In just the franchise's seventh season, the Vegas Golden Knights have captured the Stanley Cup trophy, and the Las Vegas poker community has erupted in celebration.
The Knights defeated the Florida Panthers in a 9-3 rout at T-Mobile Arena on the Strip Tuesday night, just down the road from the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP), the fifth game of the best-of-seven series.
For Vegas it was the team's second trip to the Stanley Cup Final. In 2018, two years into the expansion team's existence, the Knights fell to the Washington Capitals 4-1. This time around, however, there was nothing that could stand in their way, not even a fierce opponent like the Panthers, a team that underachieved during the regular season and got hot during the playoffs.
The Las Vegas poker community has adopted the Golden Knights as the favorite team. During Tuesday's WSOP events, the game was on the big screens inside the tournament areas at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. Many players were as zoned in on the hockey game as they were the action on the felt. And then there were those who skipped the WSOP, such as Mike Matusow, in favor of watching their beloved NHL team.
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