Ellen Schmidt / AP
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Jonathan Marchessault (81) and center Chandler Stephenson, center right, celebrate after Stephenson’s goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, in Las Vegas.
Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023 | 2 a.m.
The first thought that came to Jonathan Marchessault’s mind: Not again.
As the Golden Knights were readying themselves for a game Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues, nearly 1,600 miles away back home gunshots were being fired on UNLV’s campus. Three faculty members were killed, and another was injured as a result. The gunman was killed by UNLV police.
Immediately, Marchessault’s mind reverted back to the night of Oct. 1, 2017, when just hours after the Golden Knights played their final preseason game at T-Mobile Arena, the biggest mass shooting in U.S. history took place at the Route 91 Harvest festival just across Las Vegas Boulevard from Mandalay Bay. The shooting immediately claimed the lives of 58 people (a number that eventually swelled to 60).
The Golden Knights hadn’t played an official NHL game yet, but they were already dedicated to helping the community heal.
Now, six years later, they are committed to doing whatever they can to do that again.
“I think it’s just sad,” said Marchessault, one of the five remaining Golden Knights from the inaugural season roster. “Obviously, we’re always going to be there for the community, we’re part of the community, and we’re going to help them heal.”
Coach Bruce Cassidy said it’s easier for teams to get detached from what’s going on at home when they’re on the road. Couple that with the Golden Knights having their annual fathers trip going on at the same time, and it can be more difficult to keep the focus there.
UNLV tweeted at 11:59 a.m. that there was a confirmed active shooter on campus. It happened about two hours after the Golden Knights stepped off the ice at Enterprise Center for morning skate.
When word got to the Golden Knights, obvious panic crept in. The uncertainty of the severity, and how many people were hurt, also raised concern. One unnamed member of the Golden Knights’ staff was working at UNLV as the shooting took place.
Cassidy said the original Golden Knights took the lead checking on everyone’s mental health while also checking for any updates.
“Just a horrible thing, obviously,” defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “If there’s anything we can do to help the community, we will.”
The Golden Knights have played two games since Wednesday, but Sunday’s matchup against the San Jose Sharks was the first home game since. They honored the situation as best they could; the players had UNLV stickers on the back of their helmets; members of the coaching staff wore UNLV lapel pins.
Shirts with the Golden Knights and UNLV logos inside a heart were sold on the concourse by the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation, and sold out within minutes. The proceeds will go toward UNLV student services.
A moment of silence before the game acknowledged the deceased faculty members. UNLV Police were acknowledged at different times throughout the first period, as well as all first responders on the scene.
“I thought they did a great job to acknowledge it before the game and (to) pay our respects to the event,” Marchessault said. “I think it was just in a matter of a few minutes (how quickly police responded to the shooting), so good for them. Just sad that this happens in our city.”
The Golden Knights didn’t play their best game — giving up two goals in the final four minutes and letting it go to overtime, only to win 5-4 in a shootout — but they played their second game in 24 hours after winning in Dallas the previous day.
Cassidy said he wasn’t sure if the shooting weighed on the players’ minds Sunday, but said it could’ve played a factor.
“There was probably a little bit of that, a little bit of our schedule in why we made some atypical mistakes,” Cassidy said. “But at the end of the day, you find a way to win a game and down the road, hopefully we can help the city heal again.”
The Golden Knights continue a four-game homestand tonight against the Calgary Flames (7 p.m., Vegas 34) while trying to honor everyone the best way they can: playing inspired hockey.
“We wanted to definitely get a win,” McNabb said of Sunday’s game. “I don’t know if it shows support, but we wanted to do it for them.”
