The Vegas Golden Knights are on their way to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in their history...a history that is not even a season old. Back in June of 2017 the brand new Golden Knights held their expansion draft as they got their franchise up and running. Not even a year later they are four wins away from the Stanley Cup Finals. Even if they do not get any further, the fact that they were able to win the division and make it this far as a first-year expansion team is remarkable.
Is this the biggest surprise in sports? Not a lot of people expected this team to play at the level they are playing at, despite the players they drafted.
They were able to draft smart and build a team with good chemistry. Many of these players are in their mid-20s as they are hitting or are in their prime. Not only is this a nice setup for years to come, but the 2017-2018 season for the Knights already has put them on top of the all-time expansion team list in terms of first-year success. They have the chance to be the first ever expansion team in any sport to win a championship.
Success in 2017-2018
Coming in with low expectations, the Golden Knights recorded 109 points which won the division and was third-best in the conference. They scored the second-most goals (272) in the conference behind the Winnipeg Jets. It was a season that was good from start to finish as they came roaring out of the gate in October and did not look back.
The team is currently 8-2 in the playoffs as they swept the LA Kings in round one and won in six games against the San Jose Sharks in round two.
Team stat-leaders like William Karlsson (25), who tallied 43 goals and 78 total points, and Jon Marchessault (27) who totaled 75 points, have shined alongside veterans like goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and defenseman Jason Garrison.
Not only will this team be good now, but they are primed to be good for a while seeing as their corps is mostly in their mid-20s. It is hard seeing this team as a fluke at this point. When the season started it seemed that maybe they were playing over their heads, but this entire season proved otherwise.
Comparing this to other surprises
Most likely, their biggest competition was the 2017 Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles or the Loyola Ramblers, who made the Final Four. The Ramblers were a big deal, considering how far they got before being taken down by Michigan, and every win they had in the tournament got hyped more and more nationally. Meanwhile, the Eagles were not expected to do much and yet went on to beat Tom Brady in the Super Bowl with Nick Foles filling in for star Carson Wentz.
Baseball did not have many surprises as most teams predicted to be in the playoffs made it to the playoffs. Though, the 2017 New York Yankees were expected to be in a rebuilding year and came within one win of the World Series.
Yet, we are still talking about the Yankees -- who win more times than not. The NBA has seen the usual teams win like the Cavaliers and Warriors, though the Philadelphia 76ers made a nice run to the second round after being so bad for the past five years.
It can be hard for the Golden Knights to get as much love as the Eagles or Ramblers since hockey is not as popular as football or basketball, however, their success is worth noting, given that they are doing what no other expansion franchises in sports history have been able to do. Maybe as time goes on their accomplishments will be recognized more as people look at the history books.
