Golden Knights’ win is Las Vegas’ shining moment
The Stanley Cup championship win by the Golden Knights may have surpassed UNLV's 1990 national basketball championship as Las Vegas' biggest sports moment.
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1. Golden Knights’ win is Las Vegas’ shining moment
The Stanley Cup championship win by the Golden Knights may have surpassed UNLV's 1990 national basketball championship as Las Vegas' biggest sports moment, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Steve Carp.
As the Golden Knights rolled up the score in the third period in Game 5 against the Florida Panthers Tuesday night en route to capturing the Stanley Cup at T-Mobile Arena, I was asked if this was going to be the greatest moment in Las Vegas sports history?
Not individual moments like a boxing match, an MMA contest, a golf tournament or an auto race. Strictly a team sports accomplishment.
I had covered UNLV’s run to the NCAA men’s basketball championship in 1990 so I definitely had some perspective for what had been the No. 1 moment this city had seen.
But it’s hard to define what the Golden Knights did in comparison to what the Runnin’ Rebels accomplished. For starters, we’re talking about a major league professional sports franchise vs. a college program. It’s hockey vs. basketball. The community was vastly different then compared to now.
2. Top 5 titles won in Southern Nevada
The Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup but UNLV's national title will always be the biggest Las Vegas championship for The Sporting Tribune's W.G. Ramirez.
In the aftermath of the Vegas Golden Knights destroying the Florida Panthers 9-3 to win the Stanley Cup, I was still feeling a bit proud of the fact I've now covered two Las Vegas major professional championship teams in less than one year.
Roughly eight months after the Las Vegas Aces won the 2022 WNBA title, the Golden Knights are the freshly crowned champions of hockey, delivering the prized silver chalice in the franchise's sixth year of existence -- exactly how owner Bill Foley predicted.
As Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final approached on Tuesday, it got me thinking about the championships won by Southern Nevada teams, dynasties over the years at every level - from Little League to high school, to UNLV, to now pro sports - and what has the biggest been.
3. Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup party begins at Omnia
When pro sports teams win a title, they usually hop on a plane to Las Vegas to celebrate. The Vegas Golden Knights just needed to drive down the street.
The Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights brought their post-game celebration and the Stanley Cup to OMNIA Nightclub inside Caesars Palace Tuesday night after defeating the Florida Panthers, 9-3, in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena.
The team, including captain Mark Stone along with Adin Hill, Jack Eichel, William Karlson, Keegan Kolesar, Phil Kessel and others, along with family and friends, arrived at the packed club ready to party.
The players and the Stanley Cup joined DJ Steve Aoki in the booth to the cheers of the crowd and Queen’s “We Are The Champions” could be heard throughout the night while the celebration raged on.
4. LAFC lose second straight to Houston Dynamo, 1-0
LAFC suffered its second consecutive shutout loss to the Houston Dynamo, 1-0, Wednesday night, the teams fourth game in a row without a victory, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Anthony Bautista.
The Houston Dynamo registered their second consecutive shutout victory over LAFC, 1-0, on Wednesday.
The previous game between the two teams just four days prior on Saturday saw LAFC suffer a 4-0 beating on the road. The consecutive shutouts by Houston represents only the second instance in LAFC's history where they failed to score against the same opponent twice in a season.
The loss also marks four consecutive games without a victory for LAFC, including the Concacaf Champion’s League final.
Despite the discouraging results, LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo believes that some struggles were expected.
“I think you’re seeing a very fatigued team, who put a lot into the first third of the season up until the (Concacaf) Champion’s League Final which was how we wanted to approach the season” Cherundolo said after the loss. “
5. Angels’ bullpen falters as they fall to Rangers, 6-3
Jimmy Herget and Tucker Davidson couldn't get the job done after a stellar start from Reid Detmers, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Brandon Deutsch.
At some point, a loss to the team with the second best record in baseball was inevitable. After their two most impressive wins of the season, the Angels fell to the Rangers and their incredibly talented lineup, 6-3.
After a 12th inning victory on Monday, and a win Tuesday where they had to use some of their top relievers again, the Angels bullpen was severely diminished, down to just Jimmy Herget and Tucker Davidson respectively (unless they were to boast a lead, then perhaps Sam Bachman could have come in for the save, but even that would have been a stretch).
Regardless of the hypotheticals, the Angels threw their best punches Monday and Tuesday night and fell victim to a lack of depth on Wednesday night. One of the hottest hitters in the league, Zach Neto, left the game in the 2nd inning due to cramping and is set to have an MRI on his leg tomorrow, and Gio Urshela is recovering from an injury and was unable to play even if in an emergency.
6. Angel City fires head coach Freya Coombe
After a season and a half with Angel City, head coach Freya Coombe was fired after an 11th place start to this season, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Kamran Nia.
The first half of the season has been challenging for Angel City. The team is currently 11th in the NWSL with two wins, six losses, and three draws. And with only half of the season remaining, the club is not on pace to reach its goal of making the playoffs, as the top six teams in the league make it.
Securing points has been difficult for the team, and after promises of better performances from the team, Angel City has trended in the opposite direction. And amid the lackluster results, The Athletic reported on Wednesday that the club has fired head coach Freya Coombe.
Angel City has yet to announce Coombe's firing or the interim head coach.
After last week's loss to the Washington Spirit, Coombe said the team was focusing on its performances when responding to a question about if she felt pressure regarding her job.
"Letting the performances have to speak in the progress we are making. I think that speaks to the progression we are making as a squad and our evolution of our squad. Getting to understand relationships between players. We have had a lot of turnover for whatever reason in terms of inconsistency in the starting 11. I think building a little bit of consistency is helping, and the return to health of some players is also going to help bolster that. But I think right now we are just focusing on the performances," Coombe said.
7. Odds and Ends presented by Circa Sports
Here are some odds at Circa Sports if you’re thinking about placing a wager today:
8. Ticket Time presented by TickPick
Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today.
6:40 p.m. – Guardians at Padres – $22
7:00 p.m. – White Sox at Dodgers – $44
7:00 p.m. – Storm at Aces – $16
9. On the Air presented by The D Las Vegas
Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region today.
5:00 p.m. – Angels at Rangers – Bally Sports West, FS1
5:40 p.m. – Guardians at Padres – Bally Sports San Diego
7:00 p.m. – White Sox at Dodgers – SportsNet LA
7:00 p.m. – Storm at Aces – Prime Video
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
The Sporting Tribune’s Arash Markazi is joined by Armani Buckets and Brandon Deutsch to talk about the Vegas Golden Knights winning the Stanley Cup championship and how this is an historic week in Las Vegas with the possibility of the A's getting the funding for their proposed stadium on the Las Vegas Strip. Seven years after the NHL awarded Las Vegas their first professional sports franchise, they have become the hottest sports town in the country.
Listen to The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune on The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio in Southern California, 98.5 The Bet in Las Vegas and the Hawaii Sports Radio Network 95.1 FM and 760 AM in Hawaii. You can also listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher.
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That’s it for today. Talk to you tomorrow!