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WATCH: Coyotes, Knights unite before, after game to honor Las Vegas victims, salute heroes

WATCH: Coyotes, Knights unite before, after game to honor Las Vegas victims, salute heroes
Posted at 12:22 AM, Oct 11, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-11 03:36:50-04

Just nine days after the Las Vegas Strip shooting massacre, the Vegas Golden Knights reverently honored the victims and heroes before the long-awaited home debut of the city’s first major professional sports franchise in their game vs. the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night.

The Knights held a pregame ceremony during which the names of the shooting victims were projected in gold onto the ice during 58 seconds of silence. Knights defenseman and Las Vegas native Deryk Engelland spoke eloquently to the fans, vowing that the Golden Knights “will do everything we can to help you and our city heal. We are Vegas Strong.”

The Golden Knights introduced their players alongside a member of the medical or law enforcement communities that responded to the massacre.

After the game, the Coyotes remained on the ice with the Knights to salute the fans.

In between, the Golden Knights charged into their home opener with some inspired hockey, scoring four first-period goals en route to a 5-2 win over the visiting Coyotes.

Tobias Rieder and Kevin Connauton scored for the Coyotes, who remained winless after losing back-to-back games to the expansion Golden Knights in a four-day stretch.

T-Mobile Arena had no ads on the boards around the ice for the opener. Instead, the all-white boards simply displayed the same message: “Vegas Strong.”