Steve Spott (born May 18, 1968 in Toronto , Ontario ) is a Canadian ice hockey coach who is an assistant coach for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL).
146-797: He previously was an assistant coach for the Vegas Golden Knights . He previously served as assistant coach for the San Jose Sharks of the NHL. He has previously worked as an assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the head coach of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL team), the Kitchener Rangers . Spott became a junior hockey coach in 1994, eventually moving to the OHL in 1997. He became
292-678: A 5–1 win over the Plymouth Whalers . In the first round of the playoffs, the Spitfires walked all over the Owen Sound Attack , taking the series in four games. In the next round, the Spits found the Plymouth Whalers to be a more formidable opponent. After trading off-road wins, then trading off home wins, the Spits took Games 5 and 6 to clinch the series. In the Western Conference final,
438-658: A Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The team is based in Windsor, Ontario , Canada. Founded in 1971, the franchise was promoted to the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League for the 1975–76 season . An unrelated Windsor Spitfires team, founded in 1946, moved to become the Hamilton Tiger Cubs in 1953, and later became the Erie Otters in 1996. The original Spitfires in
584-630: A Las Vegas team, and a bid from Quebecor to revive the Quebec Nordiques at a new arena in Quebec City . Both Las Vegas and Quebec were invited to move into Phase II of the league expansion bid in August 2015, which involved providing additional details about the Las Vegas market to the league. Later in the same month, both bids proceeded to Phase III, which involved a review of ownership financials. At
730-547: A dominant 9–3 victory in game 5, to win their first Stanley Cup championship, as well as Las Vegas' first championship in any of the " big 4 " North American sports leagues. Jonathan Marchessault , who led the team in playoff goals, would win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player during the playoffs. Additionally, the Golden Knights fulfilled the prediction of owner Bill Foley , who had previously stated
876-432: A front-office role with the team. The Golden Knights further overhauled the roster in the off-season, notably signing defenseman Alex Pietrangelo to a seven-year contract, as well as trading Paul Stastny to Winnipeg and original Golden Knight Nate Schmidt to Vancouver. The shortened schedule saw a temporary realignment where teams only played against their own division in the regular season, with Vegas being placed in
1022-632: A hat trick from trade-deadline acquisition Mattias Janmark . In the second round, the Golden Knights defeated the Avalanche in six games despite initially going down 2–0; however, Vegas' playoff run would again end one round short of the Stanley Cup Finals, as the Golden Knights were then upset by the Montreal Canadiens in six games in the Stanley Cup semifinals. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury
1168-822: A head coach in the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers when Peter DeBoer left the Rangers for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League in 2008. On July 3, 2013, he was announced as the head coach of the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League after the departure of former head coach Dallas Eakins . He would be promoted to the Maple Leafs as an assistant coach due to his success at leading
1314-485: A knight for a mascot because it found that knight mascots used by other teams were not very child-friendly. However, the team's pre-game show often includes a skating knight. The Golden Knights' designated television market includes Nevada, Idaho, Montana, and Arizona, and formerly included Utah and Wyoming. In May 2023, amid plans by Warner Bros. Discovery to exit the RSN business, the Golden Knights announced an agreement with
1460-607: A minority stake. After a short winning period in late January that featured Hill's return from a two-month injury, as well as Pachal's loss to the Calgary Flames on waivers, the team celebrated its first 1,000th-game ceremony on February 12, 2024, as defenseman Alex Pietrangelo played his 1,000th NHL game. However, the team slumped heavily after the All-Star break , recording a 2–8–1 record between February 12 and March 7, endangering their playoff chances. In an attempt to bolster
1606-515: A new eight-team West Division . The Golden Knights ultimately finished second in both the division and league; despite being tied in points with the Colorado Avalanche , the Avalanche had five more regulation wins than Vegas. In first round of the playoffs , Vegas was forced to a game seven for the third consecutive year after leading 3–1, but defeated the Minnesota Wild thanks in part to
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#17328581963561752-634: A record of 54-0 when leading after two periods. Having earned the right to represent the OHL in the 1988 Memorial Cup hosted in Chicoutimi , Quebec , the Compuware Spitfires advanced to the Championship game, where their string of success ended, losing to the Medicine Hat Tigers . Karmanos sold the team to local construction magnate Steve Riolo after the 1988–89 season, and the team reverted
1898-577: A rematch of the 2020 series , as the Golden Knights faced the Dallas Stars once again; avenging their prior loss, Vegas won the series and their second Western Conference championship in six games, despite Dallas forcing two additional games after Vegas led the series 3–0. The Golden Knights ultimately faced the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Finals . Vegas won the Finals in five games, including
2044-413: A rematch of the past year's conference finals; despite winning the first two games of the series, the Golden Knights would ultimately lose the series in seven games, ending their title defense in the first round. The team's primary logo is a barbute helmet, superimposed on a black and gold shield, with a V-shaped opening. The secondary logo is two crossing swords behind a red star, designed to resemble
2190-404: A returning Brossoit for varying periods, the Golden Knights went on a tear through the final three months of the season, finishing out 22–4–5. In addition, the team acquired forwards Ivan Barbashev and Teddy Blueger at the trade deadline for scoring depth, as well as longtime Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick to address the multitude of goaltender injuries. During this period,
2336-711: A single period (38 game seconds), matching the record set by the WHL's New Westminster Bruins in the 1978 tournament. The tournament ended with the Windsor Spitfires winning their third Memorial Cup , defeating the Erie Otters 4–3 in the championship final. On December 4, 2016, the Saginaw Spirit hosted the Spitfires in front of a crowd of over 3,100 people in the closing of Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The Spitfires got
2482-591: A six-goal deficit to defeat the Wolves 11–10. After trailing 7–1 only 2:49 into the second period, the Spitfires were able to chip the lead down to 9–7 by the second intermission. Charlie Skjodt scored to make it 9–9 to complete the comeback, just to have the Wolves score with 6:33 to go in the game to make it 10–9. Charles Bosnyak , a member of the 1974–75 Tier II Spitfires, scored 32 seconds later to make it 10–10 and captain Mark Perras scored with 43 seconds remaining to win
2628-526: A team came back from a 3–0 deficit to win a series. Kitchener had another solid season in 2010–11 , as the club had a 38–21–4–5 record, earning 85 points, and second place in the Midwest Division for the second consecutive season. Kitchener faced off against the Plymouth Whalers in the Western Conference quarter-finals, however, the club was upset by the Whalers in seven games. The Rangers once again made
