Golden Knights’ in-game entertainment has an ‘only in Las Vegas’ feel

Walking to your seat at T-Mobile Arena is like entering a movie theater.

Lightning starts low to build anticipation of the surprise to come. Projections bearing the logos of upcoming attractions—the Golden Knights and their rivals—flash across the ice.

Strip performers and a who’s who of celebrities such as Donny Osmond, Katy Perry and Aces point guard Chelsea Gray welcomed people to the game on the video board.

Then things really started.

For a split second, fans watched the Golden Knights step into the ice gym to battle their black-caped opponents. Lightning is fired in one direction. The flames are fired at the other side, only to be deflected back. Soon, the Golden Knight is standing alone to meet a giant descending golden helmet – nicknamed “Elvis” – from which players will slide.

The presentation never fails to disappoint the crowd. The energy in a Cavaliers game will ebb and flow as things go. But it’s always there in the beginning.

That’s thanks to the Cavaliers’ entertainment team, which has won “The Stanley” the NHL’s Best Game Showcase award twice. The group is still not complacent. This year’s show has been heavily updated to give fans the best possible experience.

“It’s been the same goal from the beginning,” said Cavaliers vice president and executive producer Andrew Abrams. “We want you to walk away saying, ‘Wow, that was great.'”

“Golden Age”

The Cavaliers, in their sixth season, decided it was time for a new look.

For five years, they’ve led the show and their high-level production has created admirers and imitators throughout the NHL. But the team’s 11 full-time entertainers “knew we wanted to do more and could do more,” Abrams said.

The desire for innovation is perfectly aligned with the new ideas coming from the marketing department. The Cavaliers rallied around the “Golden Era” mantra as they planned to make their gold jerseys their home jerseys.

The two divisions work together to create content and find ways to engage fans. The Cavaliers are also working with floor host Mark Shunock for suggestions and reaching out to entertainers for fresh or updated video from the entire game.

“As an organization, we have to continue to grow because we’ve invested so much in (our programming) our organizational reputation,” Cavaliers president Crib Boltz said. “So we have to keep delivering it.”

The team has kept their butts in their seats so far. After missing the playoffs for the first time last season, the Cavaliers posted an average of 18,027 spectators per game. That’s 103% of T-Mobile Arena’s listed capacity. No other NHL team packs its buildings so completely.

“Hockey is a big part of what we do, but it’s not the only thing we do,” Bubolz said. “This is the entertainment capital of the world, and I believe because of everything we’ve done the first five years, our fans expect that kind of holistic experience, not just a hockey experience.”

changes in the arena

The update was palpable when goaltender Logan Thompson grabbed a chip pillow after the Cavaliers’ first home game.

The team no longer lets its three stars out and simply greets the crowd. It gives them something to throw. These chips are not available in the store, so the only chance to get a chip is to stick around after the game and hope to catch one in the stands.

Postgame throws aren’t the only new thing at T-Mobile Arena.

The Cavaliers added more lights, bringing them 234 in the building. This helps them create a darker, theater-like atmosphere when fans walk in. It also made a difference in their pregame performances, which included the Golden Knights battling their opponents, and DJ Joe Green’s musical clip “Knights Club” at halftime in Game 2.

The Cavs’ pregame video and fights have improved this season, as always. The Golden Knight even got a new set of armor.

The Cavaliers also create multiple versions of some of their in-arena games and sponsorships, offering a mix for season ticket holders and other regular fans.

The team also has a variety of uniforms for its on-ice staff, the “Knight Guard,” to go with the special warm-up jerseys they wear on holiday or on themed nights.

“The VGK brand as a whole, we just want to be unique,” Abrams said. “It’s been our core value from the beginning, and that’s to be unique and different. We’ll continue to do that.”

player assists

The first note of the “Golden Girls” theme is another sign of a difference.

The Cavaliers have been limited in what they can do with players the past three seasons due to COVID-19. The level of interaction couldn’t be what it used to be. Those limitations are now gone, so players can get more involved with team content.

