Summerside rallies behind Vegas Golden Knights as Stanley Cup Final begins

With two Islanders on the coaching staff for the Golden Knights, P.E.I. is getting behind the team as much as Las Vegas as it enters the Stanley Cup Final.

Game 1 is Monday night against the Washington Capitals.

Vegas has defied expectations throughout its inaugural season in the league with the help of its P.E.I. coaches. The head coach is Gerard Gallant of Summerside, and assistant coach Mike Kelly is from Shamrock.

Signs across Summerside are cheering on the NHL team, most of them with the phrases Go Turk Go and the hashtag #MakingHistory.

It's part of the city's campaign to showcase its pride in the Vegas team — it even replaced the Summerside flag with a Golden Knights flag at city hall. 

'He's a winner'

"Gerard Gallant — hometown guy, very humble, paid his dues," said Summerside Mayor Bill Martin, noting that Gallant won a championship with the local junior team as well as with the Saint John Sea Dogs in the Memorial Cup. "He's a winner." 

If there's a series-clinching game in which the Golden Knights could win the Stanley Cup, Martin says the plan is to broadcast it on a big screen at Credit Union Place, where local hockey games are played. 

"Credit Union Place will just be jam-packed if this materializes," Martin said with a smile.

Bars and restaurants across the city plan to show the playoff games. Many businesses are also proudly rallying behind the team.

Cool and sweet

Kool Breeze Ice Cream Barn in Summerside mixed vanilla ice cream, Oreo cookie crumbs and caramel to create the "Marc-Andre Fleury." After posting it to Instagram and Facebook using the hashtag, the cool treat has been in demand. 

"We actually had a phone call from the events coordinator of the Vegas Golden Knights," said the shop's manager Chrysta Campbell. 

"He was asking us about it — he told us that he knows that Marc-Andre doesn't really like ice cream but he's pretty sure that if he came here he would try that, so we are pretty excited about that."

'Awesome to have that kind of support'

Assistant coach Kelly has found time to turn away from the frenetic atmosphere in Las Vegas to the frenetic atmosphere in his home province.

"The people who are on P.E.I. don't realize the craziness that's going on here and we don't realize the craziness that's going on in P.E.I.," said Kelly.

"So when you see the pictures or you see things come in from your family and friends you do a double take and say wow. It's awesome to have that kind of support."

Game 1 is in Las Vegas, and it starts at 9 p.m.

More P.E.I. news