2774-646: A three-game deficit to win a playoff series, beating Rangers in each of the next four games to win the conference championship and the Wayne Gretzky Trophy . Notably, the Spitfires had recovered from a 3–0 deficit to win a playoff series once before, in a 2004–05 Conference Quarterfinal series against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds . In the league final, the Spitfires made quick work of a highly touted Barrie Colts squad, sweeping them in four games to win their second straight J. Ross Robertson Cup . Adam Henrique won
2920-462: A trip to the Western Conference finals for the second time in three seasons. The Rangers though were no match for the London Knights , who won the series in four games. Kitchener once again had another very solid season in 2012–13 , finishing with a 39-20-1-8 record, earning 87 points and third place in the Midwest Division. In the opening round of the playoffs, the Rangers defeated their rivals,
3066-634: A voided trade, as an attempt to send Dadonov to the Anaheim Ducks fell through due to non-compliance with his no-trade clause. Due in part to the injuries, as well as lackluster play, the Golden Knights ultimately missed the playoffs for the first time in team history , finishing three points behind the Nashville Predators in the Western Conference. During the 2022 off-season, Vegas fired head coach DeBoer, replacing him with former Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy one month later. Besides
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#17328581963563212-574: Is primarily owned by Black Knight Sports and Entertainment, a consortium led by Bill Foley , with Adrienne Maloof holding a minority stake. Their home games are played at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada . One of the few expansion franchises to experience immediate success, the Golden Knights qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs in their first four seasons and reached
3358-634: Is the uncle of former Detroit Red Wings centre Stephen Weiss . Vegas Golden Knights The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area . The Golden Knights compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference . Founded in 2017 as an expansion team , the team is the first major sports franchise to represent Las Vegas. The franchise
3504-694: The 2009 Memorial Cup , the Spitfires dropped their first two games in Rimouski 3–2 in overtime to the Drummondville Voltigeurs and 5–4 to the Rimouski Océanic . In a do-or-die game, the Spitfires won the final game of the round robin 2–1 over the Kelowna Rockets to gain entry to the tie-breaker game. In the tie-breaker, Windsor defeated the hometown Océanic 6-4 powered by a third period natural hat-trick by Dale Mitchell. The tournament semi-final
3650-558: The 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships . After leading Canada to a 4-0-0 record in the round-robin, the club lost to the United States 5–1 in the semi-final, then suffered a 6–5 loss to Russia in the bronze medal game, as Canada finished in fourth place in the tournament. Spott lives in Plano, Texas while his wife Lisa Spott and their two children, a son and a daughter live in Toronto. He
3796-534: The 2017 NHL expansion draft on June 21, 2017, selecting an available player from all 30 teams in the NHL. The draft picks were announced at T-Mobile Arena during the NHL Awards ceremony. Some notable selections included goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury from the Pittsburgh Penguins and winger James Neal from the Nashville Predators . At the 2017 NHL entry draft , Cody Glass was the first player selected by
3942-477: The Dallas Stars . During the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships , Spott was a member of the coaching staff that captured a silver medal during the tournament. Spott also worked with Hockey Canada during other tournaments, such as the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament , where Spott and the Canadian team won the gold medal. On May 18, 2012, Spott was named coach of the Canadian national under-20 team for
4088-939: The Dudley Hewitt Cup Eastern Canada playdowns was the Wexford Raiders of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League . Also on the line was the Ontario Hockey Association Junior A championship, the Buckland Cup. The Spitfires took game one in Rexdale with a 4–2 victory. Back in Windsor the next night, the Spitfires seemed to have the series in control with a 5–2 win. The Raiders had other things in mind, winning at home in game three 6–2 and then taking it to Windsor in their own arena 4–1 to tie
4234-599: The E.W. Scripps Company and its newly established Scripps Sports division, under a multi-year deal beginning in the 2023–24 NHL season . Scripps' Laughlin station KMCC will serve as flagship station of the Golden Knights' television network. KMCC is a sister station to Las Vegas ABC affiliate KTNV-TV , which may also air selected Golden Knights games by virtue of the NHL's broadcast television rights with ABC , and has previously aired simulcasts of Golden Knights preseason games with ATTSN. The Golden Knights also launched an in-market streaming service, KnightTime+ , to carry
4380-582: The Edmonton Oilers and Coach Bob Boughner accepted an assistant coaching job with the National Hockey League 's Columbus Blue Jackets . The Spitfires have engaged in a massive overhaul involving many trades. During the exhibition season, the Spitfires hosted the Czech Under-20 National Team . The Spitfires came back to win the game 5–4. Spitfires finished the exhibition schedule with 4 wins 1 loss and 1 tie. After another successful season
4526-596: The Guelph Storm in five games, before losing to the London Knights in five games in the second round. On July 3, 2013, Spott resigned as head coach and general manager of the Rangers. On July 3, 2013, Spott was named head coach of the Toronto Marlies , the AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs . Spott played for the Maple Leafs former AHL affiliate, the Newmarket Saints , during the 1990–91 season. Spott would leave
Steve Spott - Misplaced Pages Continue
4672-643: The Hamilton Spectator Trophy . The Spitfires also played their final games in the Windsor Arena . The Spits were undefeated at home in the Old Barn during the 2008–09 season. Mid-season they moved to the WFCU Centre . The Spitfires and their new arena played host to the 2009 All-Star Game. On May 12, Goalie Andrew Engelage broke the OHL record for most wins by a goaltender in a single season with 46 with
4818-699: The International Hockey League . The modern Windsor Spitfires started as a Tier II Junior A team that played in the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League from 1971 to 1975. The Spitfires first game as a franchise was in Guelph, Ontario , against the Guelph CMC's on October 1, 1971. The Spitfires lost the game 11–3, with Laurie Gregan scoring the first two goals in team history in the first period. Fifteen-year-old goaltender Larry Verlinde played
4964-644: The Nashville Predators . Vegas also acquired forward Brett Howden from the New York Rangers , later sending Ryan Reaves to the Rangers in a separate trade. Most controversially, Fleury was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for minor-league forward Mikael Hakkarainen due to salary-cap constraints. Vegas later traded for Ottawa Senators forward Evgenii Dadonov , as well as signing Laurent Brossoit to back up Robin Lehner . Approximately one month after
5110-522: The New Jersey Devils . The team additionally acquired center Chandler Stephenson from the Washington Capitals in early December 2019. After an up-and-down start resulting in a 24–19–6 record and capped by a four-game losing streak, the team fired head coach Gallant, replacing him with recently fired former Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer on January 15, 2020. During the following month in
5256-424: The Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline, subsequently signing him to an eight-year extension. Despite dropping to 93 standings points from the prior season's 109, the Golden Knights returned to the playoffs as the third seed in the Pacific Division. They ultimately suffered their first-ever first-round elimination , losing to the San Jose Sharks in seven games after leading the series 3 games to 1 . Game seven
