Vegas Golden Knights 2023 Stanley Cup Champions Book: "It Hurts to Win"
By Gary Lawless
The ice has melted. Championship ice. Gone forever in so many water drops. But the memories created on that ice, will last forever.
There are 32 NHL franchises. Only 21 of those teams have won the Stanley Cup. The Vegas Golden Knights are the latest to join that list.
It took just six seasons for Bill Foley’s team to win the most iconic trophy in professional sport.
One might remember, Bill said, “Cup in six,” before his team ever skated together. Cup in six, just like he said.
A 9-3 victory in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final gave the Golden Knights four games to one series win over the Florida Panthers. Jonathan Marchessault’s 13 goals and 25 points earned him the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
And moments after Commissioner Gary Bettman awarded original Golden Misfit Marchessault his trophy, VGK captain Mark Stone was called forward to lift the Stanley Cup over his head in front of his teammates, 18,000-plus Medieval Maniacs and Golden Knights fans all over Las Vegas and the globe.
Later, Stone would scream: “We’re the best hockey team in the world,” as his teammates hosed him down with champagne in a jubilant dressing room.
As the Cup was passed from player to player, an entire city and the hockey world looked upon the marvel of what was transpiring in a scenario few could have imagined six short years ago.
It Hurts to Win is the inside story of the 2022-23 Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights.
Owner Bill Foley, hockey operations czars George McPhee and Kelly McCrimmon, coach Bruce Cassidy, Stone, Marchessault, and many other players tell their stories here with anecdotes, vignettes, and other behind-the-scenes happenings from throughout the championship season that will – for the first time – be unsealed and shared within these pages.
Exclusive interviews, VGK-only backstage photos, and stories.
It Hurts to Win is a collectible all VGK fans will want in their home.
Dimensions: 9.25" x 11.75"
Weight: 2lbs. 10oz.