Hockey? In the desert? Nobody thought it would work, but it did, and exceeded all expectations, just like Valiant. Valiant is the story of the Las Vegas Golden Knights and their first year playing the sport. From unbelievable to tragedy to triumph, it is all covered in this great documentary.
In 2017, the NHL would hold an expansion draft for the Las Vegas Golden Knights. But there was a lot of work to get to that draft. Billionaire Bill Foley had the craziest idea and shared it with his neighbor, former NHL player Murray Craven. Foley’s plan was to put a hockey team in the middle of the desert in Las Vegas, Nevada. The thought of the ice and the blazing hot sun does not sound too appealing to any logical person. Not only that, but Las Vegas was not a sports town for many reasons. You have gambling, many tourists, amongst many other distractions for a pro sports team to settle down there. After many trials and tribulations – and $500,000, Vegas would now be a home for a professional sports team.
“The thought of the ice and the blazing hot sun does not sound too appealing…”
The Vegas Knights was a team made up of unwanted players by previous NHL teams. The sports world thought this team was doomed to fail. Right away, the Golden Knights players were out to prove nay-sayers wrong and playing with chips on their shoulders. Nobody gave them a chance. However, just days before their first regular-season home game in franchise history, the unthinkable happened. Las Vegas dealt with an immense tragedy.
"…exceeded all expectations, just like Valiant."