5402-417: The Phoenix Coyotes to Nevada. Rumors of a Las Vegas expansion team surfaced again in August 2014, pointing to a new indoor arena on the Strip (built as a joint venture between Anschutz Entertainment Group , owners of the Los Angeles Kings , and MGM Resorts International ) as the potential home arena, although these rumors were denied by the league. In November 2014, an unconfirmed report stated that
5548-399: The Plymouth Whalers in four games to win their Conference Semi-Final. In the other semi-final, the Kitchener Rangers upset the favoured London Knights in seven games. In the Conference Finals against Kitchener, Windsor initially struggled, losing the first three games of the series. However, the Spitfires went on to become the third team in Ontario Hockey League history to come back from
5694-433: The Quad City Mallards of the ECHL for the 2017–18 season , however, the Mallards ceased operations after the one season. On August 21, 2018, the Golden Knights entered a one-year affiliation agreement with the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL for the 2018–19 season . On February 6, 2020, Spurs Sports & Entertainment announced the sale of the San Antonio Rampage franchise to the Golden Knights organization. It
5840-403: The San Jose Sharks announced that Spott had been hired as an assistant coach. On December 11, 2019, Spott and head coach Peter DeBoer were fired by the Sharks. Spott was named an assistant coach for the Vegas Golden Knights on January 28, 2020, reuniting him with DeBoer. On May 16, 2022, Spott was fired by the Vegas Golden Knights. On July 1, 2022, Spott was hired as an assistant coach by
5986-405: The Stanley Cup Finals in their first season. Their 13 playoff wins en route to the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals are the most for a team during their inaugural postseason run. In 2023 , the club returned to the Stanley Cup Finals and won their first Stanley Cup championship, defeating the Florida Panthers in five games. The NHL has had a presence in Las Vegas since 1991; that year, the city hosted
Steve Spott - Misplaced Pages Continue
6132-400: The Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as the playoffs' most valuable player. In May, the Spitfires traveled to Brandon, Manitoba , for the 2010 Memorial Cup . The Spitfires trampled the host Brandon Wheat Kings 9–3 in their first game of the tournament and, in their second game, scored a convincing 6–2 win over the Western Hockey League champion Calgary Hitmen . With their victory over the Hitmen,
6278-449: The Windsor Arena . The Spitfires would take the game 6–3 in front of a capacity crowd of 5,189 fans. The victory, winning in seven games, was the Spitfires' first ever playoff series victory. Waiting for them, rested for the semi-final, was the first place Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters (39–13–8). The Biltmores, defending National Champions , made short work of the Spitfires sweeping them in four games. The 1973–74 season would prove to be
6424-459: The Winnipeg Jets on TSN . The team has a three-year radio deal with Lotus Broadcasting . Lotus airs the team's games on its Fox Sports Radio affiliate, KKGK 1340/98.9 . KKGK fronts a network of nine stations across Nevada, California, Arizona, and Utah. One game a week is also aired on KENO 1460 , a Spanish-language sports radio station, making the team one of only three in the NHL to offer Spanish-language broadcasts. On May 16, 2017,
6570-461: The first outdoor game between two NHL teams – a preseason exhibition between the Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers outside Caesars Palace . The Kings would subsequently organize " Frozen Fury " – a series of annual preseason games in Las Vegas against the Colorado Avalanche . The NHL Awards ceremonies have been held in Las Vegas since 2009. In 2009, the media speculated about a plan involving Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer to move
6716-418: The "team captain that best exemplifies leadership on and off the ice as well as hard work, passion and dedication to the game of hockey and their community" in honour of Renaud. The Windsor Spitfires finished the 2008–09 season with 57 wins, 10 losses, and 1 shootout loss. This marked their best season in franchise history. With the first overall record in the Ontario Hockey League the Spitfires were awarded
6862-414: The 1990–91 season with a record short try-out in the Swedish Division 1 Club Tingsryds AIF which he ended after "feeling homesick" after less than one week. After returning to Canada from Sweden he spent the 1990–91 season with the Richmond Renegades of the East Coast Hockey League and the Newmarket Saints of the American Hockey League . Spott played with the Heerenveen Flyers of the Eredivisie in
7008-408: The 3rd-best points percentage in the Western Conference, automatically qualified for the restructured playoffs , playing in a round-robin to determine the top four seeds in the Western playoff bracket. After sweeping the round-robin round over the Dallas Stars , St. Louis Blues , and Colorado Avalanche , Vegas earned the first seed, proceeding to defeat Chicago in the first round in five games. In
7154-414: The Black Knights, but dropped that plan after encountering resistance from federal officials. Foley was unable to call the team the "Vegas Knights" because the London Knights owned the "Knights" name in Canada. "Golden" was included in the name because gold is, as Foley stated, the "No. 1 precious metal", and because Nevada is the largest gold-producing state in the country. "Las" was omitted from
7300-434: The Finals. However, Blueger, Brossoit, and Quick departed in free agency, while original Golden Knight Reilly Smith was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins , ending his six-year tenure with the franchise. For the second consecutive season, Vegas started the season at the top of the Pacific Division, going 11–0–1 over their first twelve games, with no regulation losses in October; their seven-game season-opening win streak set
7446-418: The Generals made it 7–0 at 11:29 of the second period. The two goaltenders combined for 30 saves, as the Spits were outshot 40–23. Rolly Hedges scored the first Major Junior goal in team history at 18:48 of the second period. On October 2, 1975, the Spitfires would tally their first ever Major Junior win. At home, the Spits were hosting the Sudbury Wolves . Despite being outshot 60–34, the Spitfires overcame
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#17328581963567592-449: The Golden Knights also became the first team to win four consecutive games with four different starting goaltenders, as rookie Jiri Patera became the fifth goaltender to start for Vegas during the season. After clinching a playoff berth on March 30, 2023, Vegas defeated the Seattle Kraken in their final regular season game on April 13, narrowly beating out the Edmonton Oilers for both the Pacific Division championship and first seed in
7738-420: The Golden Knights compete in the 2024 Winter Classic on New Year's Day , facing off against Seattle at T-Mobile Park in their second outdoor game; Vegas ultimately lost 3–0, becoming the first team to be shut out in the Winter Classic. Business changes also occurred mid-season, as the Maloof family sold the bulk of their shares to majority owner Foley in early January, with only Adrienne Maloof maintaining
7884-430: The Golden Knights entered a multi-year affiliation agreement with a minor league team, the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League . Like most NHL–AHL affiliation arrangements, the Golden Knights were able to transfer players to and from the Wolves. Although the Wolves were the Golden Knights affiliate, the two teams do not share the same ownership. In addition to the Wolves, the Golden Knights were affiliated with
8030-423: The Golden Knights made their first personnel move by signing Reid Duke to a three-year entry-level contract. The team announced inaugural head coach Gerard Gallant on April 13, 2017. Over the next two months, the Golden Knights developed their farm system , announcing affiliations with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League and the Quad City Mallards of the ECHL . The team participated in
