from Nicholas J. Cotsonika of NHL.com,

The fans lined the length of a city block, six deep on each side of a red carpet, and packed the area in front of a stage. Fathers and sons, mothers and daughters. Wearing hats, shirts and jerseys. Holding signs, pens and phones. Cheering. Chanting.

Ten thousand people, according to an estimate by Patrick Hughes, president of the Fremont Street Experience, a seven-block entertainment district in downtown Las Vegas.

Ten thousand people. For a Fan Fest on a Sunday afternoon. For an NHL expansion team about halfway through its inaugural season.

"Uhhh … Unexpected?" goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury said with a laugh. "It's crazy, you know?"

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