* The Golden Knights became the 34th different franchise to win the Stanley Cup since it first was presented in 1893 – 25 years before the NHL’s inaugural season. Vegas is the 23rd club to win the Stanley Cup since 1927 when the trophy first was competed for only by NHL teams and the 21st active franchise to claim the prized trophy.

DAY-ONE CORNERSTONES CAPTURE CUP AFTER JOINING GOLDEN KNIGHTS IN 2017
Six players who have played for Vegas since their inaugural season were on the Cup-winning squad: William Carrier, William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, Brayden McNabb, Reilly Smith and Shea Theodore. All six skated with the club in the 2018 Final as well, and five played in their first-ever regular season game (Theodore being the lone exception).

* Carrier (from BUF), Karlsson (from CBJ), Marchessault (from FLA) and McNabb (from LAK) were claimed by Vegas in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, while Smith and Theodore were traded to the Golden Knights on the day of the proceedings.

* The quartet of Carrier, Karlsson, Marchessault and McNabb became the first players since 1985 to win a Cup with a team that chose them in an expansion draft. Overall, 10 players have done so, with the Golden Knights teammates joining Billy Smith with the Islanders (1980-83 Cup wins), Lee Fogolin Jr. with the Oilers (1984-85 Cup wins), along with Gary Dornhoefer, Ed Van Impe, Joe Watson and Bernie Parent with the Flyers (1974-75 Cup wins).

* Karlsson, Marchessault and Smith all played in each of Vegas’ 88 playoff games en route to their first Cup. They are among a group of nine players in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44) who played in every playoff game through a franchise’s first Cup-clinching win, joining the Islanders trio of ClarkGillies, LorneHenning and DenisPotvin (80 GP in 1980) along with the Oilers trio of Lee Fogolin Jr., WayneGretzky and KevinLowe (52 GP in 1984).

* Nicolas Hague was the fourth NHL Draft pick ever by the Golden Knights (No. 34 in 2017) and was the only one from their first draft class to play for them in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Hague was drafted June 24, 2017 – three days after the club’s roster began to take shape in the expansion draft – and the Vegas also acquired Keegan Kolesar on Day 2 of the draft, in a trade with Columbus.

FIRST CAPTAIN IN FRANCHISE HISTORY LEADS VEGAS TO FIRST CUP
Mark Stone, who was named the Golden Knights’ first captain in franchise history on Jan. 13, 2021, had 11-13—24 in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs (22 GP) – including 5-4—9 in the Final capped by a championship-clinching hat trick – as Vegas won its first title. He became the first captain with nine or more points in a Final since Joe Sakic with the 2001 Avalanche (4-5—9 in 7 GP).

* Stone became the first player in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44) to serve as the first captain in franchise history and also captain the club to its first Stanley Cup win. Four others did so before then, all at least 95 years ago (Bill Cook: 1928 NYR;Dunc Munro: 1926 MMR; Eddie Gerard: 1920 SEN; and Ken Randall: 1918 TAN).

* Stone, who was selected by Ottawa with the 178th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, became the first player chosen in the sixth round of an NHL Draft or later to captain a Cup winner.

MORE FIRST-TIME WINNERS CONTRIBUTE TO VEGAS’ STANLEY CUP VICTORY

Fifteen players who skated in the championship-clinching game won the Stanley Cup for the first time.

* Jack Eichel (6-20—26 in 22 GP) earned a League-leading 26 points including three assists in the championship-clinching contest to conclude his first playoff year with a Stanley Cup. His 26 points were the third most in NHL history by a player during his first trip to the postseason, behind Mark Recchi with the 1991 Penguins (10-24—34 in 24 GP) and Eric Staal with the 2006 Hurricanes (9-19—28 in 25 GP). Eichel became the third player in the League’s modern era (since 1943-44) to lead all players in points during his first postseason (outright or tied), following Staal and Bill Goldsworthy with the 1968 Minnesota North Stars (8-7—15 in 14 GP).

* Jonathan Marchessault (13-12—25 in 22 GP) captured the Conn Smythe Trophy after finishing the postseason tied for the League lead in goals and recording 4-4—8 in five games during the Final. His 13 goals were the most by a Golden Knights player in a single postseason, while his 25 points trailed only Eichel for the franchise playoff record.

* William Karlsson (11-6—17 in 22 GP) scored 11 goals during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which ranked tied for second among Vegas players behind Marchessault. Reilly Smith (4-10—14 in 22 GP), who led Vegas with 3-3—6 in five games during the 2018 Final, concluded the postseason with 14 points including the Cup-clinching goal versus his former franchise.

HILL RELIEVES BROSSOIT IN SECOND ROUND, BACKSTOPS GOLDEN KNIGHTS TO CUP

Adin Hill made his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut when he relieved Laurent Brossoit in Game 2 of the Second Round and went 11-4 in 16 total appearances, capping his run with a Cup-clinching win.

* Hill became the fifth goaltender in NHL history to secure a Cup-clinching win after not appearing in his team’s opening-round series, joining Matt Murray (Game 6 of 2017 SCF), Andy Moog (Game 5 of 1984 SCF), Don Simmons (Game 6 of 1962 SCF) and Joe Miller (Game 5 of 1928 SCF). Hill had the most wins of that group, with Murray (7-3 in 2017) the next closest.

* Hill also became the first goaltender to earn a Cup-clinching victory against a two-time Vezina Trophy winner since teammate Jonathan Quick outdueled Martin Brodeur in Game 6 of the 2012 Final. The only other such instances under the current selection criteria (since 1981‑82) came in 2000 when Brodeur defeated Ed Belfour and in 1999 when Belfour eliminated Dominik Hasek.

