On Tuesday, October 10, the Las Vegas Golden Knights had their home opener at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Golden Knights played their first regular season home game against the Arizona Coyotes and won the game by a score of 5-2.

Moving pregame ceremony

Instead of the standard pregame lights, music, and theatrics, the crowd of 17,500 was instead treated to something different on Tuesday night. The team decided they would honor the victims, first responders, and survivors of the horrific Las Vegas shooting that occurred on October 1.

During the 15-minute pregame ceremony, the names of all 58 victims appeared on the ice, and the arena held a 58 second moment of silence for each of the lives lost in the shooting.

First responders stood on the ice with the players prior to the puck drop, and the sideboards were filled with the words "Vegas Strong" rather than the usual advertisements.

Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland addressed the sold-out crowd before the game and had the following to say:

"To all the brave first responders that have worked tirelessly and courageously through this whole tragedy, we thank you. To the families and friends of the victims, know that we'll do everything we can to help you and our city heal. We are Vegas Strong," said Engelland.

Newest team in National Hockey League

The Las Vegas Golden Knights are the latest team to join the NHL. The expansion team is coached by Gerard Gallant, who spent most of his NHL career playing for the Detroit Red Wings.

Gallant, who is 54-years-old, retired from playing in the NHL after the 1994-1995 season.

Gallant began coaching in early 2000, first as an assistant coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets and then as the head coach for Columbus. He stayed with the Blue Jackets until being fired in November of 2006. After many years, Gallant went back to coaching in 2014 for the Florida Panthers.

He spent three seasons with the Panthers until he was fired in November of 2016.

So far the Vegas Golden Knights are off to a good start. Currently, the team is 3-0-0 and is in first place in their division. This is the best start ever from an NHL expansion team. James Neal is leading the team in points with five goals so far.

Neal, a winger from Ontario, wears number 18 for Las Vegas.

Neal has played with the Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Dallas Stars. The 30-year-old made the NHL All Star team twice, in 2012 and in 2016. The Las Vegas Knights play their next game on October 13 against the Detroit Red Wings.
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