On October 1st, a gunman open fired on the Route 66 Harvest Festival. In total 58 people lost their lives, and Las Vegas would mourn this senseless tragedy; as did the rest of the country. The Golden Knights now had more than just proving people wrong and ego to play for. The team had to help the healing of the citizens of Las Vegas. On a personal note, I visited Vegas just days after the tragedy. I’ve never seen the city so quiet. I visited the makeshift memorial site at the Welcome to Las Vegas sign. And throughout my trip, I realized something. I realized how prideful the Vegas locals were about their city. And that’s something that helped this expansion team become successful.
The Las Vegas Golden Knights would play for the town and go all the way to the Stanley Cup finals – something that nobody but Vegas thought would be possible. The Knights would ultimately lose in the finals to the Washington Capitals. Although the team fell just short, they would be the most successful expansion team in NHL history.
“Valiant is a near-perfect film which reflects the Golden Knights’ first season.”
I loved how this documentary covered everything that was happening in Las Vegas at the time of the birth of the franchise. Although what happened in Vegas was undoubtedly tragic, the Golden Knights and Valiant certainly do right by the victims and continue to have their memories live on. It also shows how much the team meant to a city that was put through tragedy and was deemed “not a sports town.”
The interviewees were great. The interviews included some of the Golden Knights players, owner Bill Foley, iconic commentator Mike Emrick, Wayne Newton, those that lost family and friends in the Vegas tragedy, and even Lil Jon, yes, Lil Jon. The documentary also did a great job with including interviews from Vegas locals, which told how much the Knights carried the town on their backs and helped the much-needed healing of a city that was in mourning.
Valiant is a near-perfect film that reflects the Golden Knights’ first season.
"…exceeded all expectations, just like Valiant."
