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When SB Nation launched its Vegas Golden Knights blog Knights on Ice one year ago this week, Danny Webster couldn’t have expected for the team -- and the site -- to be so successful so quickly.
Webster manages Knights on Ice, and despite the necessary caution, was an early believer and spelled it out in Hockey is coming to Las Vegas and it’s going to work:
The addition of the Golden Knights to the NHL isn’t a publicity stunt. It’s not something that’s going to go haywire in two years. This is a real thing. Las Vegas has been granted a professional sports franchise. I’ve lived here all my life and I never thought the day would come that a pro sports team would come to Sin City. There are many residents who have longed to cheer for something other than UNLV sports. It’s been a long time coming, and this could turn out to be the best thing to ever happen to this wonderful city.
The turning point was early on. Webster says that he and the KOI contributors knew their efforts were going to be a hit “once we started pushing expansion draft content out and started getting the roster in full form.”
Golden Knights proved they’re ready for newfound pressure after Game 2 win
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Here’s a great example of how Danny Webster’s access with the team adds the depth that Knights fans love.
Webster has leveraged his coverage of the team into Knights-approved credentials and access. This access shines through in Webster’s profile of Marc-Andre Fleury returning to the team after his 3rd concussion, and in the color and depth it adds to his playoff recaps.
The work isn’t done. Not just because the Knights are down 3-1 in the Stanley Cup Finals as of this writing, but because Webster hopes the community sticks together regardless of what happens.
“The community has been great. We have people joining us more during this run and I hope they stay beyond this Cup run. We’re not on the level of the Montreal blog or any other major blog that is reaching thousands of reads a day, even when they’re not in the playoffs. I think we’re starting to gain a consistent following and, again, I hope they remain beyond this year.”
Given the quality of the writing at Knights on Ice, the dedication from Danny Webster and his staff, and a growing community, regardless of what happens this week, this is a blog you can bet on.