8176-435: The Golden Knights set another NHL expansion team record of six straight wins, a record they previously missed when they lost their tenth game of the season, and established a new NHL record with eight straight wins. On February 1, 2018, the Golden Knights set the expansion team record for wins in a debut season with 34 wins after only 50 games, and then on February 21, 2018, set a record for most points by an expansion team in
8322-399: The Golden Knights. The Golden Knights played their first game on October 6 against the Dallas Stars with Neal scoring the franchise's first two goals en route to their first victory. The team's inaugural home game at T-Mobile Arena was played on October 10, 2017, hosting the Arizona Coyotes as the second game of a home-and-home series. In the aftermath of the October 1 mass shooting ,
8468-402: The Golden Knights. The Silver Knights began play in the 2020–21 season at Orleans Arena , while Dollar Loan Center was under construction. On May 19, 2022, the Golden Knights announced a one-year affiliation agreement with the expansion Savannah Ghost Pirates of the ECHL, through the 2022–23 season . On July 16, 2024, the Golden Knights announced a multi-year affiliation agreement with
8614-414: The Marlies after a season, leading them to the Western Conference Finals, as he joined the Toronto Maple Leafs as an assistant coach, serving under Randy Carlyle . He was relieved of his duties on April 12, 2015, one day after the 2014–15 regular season ended, along with General Manager Dave Nonis , Head Coach Peter Horachek , Chris Dennis and goaltending coach Rick St. Croix. On August 24, 2015,
8760-415: The Marlies to the AHL's Western Conference Finals. Spott played NCAA hockey with Colgate University from 1986–1990, as he helped the team win the ECAC Hockey championship in 1990 as Colgate defeated Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 5–4 to win the Whitelaw Cup. Colgate then went on to the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship sweeping Lake Superior State University in a best of 3 Quarterfinal Series by
8906-407: The Memorial Cup tournament, the Spitfires hung Mickey Renaud 's jersey on their bench and the championship was won in Renaud's memory. In the aftermath of the championship, the team was met at the Windsor Airport by a large contingent of local fans and was addressed by Mayor Eddie Francis . It was announced that the road to the new WFCU Centre would be renamed Memorial Cup Drive in honour of
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#17328581963569052-457: The Netherlands for the 1991–92 season before retiring. Spott was selected OCAA Coach of the Year in 1994–95 with Seneca College , and then spent the time coaching the Markham Waxers of the Metro Junior A Hockey League before landing his first Ontario Hockey League job as an assistant coach of the Plymouth Whalers from 1997–2001, which is where he first worked with Whalers head coach Peter DeBoer . In 2001, both DeBoer and Spott would leave
9198-410: The OHL's Western Conference Final, and they finished the playoffs with 20 wins against just 3 losses. Taylor Hall won his second straight Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as Memorial Cup most valuable player, making him the first repeat winner in the trophy's history. After two straight Memorial Cups , the Summer of 2010 saw leading scorer Taylor Hall go first overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft to
9344-424: The OMJHL (later known as the OHL) as an expansion franchise for the 1975–76 OMJHL season in February 1975. The league's board of governors unanimously accepted the Spitfires despite their arena's surface being smaller than Major Junior A standards. The Spitfires' had pumped $ 200,000 into the arena over the past two years, so the league overlooked the surface size despite taking issue with it in their 1974 rejection of
9490-506: The Ontario Hockey Association played from 1945 to 1953. The name Spitfires was chosen to honour the 417 Combat Support Squadron , a Royal Canadian Air Force squadron nicknamed "City of Windsor" established during World War II in England (today based at CFB Cold Lake in Alberta ), and used the Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft. During this period the Spitfires reached the league finals twice, and featured four future Hockey Hall of Fame players. Prior to 1945, local junior hockey
9636-422: The Pacific Division, losing just two games during the month of October, and holding a 17–6–1 record at the end of November. However, the team slowed down afterwards, posting a combined 12–12–3 record through December and January, including a 1–5–2 slump in the eight games prior to the All-Star break . The Golden Knights recovered after the break, however; despite a variety of injuries sidelining Thompson, Hill, and
9782-399: The Rangers in 2008–09 , the rebuilding club failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since the 2000–01 season. The Rangers improved greatly in Spott's second season as head coach in 2009–10 , as Kitchener improved by 34 points, as they had a 42–19–4–3 record, as Kitchener finished in second place in the Midwest Division. The Rangers defeated the Saginaw Spirit in six games in
9928-436: The SOJHL scoring title with 73 goals and 125 points over the course of the season. The Spitfires semi-final opponent was their cross-river rival Detroit Jr. Red Wings . The Red Wings had finished the season in fifth out of eight teams (31–25–6). The semi-final opened up at the Windsor Arena with a 7–1 win for the Spitfires. They were at the Detroit Olympia for game two, another romp for Windsor as they won 8–0. Back in Windsor,
10074-434: The Spitfires as head coach, with Bob Jones remaining on the staff as his assistant. On August 10, 2012, the Spitfires were fined an unprecedented $ 400,000 CAD by the Ontario Hockey League and forfeited five first round OHL Priority Draft picks in 2013, 2014, and 2016 and second round picks in 2015 and 2017 for unspecified recruitment violations. The Spitfires claimed innocence to the recruitment violations and plan to appeal
10220-528: The Spitfires clinched a berth in the Memorial Cup final. They did not need to defeat the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League 's Moncton Wildcats in their third and final round-robin game, but did so anyway, winning 4–3 in overtime. The tournament final saw the Spitfires play the host Wheat Kings for a second time. The Spitfires posted a convincing win once again, defeating the Wheat Kings 9–1 to clinch their second straight Memorial Cup. Their victory marked their twelfth straight win since going down 0–3 to Kitchener in
10366-447: The Spitfires defeated the Maroons in Windsor 4–3 to clinch the SOJHL playoff championship. Gary Armstrong would score yet another winning goal in the series. Before a crowd of 5,117 fans, team captain Hugh Mitchell hoisted the Jack Oakes Memorial Trophy to celebrate their playoff victory. The Spitfires were now in the hunt for the 1974 Centennial Cup , the National Championship of Tier II Junior A hockey. The first team in their way, in
10512-505: The Spitfires drew local rival Chatham Maroons in a best-of-seven league quarter-final. The Maroons, who finished third with 33 wins, 17 losses, and 6 ties, were favoured to win. The Spitfires' first playoff game took place on February 23, 1972, in Chatham, Ontario , for a 3–2 win over the Maroons to take a one-game lead in the series. Goaltender Bryan Rose made 35 saves in the winning effort, while
10658-432: The Spitfires fought to win a 6–4 decision in Windsor to tie the series at 7 points each and force a final eighth game - winner take all. The eighth game proved to be the Spitfires' last game of Tier II Junior A, as they traveled to Guelph and blew a 3–0 lead to lose the game (6–5) and the series (9-points-to-7) to end their four-year trek in the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League . The Spitfires were granted entry into
