Inside the Golden Knights' Pregame Show: The "Greatest Show on Ice" Turns 10

by Ryan Rose

What Happened

The Review-Journal story, written by columnist John Katsilometes, walks through the Golden Knights' in-arena show piece by piece. It starts with the part every fan knows. Rings of fire are projected on the ice. Spotlights swirl. A narrator calls on the crowd to raise their torches and defend the Fortress. The Knight Line drum squad pounds out a military-style beat, and a knight in golden armor skates out through a giant helmet.

Then comes the villain. A dark knight shows up waving the visiting team's flag and mocking the crowd. The two fight with sword and shield, and the Golden Knight wins every time. The Review-Journal counts more than 400 of these wins since 2017. Lee Orchard, known locally as DJ Britlee, has played the Golden Knight at every home game. The villain role rotates among members of the Knights Guard ice crew.

The story also lays out how big the operation is. More than 100 cast and crew members make it happen, from performers on the ice to staff in the control room and camera operators around the building. The Golden Knights are the only franchise in any major sports league with showgirls. They are called the Vegas Golden Belles, and many of them are former performers from "Jubilee" and "Folies," two classic Strip production shows.

John Bochiaro, the NHL's group vice president of game presentation and entertainment, told the Review-Journal the Knights are "at the top of the list" of event presentation, not just in hockey but in all sports. He also credited the team with drawing attention to game presentation across the whole industry. That is a big compliment from the league office, which sees every arena in the NHL.

The team's vice president and executive producer for entertainment and production, Andrew Abrams, explained where the idea came from. He told the Review-Journal that team owner Bill Foley's direction was simple. Because the team plays on the Strip, it needed to be a show for the fans, not just an entertainment department for a hockey team.

The Golden Knight character in gold armor duels a dark knight on the ice during the Vegas Golden Knights pregame show

Why It Matters to Las Vegas Residents

For a long time, Las Vegas was a city that entertained visitors but did not have much of its own to cheer for. The Golden Knights changed that. The pregame show is a big part of why. It takes the thing Las Vegas does best, which is putting on a show, and turns it toward the people who actually live here.

Think about who is in the building. The Review-Journal notes that many of the Golden Belles came from "Jubilee" and "Folies." Those were long-running Strip shows that gave work to local dancers for years. Members of Cirque du Soleil, Blue Man Group and Jabbawockeez have also performed at T-Mobile Arena. Hype man Mark Shunock is a former "Rock of Ages" cast member. Singer Katie Marie Jones is a Vegas native who has sung in local lounges and clubs. Announcer Robert "Bojo" Ackah is a longtime local radio voice. In other words, the show is built by Las Vegas locals and Las Vegas performers. That gives it a hometown feel you cannot fake.

The show also gives families something to share. A lot of parents in Henderson, Summerlin and the northwest valley grew up in other cities and brought their old team loyalties with them. Their kids, though, are growing up as Golden Knights fans. The pregame fight, the drum line and the siren are the parts kids remember. For many local families, a Knights game is a birthday treat or a once-a-season outing, and the show is what makes the ticket feel worth it before the puck even drops.

It matters for pride, too. When the NHL's game-presentation executive says a team is at the top in all of sports, that reflects on the city. It says Las Vegas is not just a place people visit. It is a place with its own traditions. After nine seasons, the "Greatest Show on Ice" nickname is part of how locals talk about their team, and the show is something residents can point to when friends from back home come to visit.

And the show does not stop after the intro. Between the second and third periods, the arena turns into what the team calls the "Knight Club." The Review-Journal describes it as a loud, strobe-lit, nightclub-style break that regularly features DJ Joe Green, with occasional headliners like Kaskade and Diplo. Abrams told the paper it is one of his personal favorites and that it would be very hard for it to ever go away. The Review-Journal also reports that rival teams have copied the idea.

Background and History

The Golden Knights began play in 2017 as the first major league team in Las Vegas. From the start, the team knew its show had to be different. According to the Review-Journal, the plan was to compete with the Strip, not with other hockey arenas. Abrams said the team drew inspiration from Cirque du Soleil and the other world-class shows on the Strip. Early on, the team did not know who its fans would be. The goal was to give whoever walked in the door the best show possible.

Over nine seasons, the show kept adding pieces. The Knights Guard ice crew is a uniformed, choreographed, coed group that sweeps the ice between periods. The Review-Journal shares a story about a lifelong New York Rangers fan who could not believe it, because back at Madison Square Garden the ice crew is a bunch of guys in track suits. The Vegas Vivas, the team's dance and cheer squad, often dance behind the visiting team's bench during warmups, sometimes with mascot Chance the Gila Monster. Abrams told the paper it started as a fun way to distract the other team and show off home-ice advantage.

