The St. Louis Blues and Enterprise announced a longtime naming-rights agreement that will see "Scottrade Center" renamed "Enterprise Center" on Monday.
The agreement is for 15 years with an additional five-year option and goes into effect on July 1.
"The Blues call this building St. Louis’ town hall, where people come to watch everything from hockey to concerts to NCAA basketball," said president of the Enterprise Holdings Foundation Jo Ann Taylor Kindle. "Going forward, the name of this town hall will be Enterprise Center."
The partnership comes while the soon-to-be Enterprise Center is currently undergoing renovations that will include more dining and beverage options and create new gather spaces within the arena.
The Washington Capitals captain - who's playing in his first conference finals - will be looking to help keep his team's Stanley Cup aspirations alive, and admitted it's likely the biggest game of his 13-year NHL career.
"Yeah, probably," Ovechkin replied when asked if Game 6 would be the most important contest he's played to date, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "It's two steps and you're in the Stanley Cup Final. We just have to play our best. We can't lose. They have the advantage right now, but we have to win the game and go back and play Game 7 in Tampa."
The Capitals - who trail the Lightning 3-2 in the series - will be back at home on Sunday, where they lost Games 3 and 4. Still, Ovechkin expressed confidence that his team can turn things around.
With a win in Game 6, the Lightning would punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final, where the Vegas Golden Knights await. If Washington wins, Game 7 would be Wednesday night in Tampa Bay.
There's something inherently human about rooting for an underdog.
We've seen it plenty of times throughout the decades of sports history: N.C. State's March Madness upset of Houston, Buster Douglas' stunning knockout of then-heavyweight champ Mike Tyson, or even the New York Giants' shocking defeat of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
The David in all of us usually wants to see big bad Goliath slain.
However, this year's Vegas Golden Knights expansion success story is putting hockey fans in a bit of a tough spot: jump on the bandwagon and throw support behind one of the best feel-good stories ever, or root against an organization that's had more success in its inaugural season than a lot of franchises have had in the past 20 years?
This is the scenario that both average and committed hockey heads find themselves in as the Golden Knights gear up for an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final to face either the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Washington Capitals.
And as Vegas continues to prove even the most astute prognosticators wrong, fans are left with polarizing views on what the Knights' run means to the game of hockey.
Love it
Look, we get it, Vegas is out here smashing narratives and doing something that only the 1918 Toronto Arenas and 1968 St. Louis Blues have ever done before in NHL history - making the Cup Final in its debut season. And there is no denying that a unique feat such as that is something people are bound to be attracted to.
Whether it's William Karlsson's stunning development from fringe forward to fabled 40-goal man, Marc-Andre Fleury's rejuvenated career and mastery in the blue paint, or the lethal combination of Florida Panthers castoffs Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith, there really is no shortage of reasons to be loving the Knights' miraculous journey.
Heck, the year is even big-screen worthy. And with the plethora of potentially epic storylines to choose from, it's seemingly only a matter of time before some Hollywood hotshot pens the script.
Regardless of the label put on it, Vegas' improbable campaign continues to gain more media attention and fan support with each passing historic moment. But there's another developing feeling toward the magical run that's much less positive.
Hate it
Whether it's because you're jealous, or maybe a little sour with the seemingly favorable expansion draft rules the Knights were subject to, or perhaps you're just annoyed that a group of castoffs is performing so well when they were supposed to be a complete doormat - whatever the reason, there are many detractors when it comes to the Cinderalla story that is the Golden Knights.
Some long-suffering fan bases - such as the one in St. Louis and the much-maligned hockey market in Toronto - have endured one losing season after another for decades on end. So with that lens, it's easy to see how some are starting to get a little fed up with the success surrounding the NHL's latest expansion team.
It's almost like watching your new neighbor stumbling onto a backyard filled with gold after you searched through yours for years to only come up with spare change and the T.V. remote your dog hid in the '90s: It's just downright frustrating.
Whether that's the appropriate feeling, who's really to say.
But one thing does remain true: Regardless of what side of the fence you fall on, Vegas' magical season is forcing fans off the sideline and right into the game.
There's something inherently human about rooting for an underdog.