* The Golden Knights (Hill, Quick & Logan Thompson) became the third Cup-winning team in the last 30 years with three goaltenders on their roster, following the 2016 Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury, Matt Murray & Jeff Zatkoff) and 1997 Red Wings (Kevin Hodson, Chris Osgood & Mike Vernon). No club in NHL history has had the names of four netminders engraved on the trophy.

CASSIDY CORRALS CHAMPIONSHIP IN FIRST SEASON BEHIND GOLDEN KNIGHTS’ BENCH

Bruce Cassidy won his first Stanley Cup one day short of the one-year anniversary of being announced as Vegas’ third head coach (June 14, 2022) and one day after the four-year anniversary of losing out on the trophy in Game 7 with the Bruins (June 12, 2019).

* Cassidy became the ninth head coach in the last 30 years to win a Stanley Cup in his first season with a franchise and first to do so since he and the Bruins fell to Craig Berube and the Blues in 2019.

* Cassidy’s championship came in his 101st career playoff contest as an NHL head coach. The 58-year-old, who played in 37 total NHL games as a defenseman, became the sixth in League history to log at least 100 postseason games as a head coach before winning his first Cup, following Pat Burns (144; 2003 NJD), Mike Keenan (140; 1994 NYR), Joel Quenneville (126; 2010 CHI), Darryl Sutter (121; 2012 LAK) and Barry Trotz (113; 2018 WSH).

* Cassidy also is among the longest tenured in the regular season before a first Cup (591 GC), ranking eighth on a list topped by BarryTrotz (1,524 GC) – who also lifted the Stanley Cup for the first time in Las Vegas.

SIX GOLDEN KNIGHTS PLAYERS WIN ANOTHER CHAMPIONSHIP

Six players on Vegas’ roster won at least their second Stanley Cup, including five who helped a franchise win its first-ever championship.

* Chandler Stephenson, who helped the Golden Knights win after defeating them in the Final five years ago, won the Cup on the same ice where he hoisted it for the first time as a member of the 2018 Capitals. Stephenson became the 10th player in NHL history to help defeat a team in the Final and later win the Stanley Cup with them. He is the third to achieve the feat in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68), following Scott Niedermayer (ANA) and Billy Carroll (EDM).

* Alex Pietrangelo (2019 STL) and Ivan Barbashev (2019 STL) also won their second Stanley Cup in somewhat of a full circle moment: they helped the Blues defeat the Bruce Cassidy-led Bruins in 2019 and now are champions alongside him. Pietrangelo, who tallied the winning goal in Game 7 of the 2019 Final, became the second player in NHL history to score a Cup-clinching goal against a head coach and later win a championship with him in the same role – Cy Denneny did so vs. Art Ross in 1927 and with Ross in 1929.

* Alec Martinez (2014 LAK & 2012 LAK), Jonathan Quick (2014 LAK & 2012 LAK) and Phil Kessel (2017 PIT & 2016 PIT) all were part of their third Stanley Cup celebration. Martinez, the only of that group to play in the Final, became the sixth U.S.-born defenseman to win the Stanley Cup at least three times.

WHITECLOUD BECOMES LATEST STANLEY CUP WINNER OF INDIGENOUS DESCENT
Zach Whitecloud had three of his eight playoff points in the Final, including his game-winning goal in Game 1 when he became the second defenseman in the past 22 years – and 11th in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44) – to score the game-winning goal in the opening contest of the Stanley Cup Final.

* Whitecloud is of Indigenous descent and spent much of his upbringing on the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation. Other notable Stanley Cup winners of Indigenous descent include Bryan Trottier (6x), Grant Fuhr (5x), George Armstrong (4x), Dwight King (2x), Jordan Nolan (2x), Bobby Taylor (2x), Clarence Abel (2x), T.J. Oshie, Kevin Westgarth, Jeff Friesen, Chris Simon, Mike Peluso, Jamie Leach, Theo Fleury, Ric Nattress, Reggie Leach, Pierre Pilote and Joe Benoit. Craig Berube also won a championship as a head coach.

McCRIMMON WINS FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP IN DESERT AFTER TWO TITLES IN PRAIRIES

Part of the front office since Aug. 2, 2016, Kelly McCrimmon helped construct the club’s original roster as its assistant general manager and was promoted to his current role of general manager ahead of the 2019-20 season. McCrimmon became the second GM in club history, following George McPhee who continued to oversee all hockey operations decisions as President of Hockey Operations and was the GM when the club reached the Final in 2018.

* McCrimmon’s Stanley Cup journey has included two seasons as a forward with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL – a path followed by other Golden Knights including Mark Stone and Logan Thompson (Zach Whitecloud also played for the Wheat Kings’ minor hockey program before reaching the NHL). McCrimmon then held various roles with the Wheat Kings, included several seasons as GM or head coach, and won two WHL championships over a three-decade tenure with the club. The second of those titles came in 2015-16, his final season before joining the Golden Knights.

* Did You Know? Brayden McNabb’s father, Kim, played for the Wheat Kings in 1977-78 alongside McCrimmon’s brother, Brad McCrimmon. Kelly followed in the footsteps of his late brother, Brad, who won the Stanley Cup as a player with 1989 Flames.

VIVA HOCKEY IN LAS VEGAS

Since the Golden Knights’ inception, overall youth hockey participation has grown by 340%, while female youth hockey participation has increased by 338%. Interest by adults looking to play the sport has grown by 63% in that same timeframe.

* The Golden Knights became the second major professional sports team in Las Vegas to win a championship, following the Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA in 2022.