10804-466: The Spitfires needed to make a change. Future IHLer Tony Piroski and partner Jean Pominville had uninspired starts in games three and four and were replaced by third-string goalie, and future NHLer , Rick Heinz . Heinz had spent the season in Junior B with the Spitfires' farm team Windsor Royals and was new to the pressure of Junior A playoff hockey. The gamble paid off, as an inspired Spitfire squad won
10950-603: The Spitfires organization. Downie was traded to the Peterborough Petes , and Aliu was traded to the Sudbury Wolves . On April 6, 2006, the Ontario Hockey League Board of Governors announced the approval of a new ownership group for the Windsor Spitfires, composed of Bob Boughner , Warren Rychel and Peter Dobrich. All three men had history in Windsor with OHL hockey, and the group had expressed hope to move
11096-762: The Spitfires were awarded their second straight Bumbacco Trophy . Taylor Hall tied Tyler Seguin of the Plymouth Whalers for the league's scoring lead, and both were awarded the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy as scoring co-champions. The Spitfires also played host to the CHL Top Prospects Game . The Spitfires sent six players to the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships . Defenceman Ryan Ellis and forwards Taylor Hall , Adam Henrique , and Greg Nemisz played for silver medalist Canada, defenceman Cam Fowler played for gold medalist United States, and forward Richard Panik played for Slovakia. At
11242-622: The Spitfires won game three 9–2. At the Olympia for game four, the Red Wings attempted to stage some resistance, but the Spitfires were too much, winning 7–5. The four-game sweep of the Red Wings allowed Windsor to rest up for the winner of the Chatham Maroons and Welland Sabres , a series just starting. On March 16, 1974, the Spitfires engaged long time foe Chatham Maroons at the Windsor Arena in
11388-527: The Spitfires' expansion bid. On September 25, 1975, Major Junior hockey returned to the Windsor Arena for the first time in twenty-two years. In front of 4,335 fans, the Windsor Spitfires hosted the Oshawa Generals . The game would be an eye-opener for the Spitfires, as they were defeated 10–1 by the Generals. Wayne Mills started in net for the Spits, but would be later relieved by back-up Bob Parent when
11534-676: The Spits finished 4th in the Western Conference to advance to the playoffs. The Spitfires reached the Conference Final for the third consecutive year. Following two hard fought battles the Spits were eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in three years by the Owen Sound Attack. The Attack went on to win the OHL Championship. After one season with the Columbus Blue Jackets as assistant coach, Bob Boughner returned to
11680-679: The Spits played their nemesis the London Knights . Led by John Tavares , the Knights were a tough opponent. Every game in the series went to overtime, but the Spitfires were victorious and won the series 4-games-to-1 to earn a berth to the OHL Final and take the Wayne Gretzky Trophy as Conference champions. The OHL Final began with a 10–1 victory for the Spitfires over the Eastern Conference's Brampton Battalion led by stars Cody Hodgson and Matt Duchene . The series became much tighter from there as
11826-435: The Spits to a second straight regular season title with a record of 40 wins, 15 losses, and 5 ties, 11 points ahead of the second place Welland Sabres (30–16–14). John Tavella won the league scoring title with 54 goals and 117 points and goaltender Floyd St. Cyr led the league with the fewest goals against. The Spitfires' first opponent in the playoff semi-final was the last place Detroit Jr. Red Wings (15–38–9). At home,
11972-446: The Spits took Game 2 5–3. The Battalion fought back in Game 3, winning 4–2. Game 4 belonged to the Spitfires as they took a 4–1 win and a 3–1 series lead. Game 5 was a tight affair, as the Spitfires took a 1–0 lead midway through the second period on the power play. Brampton tied the game up late in the third period to force overtime. At 2:09 of the first overtime period, Taylor Hall scored on
12118-459: The Spits took game one 11–2. Back at the Detroit Olympia , the Spits won 8–2. Again in Windsor, the Spits took game three 10–1. The Spits had the chance to clinch in game four, but the Red Wings refused to let their season end in front of their Detroit faithful winning 5–3. Game five, in Windsor, Ian Campbell would score a late third period tally to break a 2–2 deadlock and send the Spitfires to
12264-401: The Spits' first ever Major Junior game. Bob Parent would make 50 saves to cap off the historic victory. The "Spits" as they are commonly known, won their first Emms division title in 1980 and reached the OHL finals, but lost to the Peterborough Petes . Ernie Godden set an all-time OHL record in 1980–81 scoring 87 goals. In 1984 Peter Karmanos , the founder and CEO of Compuware , bought
12410-428: The Spits' first playoff goal and later winning goals were scored by Wolf Hiesl , both in the second period. The Spitfires lost the next four games to the Maroons to end their season. The 1972–73 season, the Spitfires second season, finished with their first winning record – 30 wins, 21 losses, and 9 ties. Finishing third in a league of seven teams, the Spitfires drew the fourth place Niagara Falls Flyers (28–25–7) in
12556-403: The Western Conference quarter-finals, then the team upset the favoured London Knights in seven games in the semi-finals. Kitchener then faced the heavily favoured Windsor Spitfires in the Western Conference finals, and went up 3 games to 0 in the best of seven series, however, the Spitfires came all the way back, and defeated the Rangers in seven games. It marked the first time since 2005 that
12702-522: The Western Conference. In the playoffs , the Golden Knights faced off against the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, in a rematch of the 2018 conference finals; after a 5–1 loss in game 1, the Golden Knights won four straight to win the series in five games. Proceeding to the second round, Vegas defeated the division rival Oilers in six games, despite an injury to Brossoit in game 3 necessitating Hill taking over as goaltender. The conference finals saw
12848-404: The Whalers and move to the Kitchener Rangers , where DeBoer was once again the head coach and general manager, while Spott took the assistant coaching job and assistant general manager job. DeBoer would leave the Rangers in 2008 to take a job with the Florida Panthers , and the Rangers promoted Spott to become the head coach and general manager of the club. In his first season as head coach with
12994-427: The Windsor Spitfires name and adopted their modern logo. On October 18, 2005, Head Coach Moe Mantha was handed a 40-game suspension and later terminated without pay, for a hazing incident that occurred aboard a bus after a pre-season game versus the London Knights . An altercation involving players Steve Downie and Akim Aliu , in which Aliu lost four teeth, led to public exposure of the compulsive hazing within
13140-406: The alternate swords logo. On October 2, 2020, the Golden Knights introduced a gold alternate uniform, essentially a palette swap of the road uniforms with gold and white switching places. On February 11, 2021, the Golden Knights debuted shiny gold helmets as an alternate to their home gray helmets. Starting with the 2022–23 season, the gold uniforms became the primary, while the gray uniforms became
13286-460: The alternate. The Golden Knights also released a special "Reverse Retro" alternate uniform. Because the Golden Knights did not have a long NHL history to draw from, their retro design was inspired in part by Manon Rhéaume , the first female NHL player, who played for the now-defunct International Hockey League 's Las Vegas Thunder . The uniform employs a red base and features the "crossing swords" logo in front. Their second "Reverse Retro" uniform
13432-829: The best of the Spirit in a 3–2 overtime win, with a hat trick performance by defenceman Sean Day . The Windsor Compuware Spitfires won the Hamilton Spectator Trophy, the J. Ross Robertson Cup, and were the top-ranked junior team in Canada during the 1987–88 season. Memorial Cup J. Ross Robertson Cup Emms Division Playoff Champions Wayne Gretzky Trophy West Conference Champions Hamilton Spectator Trophy Emms Trophy Emms Division Champions Bumbacco Trophy West Division Champions SOJAHL Regular Season Champions SOJAHL Jack Oakes Trophy OHA Jr. A Frank L. Buckland Trophy Over 100 alumni of
