A contingent of nearly three dozen Vegas Golden Knights supporters received a pleasant surprise on Monday when they arrived at Foley Johnson Winery in Napa Valley for a private wine tasting: an opportunity to meet team owner Bill Foley himself.
Hours before the Knights took the ice for Game 3 of the Western Conference second round vs. the San Jose Sharks, the team chartered a bus for fans to the 50-acre vineyard estate in Rutherford, Calif., a 95-mile commute from Downtown San Jose. Earlier this month, a number of Knights' supporters had the opportunity to tour some of Foley's southern properties in Santa Barbara during the team's opening-round series against the Kings. Monday's excursion, however, marked the first time that the Knights set up a bus trip to a Foley winery for interested fans.
"Bill wanted to make a surprise visit and say hi to all our fans that made the trek," said Brian Killingsworth, senior vice president and chief marketing officer with the Vegas Golden Knights. "These are very exclusive opportunities, but Bill definitely wanted to make a priority to meet these fans. It is a big priority of his."
For a price of $30 per person, the fans received a Golden Knights' GoVino shatterproof wine glass, a $30 credit toward the purchase of a 12-bottle case of wine and food samplings from Larry Forgione, the head chef at the estate. On Tuesday, an off day in the best-of-seven series, a group of 20 additional fans are scheduled to tour the vineyard.
The expedition serves as another example in how the franchise has explored creative options to educate local hockey fans in Las Vegas on Foley's extensive vineyard portfolio and deep passion for the industry. Founded by the vinter in 1996, Foley Family Wines, Inc. (formerly known as Foley Wine Group) operates close to 20 wineries throughout the Pacific Coast, including eight in the Napa and Sonoma regions. On April 6, the company announced the acquisition of the Acrobat brand from King Estate Winery in Eugene, Ore. one of the largest vineyards statewide. Sales of the brand are expected to reach 150,000 cases in 2018, according to The Drinks Business, an industry trade publication.
Just before Christmas, Foley Family Wines launched two Vegas Golden Knights private label wines, the 2015 Vegas Golden Knights Chalone Chardonnay and 2015 Vegas Golden Knights Foley Johnson Meritage, as a way to commemorate the team's inaugural season. Priced at $50 per bottle, the brands received strong demand across Nevada and eventually sold out, according to the team. The brands also proved to be a hit for the Knights during the holiday season, as the team sent out bottles of Chardonnay and red Meritage as gifts for sponsors, said Jim Frevola, senior vice president and chief sales officer with the Golden Knights.
They've never forgotten they were deemed expendable by their former teams, exposed in the NHL Expansion Draft or traded. After shattering records for first-year teams, winning the Pacific Division and sweeping the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference First Round, it burns inside them still.
SAN JOSE -- The Vegas Golden Knights call themselves by another name.
[WATCH: All Golden Knights vs. Sharks Game 3 highlights | Complete Golden Knights vs. Sharks series coverage]
Someone let go of each guy who made an elite play in a 4-3 overtime victory against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Monday, giving the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference Second Round.
Three passes -- by Karlsson, forward James Neal and forward Alex Tuch. Three finishes -- by defenseman Colin Miller, forward Jonathan Marchessault and forward Reilly Smith. Lots of saves, but one in particular by goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. And the final shot by Karlsson at 8:17 of OT.
As impressive as you'll find anywhere else.
"Who would have thought?" Karlsson said. "But sometimes when you get the chance and get to play with great players, big things happen."
Video: VGK@SJS, Gm3: Karlsson wins it in OT for Vegas
Trailing 1-0, the Golden Knights were on the power play in the second period when the puck came down low to Neal, whom the Nashville Predators exposed in the expansion draft. He waited a beat to the left of goaltender Martin Jones, then slipped a pass across the crease.
The puck ticked off the stick of defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and slipped underneath to defenseman Colin Miller, whom the Boston Bruins exposed in the expansion draft. Miller buried it at 9:40.
Game tied 1-1.
"Just tried to be a little patient with it," Neal said. "[Miller] did a great job of adjusting."
