Reilly Predicts a CAPS Victory in Six Games

Las Vegas, NV

It is inexplicable to me and probably a large portion of the hockey community to accept that the Ls Vegas Golden Showers are in the Final.  While I’m long past being surprised because I watched them beat a very good San Jose Sharks team and arguably even better team in the Jets, it does speak to the the Great Satan Bettman’s dream to have an expansion team win in their inaugural year.

The draft rules that the NHL (Bettman) set up were a joke compared to the precedent set in past league expansion drafts.  For example, the San Jose Sharks were not even given a chance to draft from other teams rosters.  Their team was composed of the bottom 50% of one of the worst teams in the league at the time, the Minnechota North Stars.  The Stars subsequently moved to Dallas and won a cup five years later.

In 1993, the Anahymen Ducks and the Florida Panthers were added to the league.The 24 teams existing in the league at the time of the draft were each allowed to protect one goaltender, five defensemen and nine forwards. All first-year pros were exempt from claim, and all second-year pros on the reserve list were exempt from claim.  In the 2000 expansion the rules remained in place.

Why the change for the Vegas Golden Showers?  Isn’t it obvious?  The first pro sports team in Las Vegas had to have a better chance to win than other traditional expansion franchises precisely because of who runs the town: The sports books and casinos.  Now I don’t know, but I’m guessing Satan Bettman cozied up to the civic leaders and offered them different terms because of a couple of things.

One is obvious, shit tons of money poured into the town from building an arena, all the concessions, Knights schwag, etc. The other reason is more subtle but equally insidious.  Bettman and the NHL wanted to guarantee first year success so that the buzz would be so intense and the spotlight would remain on the Knights all year, and if the unthinkable happened, as in they made the playoffs, the narrative of amazement would continue.

OMG, this has never happened before, first year team makes it to the dance in their first year!!!  If you listen to NHL Network Radio, the hosts (I’m talkin to you Scott Laughlin!) never stopped talking about how unlikely and how cool and how amazing and how awesome it was that they were successful.

It was eerily reminiscent of the Trumpian narrative, of how this upstart candidate upset the traditional/conventional world and won the Presidency.  Vegas followed suit (pun intended) and turned the hockey world on its ear by being successful in their inaugural season.

The other thirty teams and their fan bases were jobbed in the sense that Las Vegas was given advantages never before given to an expansion team.  As I write this, and reflect on their season, it occurs to me that their was pretty much little chance that they wouldn’t be successful.

I admit, I thought it was an extra four wins per season for my team and the rest of the Pacific division.  But once December rolled around and the Showers were in 1st place, I could tell that they were a much different expansion team.  When you have a 3 time Stanley Cup winning goalie to build around, numerous former #1 draft choices playing for your team, plus second line players from both offense and defense, YOU’RE GONNA HAVE A GOOD TEAM, possibly great!

The series is tied 1-1 and who knows whats gonna happen.  Vegas has been remarkably resilient in the Playoffs so far, beating some good teams, sweeping the Kings, ousting the Sharks in six and a beat up Winnipeg Jets team in five games.

Nuff said.  No I don’t want Vegas to win, #ALLCAPS GO CAPS!