
The location team’s Knight Line drum squad slams a military-style bushed arsenic a knight successful aureate armor skates done a towering helmet. The hometown leader is met by a acheronian knight, waving the visiting team’s emblem and laughing, “Ha-ha-ha-ha! Pathetic!” And the combat is on.
Armed with a shield and sword, the Golden Knight (spoiler alert) rapidly dispatches the menacing interloper. He is undefeated successful much than 400 fights, combining regular play and playoff games since 2017.
This is however Las Vegas’ NHL team, entering its 10th season, is announced to the location assemblage astatine T-Mobile Arena. In that astir decadelong run, the Golden Knights person go the “Greatest Show connected Ice,” arsenic they are known successful these parts.
“They are astatine the apical of the database of lawsuit presentation, not lone successful the NHL, but for each sports,” NHL Group Vice President of Game Presentation/Entertainment John Bochiaro says. “They’ve done an astonishing occupation of drafting attraction to crippled presumption successful this industry.”
And there’s definite to beryllium much attraction than ever erstwhile the squad hosts the Chicago Blackhawks connected Sept. 29, opening its 10th play astatine T-Mobile Arena.
It takes much than 100 formed and unit to make the spectacle, ranging from performers to control-room unit and camera operators. For example, the Golden Knights are the lone franchise successful immoderate large sports league with showgirls. They are aptly known arsenic the Vegas Golden Belles, galore of them erstwhile “Jubilee” and “Folies” performers.
The Vegas Vivas, VGK’s authoritative creation and cheer team, often creation down the opposing team’s seat during warmups. VGK mascot Chance the Gila Monster sometimes joins the routine. 
The team’s pregame amusement spectacle features a melodramatic duel with a knight successful aureate armor and elaborate on-ice projections. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
“It’s thing we came up with a agelong clip ago, conscionable a amusive mode distract the different team,” says Andrew Abrams, the team’s vice president and enforcement producer, amusement and production. “You know, we privation to amusement our home-ice vantage arsenic they lukewarm up.”
Between the 2nd and 3rd periods of the game, fans are immersed successful the “Knight Club” — a thunderous, strobe-enhanced nightclub-esque environment. The high-energy conception regularly features DJ Joe Green and occasional nonmigratory headliners (including Kaskade and Diplo), and has been replicated by rival teams.
“It’s Las Vegas, and that’s thing that is truthful existent to the metropolis that we emotion doing, due to the fact that it’s truthful authentic,” Abrams says. “I would accidental that it would beryllium precise hard for that to ever spell away. It’s really 1 of my idiosyncratic favorites.”
The Golden Knights knew their amusement needed to beryllium different, and elevated, from the infinitesimal the franchise was announced.
“The directive from (team owner) Bill Foley was, due to the fact that it’s Vegas and due to the fact that we were going to beryllium playing astatine T-Mobile Arena connected the Strip, we request to beryllium a amusement for the fans,” Abrams says. “Don’t interest astir being an amusement section for a hockey team. Worry astir being a amusement connected the Strip.”
Among the team’s distinctive accumulation elements: 
The Knight Line drums up excitement astatine T-Mobile Arena, sometimes adjacent flying supra the crystal connected wires. (Vegas Golden Knights)
■ The preshow battle. Lee Orchard, aka DJ Britlee successful Las Vegas, has portrayed the Golden Knight quality successful each location game. The villain rotates among the Knights Guard crystal crew.
■ The cranking of the siren. The contented dates decades successful pro sports, but the Golden Knights person added nobility and celebrated figures to the moment. Hundreds of celebs, dignitaries and noteworthy figures person spun the pregame and intermission rally siren, including performers Usher, Wayne Newton, Lil Jon, Miranda Lambert, Shania Twain, T-Pain and the Backstreet Boys. Comedian Jo Koy and histrion Mark Wahlberg person had the honor, arsenic has Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson, and existent Raiders QBs Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza spun the prop successful the NHL playoffs.
■ The three-member announcing squad of hype antheral Mark Shunock, Vegas vocalist Katie Marie Jones and longtime section vigor property and announcer Robert “Bojo” Ackah. Shunock, a erstwhile “Rock of Ages” formed member, cold-called the Golden Knights’ beforehand bureau the greeting aft Foley announced the inaugural summons thrust and asked to articulation the effort. Jones, a Vegas native, has worked arsenic a ringing announcer successful WOW — Women of Wrestling — and arsenic a vocalist successful section lounges and clubs, and Bojo has fired up crowds astatine aggregate sports events crossed the valley. 
In 2024, the squad amazed fans by unveiling a fire-breathing dragon with a 34-foot wingspan, monolithic claws and glowing reddish eyes peering implicit the arena. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
■ The Knights Guard crystal unit — a uniformed, choreographed, coed corporate that sweeps the crystal betwixt periods. A lifelong Rangers instrumentality erstwhile watched this squad successful amazement, commenting later, “I couldn’t judge it. At the Garden, we get a clump of guys successful way suits.”
■ Performers from Strip productions. Members of Cirque du Soleil, Blue Man Group and Jabbawockeez person enlivened T-Mobile Arena. As Abrams says, “We didn’t cognize what our fanbase was going to be. All we knew is, whoever comes successful our building, we tin springiness them the champion amusement possible, and you cognize we get inspiration from the Cirque du Soleils of the world, the world-class shows connected the Strip, and that was going to beryllium our vibe.”
Details connected what’s successful store for fans this play are arsenic tightly guarded arsenic the fortress itself, but a fewer hints were dropped.
“We’ll beryllium precise large connected nostalgia,” Abrams says. “If you were a time 1 play summons member, you’ll get the feeling you felt 10 seasons ago. We privation to look astatine immoderate of the old, classical storytelling. Some euphony oregon videos that we mightiness person utilized successful the past and moved connected from.”
Honoring players from the past, the archetypal Golden Misfits from the archetypal season, is besides connected the table. Or, ice, successful this case.
“The moving rubric (of the amusement program) is VGK Classic, which is comic due to the fact that it’s lone 10 seasons,” Abrams says.
Las Vegas fans, and each of the NHL, volition beryllium watching. ◆
English (US)·