There are two things you need to know about all hockey fans:

1. We expect, appreciate, and thrive off fights that break-out on the ice

2. Unless we’re from your state, we have a difficult time accepting new up-and-coming teams, especially if their state doesn’t have natural ice

At the start of the 2017-2018 season, the NHL announced that a new team was going to make their way into the league: the Las Vegas Golden Knights. I have to be honest, when I heard about this, I didn’t only mock the idea, I was already trash-talking like a true hockey fan. “Why does Las Vegas need a team? They’re not going to be any good. It’s literally just going to be embarrassing for Vegas,” were just a few of the thoughts that I announced to family and friends. It seems only right to take this time to apologize to the Golden Knights for those comments, and most importantly, to recognize that they have certainly made me eat my own words.

As part of the Western Conference construct, the Golden Knights have their fair share of experienced teams they’re battling for a spot on the ice with. They’ve already dominated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 and managed to skate by with an overtime win over the Saint Louis Blues totaling 3-2. Both teams have held their own over the past several seasons, making it safe to say that these are not victories that the Golden Knights should take lightly. So far, the only team who has defeated them was the Detroit Red Wings (attempting to hide my smugness here), resulting in a 6-3 final score.

So, who are the Las Vegas Golden Knights? Clearly, they are not a team to be messed with, and they’ve shown us that thus far. Although it’s still early in the season and there’s plenty of hockey left to be played with some of their fiercest competitors yet to come, I think this team deserves some recognition.

Specifically, focusing in on two of their all-star players, James Neal and Reilly Smith, we are left with one question looming over our heads, are these two making their mark on the record boards? While both players were drafted by the Dallas, Stars prior to signing with the Golden Knights- Neal in 2003, and Smith in 2009- they share more than just a previous NHL jersey. These two men have been dominating the ice for their teams, Neal leading in both points and goals with 8 and 6, and Smith leading assists with 5.

Okay, so maybe they’re not the dynamic duos of the leaderboard like Stamkos and Kucherov are, but Neal is not falling far behind Maple Leaf Auston Matthews, who has totaled 8 goals so far this season and was known in the 2016-2017 season as a player to watch.

I take back what I said earlier, there are three things that you need to know about all hockey fans:

1. We expect, appreciate, and thrive off fights that break-out on the ice

2. Unless we’re from your state, we have a difficult time accepting new up-and-coming teams, especially if their state doesn’t have natural ice

3. Once we’ve chirped a team, we have a really difficult time admitting we were wrong, and retracting our previous statement

Still, I must say that I was certainly wrong about the Las Vegas Golden Knights. They may be new to the League, but these men are not new to hockey, and although it is early in the season, they are definitely a team that we will have to keep an eye on.

Who are the Las Vegas Golden Knights? Honestly, I’m not sure we really know yet, but there’s no question that they are teaching us one game at a time that they are here to play.