LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As Las Vegas worked to recover from the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, for many, the Vegas Golden Knights were a vital part of that healing process.
During the first home game of their inaugural season, former VGK defenseman Deryk Engelland made a speech honoring the lives lost in Las Vegas during the inexplicable tragedy.
"To all the brave first responders that have worked tirelessly and courageously throughout this whole tragedy, we thank you," Engelland said.
On Oct. 1, 2017, a gunman opened fire on concertgoers from a Mandalay Bay suite, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds of others. Two survivors would later die from complications related to injuries sustained that night, raising the official death toll to 60.
The Golden Knights would go on to retire the number 58 to honor the lives lost the night of the shooting.
In 2020, Channel 13 anchor Tricia Kean sat down with Golden Knights' owner Bill Foley at his Montana ranch to talk about many topics, including 1 October.
"One October is difficult for me," Foley said. "It was terrible for Las Vegas, and I thought our team really rallied around Las Vegas."
The day after the shooting, the team immediately stepped in to support the victims and their families. Foley recalls how moved he was by Southern Nevada's quick response to help in the wake of such horror.
"On October 2nd, the players went out in small groups, and they went to fire stations, police stations, hospitals, and the civic center — where people were not sure if their relatives were even alive," Foley said. "They did an unbelievable job in terms of embedding themselves in the community, and the community became embedded with us."
In the wake of 1 October, "Vegas Strong" was born, and the VGK's A-Team helped the healing begin.
"That experience coalesced our team, and it's certainly got the city behind us. We became a Las Vegas team. 'Vegas Born' — that's what we are," Foley said.
That community affection lives in the heart of Deryk Engelland, and six years later, his words are still what fans hold in their hearts.
"For the long career I have had, that is probably going to go down as one of the best things that I have done, and it's not even part of hockey," Engelland said. "So just to be able to do that and hear the response I get from people, even to this day, it's just an amazing feeling."
It's that unbreakable bond he launched as part of this Vegas-born team that continues to help by staying active in our community in so many ways.
As the years pass since our darkest moment, the bond that was born out of tragedy continues to be Vegas Strong.