13578-503: The conference finals. On May 20, Vegas defeated the Winnipeg Jets to win the conference finals in five games, becoming the third NHL team to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals in its inaugural season, after the Toronto Arenas in 1918 and the St. Louis Blues in 1968 . The Golden Knights were defeated in the Stanley Cup Finals by the Washington Capitals in five games; despite this loss,
13724-568: The decision. On December 29, 2013, the Spitfires and the Saginaw Spirit played the first ever outdoor game in Ontario Hockey League history. The game was played at Comerica Park in Detroit , Michigan . The Spitfires won the game 6–5 in front of a short-lived Canadian Hockey League record of 25,749 spectators, surpassed later that night by the London Knights and Plymouth Whalers at
13870-546: The defining moment of the Spitfires stint in Tier II Junior A. Headed by new head coach and general manager Wayne Maxner , the Spitfires won the Southern Ontario Junior A regular season title with a record of 39 wins, 15 losses, and 8 ties. Their record would put them four points ahead of the second place Welland Sabres and automatically give them a berth into the league playoff semi-finals. Scott Miller would win
14016-504: The end of the tournament, the Spitfires acquired defenceman Marc Cantin , forward Stephen Johnston and German goaltender Philipp Grubauer from the Belleville Bulls in exchange for forwards Panik and Austen Brassard , defenceman Paul Bezzo , goaltender Steve Gleeson and a seventh-round pick in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection. In the first round of the OHL playoffs, the Spitfires swept the Erie Otters in four games. They then swept
14162-459: The entire first game in team history, making 37 saves in the loss. The home game and first victory in team history occurred on October 7, 1971, at the Windsor Arena against the Chatham Maroons , winning 4–2 on the back of future NHL goaltender Eddie Mio who made 49 saves. Dean Sheremeta scored the winning goal. The Spitfires finished their first season with a record of 21 wins, 32 losses, and 3 ties. Finishing sixth place out of eight teams,
14308-669: The expansion Tahoe Knight Monsters of the ECHL, resulting in Nevada hosting both of the franchise's minor-league affiliates. This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Golden Knights. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Vegas Golden Knights seasons . GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Updated November 25, 2024 Stanley Cup Clarence S. Campbell Bowl Windsor Spitfires The Windsor Spitfires are
14454-508: The first game of the SOJHL Final. The Maroons fell in that first game 6–1, but rebounded the next night in Chatham with a 5–2 victory of their own. On March 18, goalie Dennis Thorpe 's 40 save performance and third period game winner by Gary Armstrong gave the Spitfires a 2–1 home victory and a lead in the series. The Spitfires took game four in Chatham with a 6–4 win. The next night, March 21,
14600-551: The first time a team started with two losses in the Memorial Cup round robin and came back to win the championship. The feat also marks the first time that a team has survived the Memorial Cup tie-breaker game to win the championship. The Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy was awarded to Taylor Hall as Memorial Cup playoffs most valuable player. Both Ryan Ellis and Hall were elected to the tournament's All-Star Team. Throughout
14746-528: The franchise earned their first playoff series win against the Kings, winning the fourth game by a 1–0 score, which also became their first playoff series sweep. The Golden Knights became the first team in NHL history to sweep their first playoff series in their inaugural season. On May 6, 2018, the Golden Knights defeated the San Jose Sharks four-games-to-two, becoming the third team in NHL history to win multiple playoff series in their inaugural season, and advanced to
14892-632: The franchise's goals were "playoffs in three, cup in six," with the 2022–23 season being the franchise's sixth. The Knights became the youngest team to win the Stanley Cup since the NHL's first major expansion in 1967 , beating the previous record set by the Philadelphia Flyers , who won the Cup in 1974 , their seventh season. The Golden Knights entered the 2023–24 season retaining the majority of their Cup-winning roster, agreeing to extensions with Barbashev, Hill, and Brayden Pachal several weeks after
15038-399: The game 9-4 while Heinz capped of a 24-save night for the victory. In game six, coach Jerry Serviss returned to his starting goalie, Tony Piroski , in net on the road. Piroski rewarded his coach's confidence with a 5–4, 33-save victory - evening the series at 3 games each. Mark Smith scored the eventual game winner for the Spitfires. Game seven saw the two teams return for a final showdown at
15184-666: The games. The service costs $ 69.99 a season or $ 6.99 a game. Outside of Las Vegas, the Golden Knights' regional television network includes other Scripps stations, outside one station in Reno; From its inaugural season through 2022–23, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (ATTSN) was the regional television rightsholder for all Golden Knights games not broadcast exclusively by the NHL's national television partners. Golden Knights games on KMCC, and formerly on ATTSN, are called by former Boston Bruins radio announcer Dave Goucher on play-by-play , and Shane Hnidy , who previously worked color for
15330-463: The goaltender's net, however; with starting goaltender Robin Lehner ruled out for the season due to hip surgery, and backup Laurent Brossoit set to miss time due to surgery of his own, the team turned to rookie Logan Thompson as starter. Additionally, the Golden Knights acquired Adin Hill from the San Jose Sharks to serve as Thompson's backup. The Golden Knights began the 2022–23 season leading
15476-461: The hiring of Cassidy, the Golden Knights experienced comparatively few changes during the off-season; most notably, Mattias Janmark left in free agency, while Max Pacioretty and Dylan Coghlan were traded to the Carolina Hurricanes , and Evgenii Dadonov was traded to the Montreal Canadiens . The team also signed veteran forward Phil Kessel to a one-year contract. Change did occur in
15622-544: The inaugural season with 84. Clinching a berth for the 2018 playoffs on March 26, the Golden Knights became the first team since the Edmonton Oilers and Hartford Whalers in the 1979–80 season to make the playoffs in their inaugural season in the league. On March 31, the Golden Knights clinched the Pacific Division title, becoming the first true expansion team in the four major sports to win its division in its inaugural season (not counting all-expansion divisions, as
15768-581: The lead-up to the trade deadline, Vegas further acquired defenseman Alec Martinez from the Los Angeles Kings , forward Nick Cousins from Montreal, and goaltender Robin Lehner from the Chicago Blackhawks , as well as trading original Golden Knights Cody Eakin and Malcolm Subban to the Winnipeg Jets and Chicago. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the NHL regular season was suspended on March 12, 2020, and officially concluded on May 26; Vegas, holding
15914-413: The league finals. The fourth place Guelph Bilmores (23–31–6) stood in the way of the Spitfires. The Biltmores had upset the second place Welland Sabres in the league quarter-final in five games and the third place Chatham Maroons 8-points-to-6 (3 wins, 2 losses, 2 ties) and were looking to shock the Spitfires too. The Biltmores had caused trouble for the Spitfires all season as their head-to-head record
16060-641: The league had selected billionaire businessman Bill Foley and the Maloof family (former owners of the National Basketball Association 's Sacramento Kings , and founders of the Palms Casino Resort ) to lead the ownership group for a Las Vegas expansion team. In December 2014, the NHL's board of governors decided to allow Foley to hold a season ticket drive to gauge interest in a Las Vegas team, though league commissioner Gary Bettman also asked