The Knight Line drum squad performs for Golden Knights fans at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip

Then there is the siren. Cranking a siren before games is an old pro sports tradition, but the Knights turned it into a celebrity moment. The Review-Journal says hundreds of famous figures have spun it, including Usher, Wayne Newton, Lil Jon, Miranda Lambert, Shania Twain, T-Pain and the Backstreet Boys. Comedian Jo Koy, actor Mark Wahlberg and Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson have taken a turn. So have Raiders quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza during the NHL playoffs.

The team has also gone big with surprise props. In 2024, the Knights unveiled a fire-breathing dragon with a 34-foot wingspan, huge claws and glowing red eyes looking down over the arena. Moments like that are why fans come early. Nobody wants to be stuck in the concourse when something like that shows up. The Knight Line drummers have even flown above the ice on wires, according to the Review-Journal.

The announcing team has a local story too. The Review-Journal reports that Mark Shunock cold-called the team's front office the morning after Foley announced the first season ticket drive and asked to be part of it. Nearly a decade later, he is still the voice fans hear revving up the crowd.

He is not alone on the mic. The announcing team has three members. Katie Marie Jones, a Vegas native, has worked as a ring announcer for Women of Wrestling and sung in local lounges and clubs. Robert "Bojo" Ackah has fired up crowds at sporting events all across the valley. Together they give the arena a voice that sounds like Las Vegas, because it is Las Vegas.

What Happens Next

The Golden Knights opened Season X against the Chicago Blackhawks at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 29, and won. We wrote about the opening night gold carpet and Wayne Newton's siren crank in our Season X opener post. That first night was a look back at the first nine seasons. According to a separate Review-Journal report, the full new pregame show debuts Friday, Oct. 2, against the Anaheim Ducks.

So what is in the new show? The team is keeping most of it secret. Abrams did drop a few hints to the Review-Journal. He said the show will lean hard into nostalgia. If you were a day-one season ticket member, the team wants you to feel what you felt 10 seasons ago. That could mean bringing back older storytelling, music or videos the team used in the past and later moved away from. Honoring players from the original "Golden Misfits" first-year roster is also on the table.

Abrams told the paper the working title for this season's entertainment program is "VGK Classic." He joked that it is funny to call anything classic when the team is only 10 seasons old. Still, for a city that did not have a major league team until 2017, 10 years is a real milestone. Expect more throwback moments, more familiar faces and more reasons to get to your seat before the lights go down.

A giant fire-breathing dragon prop with glowing red eyes looms over the ice at T-Mobile Arena during a Golden Knights game

Ryan's Take

I talk with a lot of people who are thinking about moving to Las Vegas. Most of them ask about the same things: prices, schools, commute times and the heat. But once they get here, the thing that makes them feel like locals is usually something else. It is the first time they go to a Knights game and the whole arena stands up for the pregame fight. It is the day their kid picks a favorite player. It is the neighbor down the street who flies a Knights flag on game days.

That stuff matters more than people think. A city is more than a housing market. Having a team, a tradition and a shared thing to cheer for makes a place feel like home. For buyers relocating from California, the Midwest or the East Coast, the Golden Knights are often one of the fastest ways to feel connected. You meet people at watch parties, at youth hockey rinks and in the parking lot after games. If you are weighing a move here, I always tell people to go to a game. It tells you a lot about the kind of community you are joining. And after 10 years, this team and its show are part of what Las Vegas is.

What You Can Do

If you have tickets this season, get there early. The pregame show happens before puck drop, and it is the part of the night you cannot catch on TV the same way. Friday's game against Anaheim is when the team says the full new show debuts, so that is a good one to watch for if you want to see what "VGK Classic" looks like. Check the Golden Knights' official schedule for game times and ticket details before you head out.

Stay in your seat for the second intermission, too. The Knight Club break is its own show. And keep an eye on the visitors' bench during warmups. That is where the Vegas Vivas like to make the other team uncomfortable.

Going with kids? Talk them through the show before you go. Tell them to watch for the giant helmet, the dark knight and the sword fight. Little ones who might get bored during a long hockey game usually stay locked in for the pregame fight and the drum line. It is also a good idea to plan for the noise. The show is loud, and the Knight Club intermission is louder, so ear protection for small kids is a smart call.

Want to go but not ready to buy a full season? Pick one game with a theme you like and treat it as a family night. Many local families do exactly that, a game or two a season, and the pregame show makes each one feel like an event.

If you are new to town, a Knights game is one of the best ways to see what Las Vegas feels like for the people who live here. Bring the kids, wear gold, and be ready to cheer when the Golden Knight goes for win number 400-something. And if you want more ideas for how to plan your nights out this season, check out our posts on this season's theme nights and what is new on the T-Mobile Arena menu.

Have questions about living in Las Vegas, or about which neighborhoods make game nights easy? Reach out to Ryan Rose or text/call 702-747-5921 anytime. You can also email ryan@rosehomeslv.com. Ryan Rose | Real Broker, LLC | rosehomeslv.com