Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) takes to the ice through a giant helmet that was lowered from the ceiling before Game 1 of an NHL hockey first-round play-off series against the Los Angeles Kings in T-Mobile Arena Wednesday, April 11, 2018.
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 | 2 a.m.
Las Vegas has been home to professional sports for nearly a decade now, and game days in that time have proven to be big business — not just for venues on the Strip, either.
That’s true for companies like Las Vegas-based Water FX, which has partnered with the Vegas Golden Knights pretty much since the team’s inception. Water FX built the original helmet that descends on the ice at T-Mobile Arena and replaced the rink’s classic castle structure, said Matt Little, director of engineering and fabrication at Water FX.
“So, throughout the years, we’ve added and done stuff and renovated and modified,” said Little, who noted that Water FX was primarily a commercial pool contractor before also venturing into architectural metal work and the kinds of projects it does for the Golden Knights. “They’ve been a good partner to us.”
Most recently, Water FX built the massive, golden dragon that debuted at T-Mobile Arena during the Golden Knights’ run in the NHL playoffs, which ended Sunday with a Game 7 loss to the Dallas Stars.
The dragon was brainstormed and built over the course of eight weeks, and is about three-quarters 3D-printed, Little said. From its fog-breathing nose to its steel wings, the dragon was also hand-painted, he said.
The structure was placed on a custom piece of rigging so it could be retracted into the rafters when T-Mobile hosts non-Golden Knights events, he added.
“We work with everybody, the whole process, to make sure that everything works,” he said. “From design all the way to installation.”
He’s thankful for the Golden Knights always giving credit to Water FX for its projects with the franchise, Little said, because it leads to inquiries from other teams and groups for the company to partner with them.
The same can be said for Quick Change Display (QCD), a Las Vegas small business that creates signs, graphics and other promotional content for its clients. QCD has had a relationship with the Golden Knights for about three years now, producing game posters for the team, content for the windows at T-Mobile Arena and more, said Jed Feller, owner of the company.
“Vegas Golden Knights — they’re a wonderful organization,” Feller said. “They really are conscientious about using local businesses for everything they do. … It’s incredible how much good they do in the community.”
QCD’s relationship with the Golden Knights has increased its business dramatically, he emphasized, including by requiring the NHL to use the local business for installing its branded artwork at T-Mobile Arena.
“(The) Vegas Golden Knights have done nothing but protect the local community,” Feller said. “They are phenomenal. They have reached out to many local businesses and have not strayed away from anything outside of that.”
Kerry Bubolz, president of the Golden Knights, said the reigning Stanley Cup champions couldn’t do what they do without QCD. The company doesn’t just do all of the Golden Knights dasher boards at T-Mobile Arena but also at the team’s other facilities around the Las Vegas Valley, he said.
They also regularly refresh the graphics throughout T-Mobile to prepare it for game day, Bubolz said.
“There’s massive graphics throughout the venue that don’t get installed until right before we play that first home game,” he told the Sun. “Sometimes they’re arriving extremely early on game days and working hours upon hours to give our venue the look and feel that we’re looking for.”
In addition to QCD and Water FX, the Golden Knights also rely on companies like PRG, which operates the team’s lighting at T-Mobile, the Drumbots (the team’s official drumline) and all the local vendors, distributors and more inside T-Mobile, Bubolz said.
He also pointed to the innate economic benefit of viewing parties and viewing events of Golden Knights games around the valley, from bars to sportsbooks to Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson. Additionally, he said, people travel to Las Vegas to attend Golden Knights games, staying at local hotels and eating at local restaurants.
It was intentional on the part of the Golden Knights to place a major focus on the community, he said. Just like hockey, he emphasized, “community’s a contact sport,” and the Golden Knights wanted to lean into the community without waiting for it to come to them.
He’s grateful for the relationship that Golden Knights fans have formed with the franchise, Bubolz said.
“It’s a special connection,” he said. “And we’re fortunate. We’re in our seventh season and to have the depth of a fan base that we have is incredible. It’s one that we’re really proud of, it’s one that we don’t take for granted.”
Sourcing from local businesses makes sense for an organization like the Golden Knights, who are so beloved by the local community, said Little, who noted how passionate Water FX was about the team.
“We take a little more pride in doing their work and we always go the extra mile, and that kind of stuff,” he said. “Just being local, I mean, they can come and see it — we can go visit them and we can talk about vision. It’s just a lot easier to do it locally. And then also having people working with you who are passionate about your product never hurts.”
With the debut of Water FX’s new dragon at T-Mobile Arena, Little said he’s already looking forward to whatever the company’s next project may be. What started with a helmet and a castle has only grown, he said, and you never know what’s next.
“There’s always something,” he said. “We’ve had a few discussions, so we kind of know the rabbit holes that we might be going down.”
katieann.mccarver@gmg vegas.com/ 702-259-4059 / @_katieann13_