16206-406: The league owners' meeting on June 22, 2016, in Las Vegas, the Las Vegas expansion bid was approved by a unanimous vote, with play to begin in the 2017–18 NHL season . The team became the first major professional sports franchise to be based in Las Vegas , and the first NHL expansion team since 2000 . Foley committed to pay the league's $ 500 million expansion fee and began the process of hiring
16352-561: The league quarter-final. The Spits dropped game one 6–4 in Niagara Falls , while in game two the Spits tied the series with a 6–4 win of their own at home. Back in Niagara, the Flyers shellacked the Spitfires 7–2 to take the series lead again. The fourth game was a disaster for the Spitfires, at home they blew a third period deadlock to lose 7–5 and fall behind in the series 3-games-to-1. In game five,
16498-596: The media not to "make more out of this than it is". The season ticket drive began in February 2015, with interested parties placing ten percent deposits for the 2016–17 season. The drive drew 5,000 deposits in its first day and a half, and reached its goal of 10,000 deposits by April 2015. In June 2015, the league officially opened the window for prospective owners to bid on expansion teams. By this point, Foley had secured more than 13,200 season-ticket deposits. Two expansion applications were submitted: Foley's application for
16644-406: The playoffs in 2011–12 , finishing the regular season with a 42-24-1-1 record, registering 86 points and capturing second place in the Midwest Division for the third straight season. In the playoffs, Spott led the Rangers to a six-game opening round victory over the defending OHL champions, the Owen Sound Attack . In the second round, Kitchener defeated the Plymouth Whalers in seven games to earn
16790-551: The power play to win the Spitfires their second J. Ross Robertson Cup as league champions and a berth into the 2009 Memorial Cup . The victory was the Spitfires' first league title since the 1987–88 OHL season and marked their second time playing for the Memorial Cup . On May 9, Mayor of Windsor Eddie Francis awarded the team with the Key to the City in honour of their achievement. At
16936-441: The pre-game ceremonies honored the victims of the attack, and the team issued an appeal for donations to its charitable arm. With their 5–2 win, the Golden Knights increased their unbeaten streak to start the season to 3–0, an NHL record for an expansion team. The Golden Knights are the first team in NHL history to start their inaugural season winning eight of their first nine games. During their tenth game, goaltender Oscar Dansk
17082-537: The promotions of George McPhee from general manager to president of hockey operations and assistant general manager Kelly McCrimmon to general manager. During the remainder of the off-season and 2019–20 season , the Golden Knights' roster experienced considerable turnover. In June, original Golden Knights Erik Haula and Colin Miller were traded to the Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres , respectively, with recently signed KHL standout Nikita Gusev also sent to
17228-445: The record for the longest season-opening winning streak of any defending champion, surpassing the record of five previously set by the 1985–86 Edmonton Oilers and 1920–21 Ottawa Senators . The team again faltered in the months afterward, though, with another rash of injuries between November and February resulting in the NHL debuts of Lukas Cormier , Mason Morelli , and 2020 first-round pick Brendan Brisson . January also saw
17374-491: The roster, the Golden Knights acquired Noah Hanifin , Tomas Hertl , and Anthony Mantha at the trade deadline, later signing Hanifin to an eight-year extension to begin the following season; this was followed by a 6–0–1 surge through late March, culminating in the Golden Knights clinching a playoff berth on April 12. As the second wild card , Vegas again faced off against the Central Division champion Dallas Stars in
17520-514: The same venue. On June 28, 2015, Spitfires owner and head coach Bob Boughner accepted another assistant coaching job with the NHL's San Jose Sharks . A couple of days later, former Oilers assistant coach Rocky Thompson was hired as the Spitfires new head coach, with Trevor Letowski accepting the assistant coaching job after former assistant coach Bob Jones was hired by the Oshawa Generals as head coach. Boughner's new job seemed to be very successful, as he and former Spitfire Peter DeBoer lead
17666-518: The scores of 3–2 and 2–1. Spott scored the winning goal in Game 2, propelling Colgate University to its first ever NCAA Frozen Four . At the NCAA Frozen Four , Colgate defeated Boston University in the semifinals 3–2, however, Colgate lost to the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the final game played at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. After college hockey, Spott turned pro. He started
17812-503: The second round, Vegas defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games, despite once again having previously led the series 3–1. Their playoff run would end in the conference finals, however, as the Golden Knights lost to Dallas in five games. Prior to the shortened 2020–21 season , Mark Stone was named the first captain in franchise history. Additionally, alternate captain and team leader Deryk Engelland retired, stepping into
17958-416: The second to blow the lead in the third and finish with a 9–9 overtime tie. The Spitfires tied up the series in game three with a 4–2 win in Windsor. In Guelph for game four, the Spitfires blew a first period 3–0 lead to lose 6–4. Game five saw the Spitfires tie the series at five points a piece with an 8–4 win at home. Guelph again gained the advantage in game six with a 6–4 win at home. In a last gasp for air,
18104-535: The series. Back in Rexdale, the Raiders crushed the Spitfires with an 8–2 victory. With their back against the wall, the Spits had to win at home to force game seven. A 7–5 victory for the Spitfires turned this into a series for the ages. On April 6, 1974, the Spitfires season came to an end, as the Wexford Raiders took a 6–3 victory at home to advance to the next round of national playdowns. Scott Miller would be named
18250-554: The star found on the landmark Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign . The team's primary color is steel gray , which is said to represent "strength and durability". The other team colors are gold , red (found in the Las Vegas skyline and at Red Rock Canyon ), and black (for "power and intensity"). The first uniforms in Golden Knights team history were unveiled publicly on June 20, 2017. Home uniforms are steel gray with black, gold and red stripes, while road uniforms are white with steel gray, gold and red stripes. Shoulders feature
18396-646: The start of the 2021–22 season , Vegas acquired star center Jack Eichel from the Buffalo Sabres , in exchange for Alex Tuch , Peyton Krebs , and two draft picks. During the course of the season, the Golden Knights suffered a rash of injuries across the roster, with a total of 478 man-games lost; owing to this, Ben Hutton , Michael Amadio , Adam Brooks , and Derrick Pouliot were signed or claimed off waivers for depth, while rookies such as Jake Leschyshyn , Jonas Rondbjerg , and Logan Thompson received significant playing time. The trade deadline also witnessed
18542-547: The team and renamed them the Windsor Compuware Spitfires. In the 1987–88 season, the culmination of a well-executed four-year plan saw the Compuware Spitfires win 35 of their last 36 games, become the first team to go undefeated in the OHL playoffs, and sweep the Peterborough Petes in the OHL Championship finals to win the J. Ross Robertson Cup . During the season, the Compuware Spitfires were dominant, with
18688-516: The team into a new arena. Boughner assumed the roles of President, CEO and head coach of the Spitfires, Rychel was named director of player development, and Dobrich the new business manager. On February 18, 2008, team captain and Calgary Flames prospect Mickey Renaud died of an undetected heart condition in his Tecumseh, Ontario , home. General Manager Warren Rychel referred to Renaud's death as "the biggest tragedy in Spitfire history". His number