We've seen it plenty of times throughout the decades of sports history: N.C. State's March Madness upset of Houston, Buster Douglas' stunning knockout of then-heavyweight champ Mike Tyson, or even the New York Giants' shocking defeat of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
The David in all of us usually wants to see big bad Goliath slain.
However, this year's Vegas Golden Knights expansion success story is putting hockey fans in a bit of a tough spot: jump on the bandwagon and throw support behind one of the best feel-good stories ever, or root against an organization that's had more success in its inaugural season than a lot of franchises have had in the past 20 years?
This is the scenario that both average and committed hockey heads find themselves in as the Golden Knights gear up for an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final to face either the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Washington Capitals.
And as Vegas continues to prove even the most astute prognosticators wrong, fans are left with polarizing views on what the Knights' run means to the game of hockey.
Love it
Look, we get it, Vegas is out here smashing narratives and doing something that only the 1918 Toronto Arenas and 1968 St. Louis Blues have ever done before in NHL history - making the Cup Final in its debut season. And there is no denying that a unique feat such as that is something people are bound to be attracted to.
Whether it's William Karlsson's stunning development from fringe forward to fabled 40-goal man, Marc-Andre Fleury's rejuvenated career and mastery in the blue paint, or the lethal combination of Florida Panthers castoffs Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith, there really is no shortage of reasons to be loving the Knights' miraculous journey.
Heck, the year is even big-screen worthy. And with the plethora of potentially epic storylines to choose from, it's seemingly only a matter of time before some Hollywood hotshot pens the script.
Regardless of the label put on it, Vegas' improbable campaign continues to gain more media attention and fan support with each passing historic moment. But there's another developing feeling toward the magical run that's much less positive.
Hate it
Whether it's because you're jealous, or maybe a little sour with the seemingly favorable expansion draft rules the Knights were subject to, or perhaps you're just annoyed that a group of castoffs is performing so well when they were supposed to be a complete doormat - whatever the reason, there are many detractors when it comes to the Cinderalla story that is the Golden Knights.
Some long-suffering fan bases - such as the one in St. Louis and the much-maligned hockey market in Toronto - have endured one losing season after another for decades on end. So with that lens, it's easy to see how some are starting to get a little fed up with the success surrounding the NHL's latest expansion team.
It's almost like watching your new neighbor stumbling onto a backyard filled with gold after you searched through yours for years to only come up with spare change and the T.V. remote your dog hid in the '90s: It's just downright frustrating.
Whether that's the appropriate feeling, who's really to say.
But one thing does remain true: Regardless of what side of the fence you fall on, Vegas' magical season is forcing fans off the sideline and right into the game.
Fenton was reportedly offered the job nearly two days ago and sources confirmed to Russo on Sunday that he had indeed accepted. It is expected that he'll be introduced by the team on Monday or Tuesday.
The 58-year-old has been with the Predators for 18 years, serving as the team's AGM for the past 10. It was reported back in late April that Fenton was interviewing for the job and he also reportedly interviewed for the Carolina Hurricanes GM job, but withdrew his name from the job in March.
The Wild elected not to re-sign previous general manager Chuck Fletcher this past season after the club was bounced from the first round of the playoffs for the third straight season and the fourth time in six years.
Even the architect of their success can't fully understand the juggernaut that is the Vegas Golden Knights.
With a win over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 5 on Sunday afternoon, Vegas is heading to the Stanley Cup Final. And while general manager George McPhee was the man who built the team's roster from scratch, it's safe to say even he didn't predict a trip to the finals.
"It's a hell of a team. I don't know how we did it," McPhee said, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun. "We just played our game and these players played their guts out. There's just something special about them. They made it happen. I don't know how to explain it."
That McPhee is at a loss for words shouldn't really come as a surprise, especially considering that the Golden Knights have become just the third team in NHL history to clinch a berth in the Cup Final in its inaugural season.
The Vegas Golden Knights punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final and in doing so - as they have been doing all season - made history in the process.
With their win on Sunday afternoon the Golden Knights became just the third team in NHL history to reach the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season, joining the Toronto Arenas who did so in 1918 and the St. Louis Blues in 1968.
Only three other franchises in NHL history have clinched a #StanleyCup Final berth in their first-ever postseason appearance – the Montreal Maroons in 1926 (second season), Boston Bruins in 1927 (third season) and Florida Panthers in 1996 (third season). #NHLStats#VGKvsWPG
