This edition of My Vegas Thing concerns the Henderson Silver Knights. Technically, this is a Vegas Thing since it's at the Orleans Arena. Therefore, it has to be a Vegas Thing before the AHL team moves to their new arena in Henderson.
Anyway, the Silver Knights are an AHL team that came into play in 2020-2021. Originally, they started as the Tidewater Wings in 1971 before bouncing around to different towns, including San Antonio. As mentioned before, they're currently playing at the Orleans Arena. However, they'll switch over to the Dollar Loan Center in April 2022, with the new arena being in Henderson.
As for Orleans Arena itself, it's a 9,500-seat arena adjacent to the Orleans Hotel in Paradise.
It opened in 2003, with the construction costing over $85 million. It's housed teams such as the UNLV women's basketball team, the Las Vegas Gladiators of the Arena Football League, and ice hockey's Las Vegas Wranglers.
If you're looking to save money and get a legitimate hockey experience, this is the place to be. Here, you're greeted with a royal experience and a "HUZZAH!" The ice girls are waving their pom-poms as the experience becomes electric. You get to your seat and see the rink in front of you.
The players emerge from the locker room for the pre-game skate around. Once they go back and re-emerge, the introductions are done by a man in a Silver Knights Starter jacket. He's the hype man for the Sliver Knights and he's here to electrify the crowd. Then, the game starts.
Today's opponent was the Ontario Reign, the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings. The Reign don the old Kings logo, providing a friendly throwback to the Wayne Gretzky days.
That's pretty much what happened tonight, as the Reign had a team full of Gretzkys against Henderson. They defeated the Silver Knights handily, 4-1. The fans booed the referees skating in and rightfully so. There were some missed calls that left the home crowd confused and irate.
Still, the experience was wonderful. I enjoyed taking in a beautiful atmosphere at Orleans Arena (they even have free parking!!) and got to watch a good, ol' hockey game. After all, it's the best game you can play. Who knows, maybe the Golden Knights will be next on the docket.