SALT LAKE CITY — As part of a four-city tour throughout the Intermountain West, the Vegas Golden Knights made a stop at the Salt Lake City Sports Complex Friday afternoon. The event was attended by several hundred hockey fanatics as the Golden Knights organization concluded their road trip in Salt Lake after stops in Reno, Boise and Jackson Hole.
Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt was on hand to meet fans, sign autographs and take the ice with the fans for a public skating session. For Schmidt, it was exciting to see how many Golden Knights fans turned out for the event.
“It’s really cool,” said Schmidt. “To see the reach and be able to see how much the logo has gotten to be, it’s awesome to be out here. It’s what we play hockey for.”
I’m happy to be here. When they asked me to be here, I said ‘Absolutely’. More than just a one city team, as someone said, we’re the team of the Rockies. – Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt
Being in Salt Lake was especially exciting for the Golden Knights, who own the broadcast rights to the Utah market, which has no NHL team.
“I’m happy to be here,” added Schmidt. “When they asked me to be here, I said ‘Absolutely’. More than just a one city team, as someone said, we’re the team of the Rockies.”
The Golden Knights were the toast of the NHL and the rest of the sporting world as they nearly concluded their inaugural season as Stanley Cup champions. They fell in the finals to the Washington Capitals four games to one.
As for whether Vegas can build on a magical season, Schmidt knows it will be tough, but believes the team has the pieces in place for another special season, one that won’t catch other teams off-guard.
“No, people probably aren’t going to come into Vegas and enjoy themselves as much as they used too,” laughed Schmidt. “At the same time, I think our style of play is the way the game is going. I think that if you play that way, you’re going to have success.”