Vegas Golden Knights Hold “Stick Salute” Downtown and Dine at Andiamo Italian Steakhouse
What happens in Vegas, “sticks” in Vegas. The NHL season might be over, per se… however, “knight time” never ends! This past Wednesday, most of our Vegas Golden Knights reunited with their downtown fans (who welcomed them during January’s Fan Fest) on the 3rd Street stage, right outside the D Casino Hotel (Pictured: Vegas Golden Knights Neal, Marchessault, Schmidt, Haula, Sbisa, Eakin, Mcnabb, Smith, Theodore, Subban, Dansk, Karlsson, Merrill at Andiamo Italian Steakhouse – Photo credit: the D Casino Hotel).
The D is a proud partner of Vegas Golden Knights, and have been supporting them every step of the way. From their inaugural Fan Fest, to their sponsored watch parties at Downtown Las Vegas Events Center and T-Mobile Arena… this casino is definitely one of their biggest supporters.
Many of the VGK players who still remained in the city attended the free event to raise their sticks, salute the town, and thank their beloved fans. Not to mention, their vibrant Vegas squad was right there cheering them on!
VGK host, Mark Shunock, and DJ Big D kicked off the fan frenzy, followed by the knight line, the golden aces, and Sin City’s spunkiest Gila Monster… Chance! The bold bunch hyped up the crowd, threw t-shirts, and performed their ever-popular chants one last time until they hit the Fortress next season.
Vegas Golden Knights Oscar Dansk, William Karlsson with Haley Ferguson and Emily Ferguson at Andiamo Italian Steakhouse Las Vegas
Photo credit: the D Casino Hotel
General Manager George McPhee, and Coach Gerard Gallant, took the stage to speak to the crowd and show a brief recap of the team’s inspiring journey since last October. McPhee, Gallant, Shunock, Big D, and the knight crew all came together to introduce the remarkable players (it’s still unknown how all that talent managed to fit on a single stage). One by one, the “golden” greats stepped forward, raised their trusty hockey sticks, and handed them to lucky audience members. This was truly a moving and memorable event to anyone who has followed the team from the beginning.
The mayhem and memories didn’t stop there! Once the Stick Salute ended at 7:00PM, fourteen teammates headed straight to Andiamo for a “summer sendoff” meal at the highly-acclaimed downtown dining spot (courtesy of casino owner, Derek Stevens).
Vegas Golden Knights Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb, James Neal, Erik Haula, Cody Eakin at Andiamo Italian Steakhouse Las Vegas
Photo credit: the D Casino Hotel
Guests were pleasantly surprised to see William Karlsson , James Neal, Jonathan Marchessault, Alex Tuch, Nate Schmidt, Erik Haula, Cody Eakin, Brayden McNabb, Reilly Smith, Luca Sbisa, Shea Theodore, Malcolm Subban, Oscar Dansk and Jon Merrill off the ice and into some sizzle – it is the top-rated Italian steakhouse in town, of course!
Vegas Golden Knights Nate Schmidt, Malcolm Subban, Luca Sbisa, Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith, Jon Merrill at Andiamo Italian Steakhouse Las Vegas
Photo credit: the D Casino Hotel
The celebrity sightings were far from over, considering William “Wild Bill” Karlsson was accompanied by famous girlfriend, Emily Ferguson, and her twin, Haley Ferguson, of The Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise!
After an above-and beyond inaugural season, these guys are only going to get bigger and better. Who’s ready?
This jaw-dropper of a hockey team is, and always will be, Vegas Strong.