This has been a particularly heart wrenching offseason, if we are to measure time by NHL seasons. There were the hurricanes in Texas, Florida, and since we last spoke heart to heart, Puerto Rico, and now, as the weekend ended, there was the deadliest mass shooting in American history in Las Vegas. Many words have been written far more eloquently than I have the skill to emulate on the sadness of loss and the conviction of action, but I do sincerely want to express my sincere condolences and disbelief that there remains no legitimate action to prevent this sort of thing from happening in the future, and will plead again for donations to the Red Cross, so that help can be delivered to any of those four desperate locations.
Sports are often dismissed during times like this, and unfairly so, I think. The games provide comfort and some semblance of normalcy, letting us know the world has not ended, despite the day’s tragedy. It take’s our mind off of things for the briefest of moments, before the sadness and anxiety has a chance to completely overwhelm us. It’s also an opportunity to come together as a community, and cheer for something together, something fairly innocuous, by comparison. Las Vegas has never had a professional sports franchise to rally around, and the response after the Sunday shooting shows us that there is indeed a community to rally. Las Vegas has also never had to endure such a horrific event.
The Vegas Golden Knights were already saddled with being the professional sports canary in Sin City, with being hockey ambassadors to the desert, and growing a fan base among what was thought to be a mostly transient population. Now, perhaps for only a few people, they will also serve as healers. God bless, Las Vegas, and get well soon.
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