On the first night of October, the city that some people call the entertainment capital of the world, was stricken by tragedy. When one thinks of Las Vegas, gambling, partying, and great shows come to mind. There is a lot of evil in the world right now and for many of us, attending sporting events, concerts or shows in general provides a bit of an escape from all of those problems.
For those people who attended the Route 91 Harvest country music festival, the escape would turn into horror. A gunman from the 32nd floor of the nearby Mandalay Bay hotel fired shots into the crowd, and in the process, killed 58 people and injured nearly 500 others.
Tonight, the newest team in the National Hockey League, the Vegas Golden Knights will take to the ice at T-Mobile Arena. And they will take the ice with heavy hearts. They will be playing not only for a city that has never had a professional sports team, but a city that is still in the early stages of the healing process.
Prior to the game, the team plans to honor the victims. A survivor and organizer of the festival will sing the National Anthem. In addition, the team will also replace the advertisements along the boards with signs with the hashtag #VegasStrong.
There won’t be any advertisements on the boards tonight. Instead, our boards will reflect who we are. #VegasStrong pic.twitter.com/29pL7wmMwJ
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 10, 2017
When tragedy strikes, many people turn to their sports teams to provide hope and a bit of an escape. When 9/11 happened, the people of New York rallied behind the Yankees playoff run that took them to the World Series. When the shootings at Virginia Tech happened in 2007, students, alumni and Hokie fans rallied behind the football team. While all three tragedies are different in their own way, the people affected in each one turned to the same thing: sports.
The Golden Knights head into this game 2-0-0 and will take on the Arizona Coyotes. Here’s hoping for nothing but the best for the newest NHL team and the fans who will be cheering them on every step of the way.
By Michael Marzzacco
Follow @marswaggo
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