Seeds of Knights-Mammoth rivalry being sown

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, left, and Utah Mammoth owner Ryan Smith meet with the media prior to Friday's Game 3 between the Mammoth and the Vegas Golden Knights at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

(Steve Carp-The Sporting Tribune)

SALT LAKE CITY — On an historic night for the Utah Mammoth franchise — its first-ever home playoff game — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman would have been remiss had he not talked a little bit about the Mammoth’s opponent Friday at the Delta Center.

That would be the Vegas Golden Knights.

It’s crazy to think, but next year marks the Knights’ 10th season in the NHL. The unparralled success of the inaugural season which saw Vegas reach the Stanley Cup Final and the culmination of the hard work and planning by owner Bill Foley and his staff, including George McPhee, Kelly McCrimmon and Kerry Bubolz which led to the Stanley Cup championship in 2023, it all happened because Bettman bet on Las Vegas at a time when the other major pro sports leagues were not willing to do so.

And while Bettman is correct in lauding Mammoth owner Ryan Smith for making the NHL go here, he was also correct in citing the success of the Golden Knights, not just on the ice, but off of it.

The growth of youth and adult hockey. The business relationships that have bene forged in Southern Nevada and beyond. The success of the AHL Silver Knights in Henderson. And yes, even the fact that Bettman gets booed by the Vegas fan base is an indication that it is a true NHL city.

“When you start from a pure expansion standpoint, Vegas and Seattle did it right,” Bettman said. “Starting with how George McPhee handled the expansion draft so well, the fact that they reinvented what the pregame shows are and made it quintessential Vegas, it’s been very gratifying to see that a market that some were critical of. There were some who were critical of and skeptical about when we announced we were expanding to Las Vegas.