Video: VGK@SJS, Gm3: Neal sets up Miller for PPG
The Golden Knights were on the power play again in the second when Tuch, traded by the Minnesota Wild at the expansion draft, sent a no-look pass from the top of the right circle to the left circle for Marchessault, exposed by the Florida Panthers in the expansion draft.
The pass was hard and fast. Marchessault dropped to one knee like Brett Hull and ripped it into the net at 13:09.
Vegas led 2-1.
"We all play with a chip on our shoulder," Marchessault said.
Video: VGK@SJS, Gm3: Marchessault nets one-timer for PPG
Soon afterward, the Golden Knights' top line of Marchessault, Karlsson and Smith cycled in the Sharks zone. Marchessault spun along the right-wing boards and fired the puck wide right. Karlsson, a left-handed shot, had his stick on the ice wide right of the net. In a split-second, he processed that Smith, traded by the Panthers at the expansion draft, was in front.
Instead of catching the puck on his blade, he deflected it right to Smith. Bang. Bang.
Vegas led 3-1.
"It's more instinct, I'd say," Karlsson said. "I know when [Marchessault's] going to put that on the net. I saw [Smith] in the corner of my eye, knew he was back there, so I just kind of tried to get him the puck."
Video: VGK@SJS, Gm3: Smith nets Karlsson's crafty deflection
Fleury, exposed by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the expansion draft despite 375 regular-season wins and three Stanley Cup rings, made 39 saves. In overtime, Sharks center Joe Pavelski passed from behind the net into the slot for forward Logan Couture, who fired a one-timer Fleury snared with his glove.
Finally, Karlsson raced down the right wing and ended it with a wicked shot into the upper left corner of the net.
Karlsson was exposed in the expansion draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets after scoring nine goals in 2015-16 and six last season as a bottom-six center. He had 43 in the regular season and has four in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as Vegas' No. 1 center.
"I just saw the opportunity to get a good scoring chance and to take the shot," Karlsson said. "Yeah, it was a pretty good shot."
Video: VGK@SJS, Gm3: Fleury robs Couture in overtime
The negative for the Golden Knights is obvious: The Sharks dominated for 28 minutes, outshooting them 27-11 before putting Vegas on the power play and giving them momentum. The Sharks came back after trailing by two goals for the second straight game, tying it when forward Tomas Hertl smacked in a puck in front with 1:57 left in regulation.
But the Golden Misfits believed in themselves, and when they got opportunities, they seized them.
"I like that we went out and won that game right now," Neal said. "It says a lot about our group. It's tough giving up two goals at the end there, and then they come back, they've got all the momentum. [Fleury] was amazing again tonight and gave us a chance to win."
Game 4 of the best-of-7 series is here Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVAS).
"We're a good team, so I think we deserve to be here," Karlsson said. "If that means proving people wrong, that's what it means, I guess."
Photo: Ezra Shaw (Getty Images)
Series can hinge on the slimmest of margins, but rarely can you see those margins so starkly as in Monday’s Game 3. It is no overstatement to say that the Golden Knights are up 2-1 in their series with the Sharks because of an inch here, an inch there.
Marc-Andre Fleury, who is and has been the backbone of this team, made 39 saves, none better than his glove snag of Logan Couture’s shot three minutes and change into overtime.
I know these things are self-fulfilling, because any team that goes deep into the playoffs is necessarily going to have unbelievable saves like this, but this is the sort of save in the sort of moment that outright wins games and swings series.
“I was looking at the guy with puck. I just tried to follow the pass and get out there a bit and I had a little time to react on it,” Fleury said. “It was a good feeling.”
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(Right around here, some save truther is going to rush to the comments to yell about how Couture shot the puck directly at Fleury’s glove, and I don’t want to hear it.)
A few minutes later VGK ended things with an absolutely perfect snipe, in stride, from William Karlsson, whose utterly magical season continues
Bar down, beautifully:
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Of all his goals—43 in the regular season, five more in the playoffs, Karlsson said of this one, “it’s probably the nicest one.” The context probably helps.
Despite the obvious skill involved with these two plays, there’s a necessary element of flukiness—the game of inches. A couple more inches and Fleury doesn’t nab that shot, and San Jose is in command of the series. Or, another inch higher and Karlsson’s shot rings out, and who knows what happens after that. Luck, and skill. No team has ever won without both.