18834-471: The team to the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals, losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins . Windsor was selected as the host city for the 99th Memorial Cup championship, who won the right to host the tournament over undisclosed competition. In defeating the Seattle Thunderbirds by 7–1 in a round-robin game on May 21, 2017, the Windsor Spitfires tied a Memorial Cup record for the fastest 3 goals scored by a team in
18980-512: The team won 13 postseason games that year, breaking the record for the most wins by an expansion team in their first playoff appearance. Prior to the 2018–19 season , the Golden Knights acquired winger Max Pacioretty from the Montreal Canadiens and signed free-agent center Paul Stastny , filling the roster holes left by the free-agency departures of James Neal and David Perron . Additionally, Vegas acquired future captain Mark Stone from
19126-675: The team's most valuable player. The Windsor Spitfires applied for expansion to the OMJHL (later known as the OHL) during their 1974 playoff run, but were rejected due to the "unacceptability of Windsor Arena as a major A facility." Their farm team, the Windsor Royals Junior B team of the Great Lakes Junior Hockey League put in a rival bid but were also rejected due to lack of an acceptable arena. In 1974–75, Jim Butcher coached
19272-407: The team's name because, according to Foley, residents tend to refer to the city simply as "Vegas", and because a four-word name would have been too long. The United States Army opposed the team's trademark registration because their exhibition parachute team uses the same nickname; they dropped their opposition after negotiating a trademark coexistence agreement with the team. An objection
19418-548: The team's principal staff and determining its official identity. Foley announced that former Washington Capitals general manager George McPhee would be the franchise's first general manager. On November 22, 2016, the name was revealed as the Vegas Golden Knights. On March 1, 2017, the team completed its expansion fee payments and filings, making it eligible to formally begin operations such as free agent acquisition, and participation in league meetings. Five days later,
19564-625: The uniform was accidentally leaked to the public four days earlier during an All Elite Wrestling event, with AEW host Renee Paquette wearing the uniform during the Full Gear pay-per-view. The team's name includes "Knights" as a homage to the Black Knights of the United States Military Academy , Foley's alma mater, and because knights were, according to Foley, "the epitome of the warrior class". Foley had hoped to name his team
19710-472: The victory. The Spitfires came back in 2009–10 with a second straight 50-plus win season, finishing with a record of 50 wins, 12 losses, 1 overtime loss, and 5 shootout losses. Their record was good enough to earn the top seed in the Western Conference, but not good enough to clinch their second straight Hamilton Spectator Trophy , won by the Barrie Colts (57-9-0-2). For being the top team in their division,
19856-456: Was 5 wins each and 2 ties in 12 matches. After a week layoff, the Spitfires were up against a hot opponent and were missing scoring champion John Tavella to a three-games suspension for butt-ending against Detroit. The Spits dropped the first game, at home, 6–5 after giving up a late 2-on-1 odd-man rush late in the third period. The next night, in Guelph, the Spitfires led 6–1 in the first and 8–4 in
20002-489: Was a faux-back design from 1995, featuring a black base and a diagonal "VEGAS" wordmark inspired by various vintage hotels in the strip. The wordmark also has a glow-in-the-dark feature when shown in a dark background. For the 2024 Winter Classic , the Golden Knights wore faux-back 1917 vintage white uniforms with heritage gold stripes, gray pants and helmets. The crest is a stylized gray "V" with petal accents and gold trim. Prior to its official unveiling on November 22, 2023,
20148-555: Was also raised by the College of Saint Rose because its sports teams use the same name; the Vegas team's initial trademark application was denied as a result, but was later approved on appeal. The team did clear the name with Clarkson University , which also uses the name Golden Knights. The Golden Knights' mascot is a Gila monster named Chance. He was unveiled at the team's second home game on October 13, 2017. The team opted against using
20294-549: Was between the Spitfires and the Voltigeurs. The Spitfires blew an early 2–0 lead, but won 3–2 in overtime from a goal by Adam Henrique to become the second team ever to play in the Memorial Cup final after playing in the tie-breaker game. In the final, the Spitfires again played the Rockets. The Spitfires scored on their first three shots and cruised to a 4–1 win to take their first ever Memorial Cup championship. Their victory marked
20440-580: Was divided up into the six-team Windsor Junior Hockey League. The Spitfires folded in 1953 as hockey interests in Windsor chose to focus their attention on the OHA Senior A Hockey League , which resulted in the founding of the Windsor Bulldogs . Eventually five former Spitfires laced up with the Bulldogs and one, Bobby Brown, won an Allan Cup with the team (1963). The Bulldogs folded in 1964 after one season in
20586-504: Was injured becoming the third Golden Knights' goaltender to be injured during the season after losing starters Fleury and the recently acquired Malcolm Subban , forcing the team to start a fourth goaltender in 11 games with Maxime Lagace . Fifteen games into the season, Vadim Shipachyov became the first player to retire from the NHL as a Golden Knight when he decided to return to the Kontinental Hockey League . In December,
20732-584: Was later announced on February 28, that the Rampage franchise was approved to relocate to the Henderson/Las Vegas area by the AHL. On May 28, the name of the relocated franchise was revealed to be the Henderson Silver Knights , mimicking the logo style and aura of their parent club. The shield-shaped logo features a silver-colored Destrier , with eyes that are the same color gold used in the logo for
20878-456: Was named the winner of the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender at season's end, with he and Lehner also sharing a William M. Jennings Trophy win for allowing the fewest goals against of any team. The 2021 off-season began with a swap of former first-round picks, as Vegas acquired Nolan Patrick from the Philadelphia Flyers as part of a three-team trade that sent Cody Glass to
21024-593: Was particularly notable; after taking a 3–0 lead into the third period, Cody Eakin delivered a cross-check to Sharks captain Joe Pavelski , resulting in a controversial 5-minute major penalty call that saw the Sharks score four goals and take a 4–3 lead. The Sharks would eventually win the game, after a late game-tying goal by Jonathan Marchessault for Vegas followed by Barclay Goodrow 's series winner in overtime. In May 2019, Vegas modified their front-office staff, with
21170-582: Was retired by both the Spitfires and the Tecumseh Chiefs Junior B franchise that he played on before graduating to Major Junior. Mayor Eddie Francis named a road leading to the WFCU Centre in Renaud's honour, Mickey Renaud Way . At the 2009 OHL All-Star Game at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, OHL Commissioner David Branch announced that the Mickey Renaud Captain's Trophy would be awarded to
21316-430: Was the case in the 1967–68 season ). Vegas' inaugural season was widely considered the most successful of any North American expansion team, with much attention given to the breakout seasons of their expansion draft selections, dubbed the "Golden Misfits." On April 11, the franchise won its first playoff game in a 1–0 victory over the Los Angeles Kings in the first game of the series. Six days later on April 17,
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