On May 20th, 2018, the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Winnipeg Jets in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals to advance to the Stanley Cup.
The little expansion team that could pic.twitter.com/IHt1u7XDjU
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) May 20, 2018
This is the only time an expansion team in any of the four major professional sports leagues has reached the championship series in their first season other than the 1967-68 St. Louis Blues.
The Golden Knights are defying all odds, literally. At the start of the season, they were given 500-1 odds of winning the championship which was the worst in the NHL. Now, they find themselves just one series away from the improbable. Many expected them to end up at the bottom of the standings as many expansions teams do in their first several years in the league. However, this Vegas team refused to let NHL precedent cap their capabilities.
It remains to be seen whether they have what it takes to win it all, which would only add to their already historic season.
