The Stanley Cup final begins Monday in the unlikeliest of places, in a city brand-new to major pro sports and suddenly the center of the hockey world: Las Vegas, whose Golden Knights could become the first expansion team to win a championship.
And while the sudden success on the ice has been remarkable, the phenomenon off the ice is also incredible, and a handful of former Bucs executives led the effort to get the city to embrace its new team as well as it has.
"I knew Vegas wanted a team, desperately needed a team and was ready for a team," said Jim Frevola, who left the Bucs last spring to become Vegas' senior vice president and chief sales officer.