Golden Knights hold 58-second moment of silence to honor Las Vegas victims before 1st home game ever

The Vegas Golden Knights’ first game at T-Mobile Arena opened with an emotional tribute to the victims and first responders of the recent mass shooting in the city that left 58 dead and hundreds of others injured. It was a unique scene that felt a lot bigger than an NHL home opener.

The pregame ceremony started with a touching video showing different images of first responders, and ended with defenseman Deryk Engelland, a Las Vegas resident, taking the microphone at center ice to address the crowd.

“To all the brave first responders who have worked timelessly and courageously throughout this whole tragedy, we thank you,” Engelland said. “To the families and friends of the victims, know that we’ll do everything that we can to help you and our city heal. We are Vegas Strong.”

Here’s the video they showed:

In between the team welcomed some of those first responders on the ice alongside the Golden Knights players, held a 58-second moment of silence while the names of the 58 victims were emblazoned on the ice, and did a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” in which the entire crowd sung along. For all the talk of sports’ unifying power lately, this certainly felt the part.

The Golden Knights’ tribute to the victims and first responders included other small gestures. Instead of advertisements on the boards surrounding the ice, they were lined with the message “#VegasStrong.” The same goes for the lack of advertising near the benches and penalty boxes.

“We couldn’t do anything about the ice logos, but we just felt it would be appropriate to have a clean look and focus on the real message about #VEGASSTRONG,” team president Kerry Bubolz told USA Today.

In keeping with the usual tradition for an expansion team’s first game, there was also a ceremonial puck drop.

The game opened with the Golden Knights taking an early lead, including a goal from Engelland on a slapper from near the blue line. What a way to break the tension and get back to having fun at the rink.

The Golden Knights and the NHL partnered last week to donate $300,000 to the victims of the shooting. The team also said that money given to the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation through the month of October will be “donated to local relief efforts.”

This wasn’t the home opener that Vegas hockey fans envisioned when they were finally awarded a team, but it was special in its own way.