It started with the Oct. 11 parody video “Thank You for Being a Fan” introducing the Cavaliers’ opening night roster. This is the 2019 follow-up to the team’s past 2018 spoofs “Happy Days” and “Gilligan’s Island.”

Owner Bill Foley is pushing the team to remake videos like this. The Knights performed a number of skits before the pandemic, one of which was a “Home Alone” spoof by right-wing Jonathan Marchesot to promote its 2019 holiday package. Foley wanted more.

“Let’s be a little silly and have a little more fun,” said Foley, who hopes to put on a skit every month.

His direction led to the team’s “This Is the Golden Age” ad, a parody of the humorous “This Is SportsCenter” ad that helped make ESPN famous. Foley was involved, sitting between Marchessault and center William Karlsson as they recreated scenes from the movie “Dumb and Dumber.”

Carlson, who said he saw the film but couldn’t cite it like many of his teammates, said filming only took about 20 minutes.

“It’s kind of fast,” he said. “We had to learn a few lines, but I think we had a good memory.”

This is just an appetizer of things to come.

lens

Cavaliers rookie Paul Cotter gets about 100 texts on his birthday or when he scores a goal.

He’s never gotten as many people as he did when he appeared on the team’s second “This Is the Golden Age” scene.

Cotter, Thompson, center Jack Eichel, defenseman Brayden McNabb and rookie Jake Leschyshyn were filmed in the Cavaliers video room at City National Arena reacting to a visiting coach: rapper Lil Jon, who appeared on the T-Mobile Arena video board last year .

Key advice for new coaches? “Shots!” is a tribute to the 2009 LMFAO song. The video was an instant hit. The Cavaliers said it was viewed about 500,000 times across multiple platforms in the first day after its release on Nov. 3.

“The media conglomerate is doing a great job,” McNabb said. “Everyone loves it.”

It takes a little cinematic magic to pull it off. Lil Jon was filmed first, and even included some of his own dialogue, like yelling “Nabber my bro” at McNabb. Players recorded their parts on different days. They had to use their show to react to people who weren’t there.

“It’s really cool,” Kurt said. “It was weird creating it, but the end product looks pretty good.”

Before long, the video took on a life of its own. Coach Bruce Cassidy cited it after a 6-4 win at Montreal on Nov. 5. The Cavaliers followed Lil Jon’s advice and took 42 shots, their third-highest total this season.

“Lil Jon got a lot of credit for this song tonight,” Cassidy said. “Throughout his career, he’s been 1-0 with shots, shots, shots.”

evolution

Fans who arrived early on November 15th to warm up at T-Mobile Arena were in for a shirtless surprise. Chippendales dancers behind the net for the San Jose Sharks.

That’s not the only twist the Cavaliers have brought to the building. They donned the Reverse Retro jersey for the first time on Nov. 26 against Vancouver, where they placed special towels on every seat.

The team devised a brand new intro video and opening sword fight for the night. It highlights the old Las Vegas neon sign the jersey was inspired by and showcases the fact that the sweater can glow in the dark, a first for a professional sports franchise.

“They broke the mold of the pre-game show,” says Matty Merrill, Adidas’ director of hockey design, who designed the Reverse Retro jersey. “They’re just taking this stuff we’ve built together and making it better.”

Those two games showed that the Cavaliers never take the easy route. They’re always pushing the envelope, looking for the next thing that will impress an audience or bring a smile to someone.

Not everything they do will be successful. Season ticket holder David VanderKlipp, for example, missed out on elements that made viewers more physically involved, like the drone cameras that used to hover above the crowd. But teams are always willing to try something.

That’s why the Cavaliers have had six consecutive years of success.

“I think they’re still by far the best in the NHL,” VanderKlipp said. “They set the bar high for themselves and continue to reshape what happens on the hockey field.”

Contact Ben Gotz bgotz@reviewjournal.com. follow @BenSGotz on twitter.