The Vegas Golden Knights’ success on the rink has translated to excitement off of it.
So much so that the crowds generated by fans who seek autographs will now be curtailed.
The Golden Knights will limit autograph seekers to those who are 14 and younger inside their City National Arena practice facility. In addition, congregating in the players’ parking lot is now forbidden.
More: 1974-75 expansion Capitals were the opposite of the Golden Knights
More: 1974-75 expansion Capitals were the opposite of the Golden Knights
“Obviously we were having large crowds showing up at our practices, and I just felt like we had to define a better process,” Knights president Kerry Bubolz told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “So we looked to define a better process, and ultimately, that the most people can get autographs that we decided to limit it to kids.”
The Golden Knights have been a major surprise this season as an expansion team that ranks second in the NHL with a 32-11-4 record. They have averaged 17,855 fans per home game at T-Mobile Arena, according to hockeydb.com.
The new measures also have a safety aspect, too.
“On the exterior of the building we had to change that process too. Guys were stopping, as they always do, and it was creating a safety hazard. We saw kids running into the street and we just couldn’t have an incident like that take place so we had to change that process as well.”
Bubolz said they didn’t like seeing professional autograph seekers overrun the area. He wants to give kids as much access to players as possible.
“What I saw, honestly, I saw adults at times pushing kids out of the way, and that’s just not how we’re wired,” Bubolz said.
“So far, we’re about five practices in and it’s worked much better. I see lots of kids. I see lots of smiles. I’ve seen lots of parents say ‘Thank you’ for making it a better process.”
Join the Nation's Conversation
To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs