In the hallway leading to the Golden Knights dressing room, the gear was packed in bags and the sticks were bundled up, ready to be shipped out.
A little more than an hour later, in front of the assembled media on the opposite end of City National Arena, general manager George McPhee closed the book on an unprecedented first season.
“Thank you very much, everybody,” he said. “Fantastic year. Thank you.”
The Knights spent Friday clearing out their lockers, the epilogue to their unexpected run to the Stanley Cup Final that ended short of the ultimate prize.