Vegas Golden Knights reached their third Stanley Cup final in nine seasons after firing Bruce Cassidy with eight games remaining in the regular season.
From Misfits to League Pariahs
Vegas selected discarded players in the 2017 expansion draft and branded themselves the misfits before leaning into Sin City excess. The team traded fan favorite Marc-Andre Fleury and added players carrying significant baggage while sending coaches packing in pursuit of wins. Three final appearances across nine seasons since 2017 demonstrate the results of that approach.
The latest moves amplified the narrative. Signing Carter Hart, acquitted in the 2024 world junior sexual assault case, drew immediate scrutiny. Replacing Cassidy late in the 2025-26 season and blocking his interviews for other jobs further distanced the franchise from league norms. Coach John Tortorella’s refusal to speak to reporters after a second-round win over Anaheim triggered a draft pick penalty and fine.
Mitch Marner arrived from Toronto and instantly became a target for Leafs fans who had followed his departure. These decisions contrasted sharply with Carolina’s path, where goalie Frederik Andersen sought a Cup for the late Claude Lemieux and GM Eric Tulsky rose through a non-traditional route.
Echoes of Past Unpopular Champions
Boston Bruins faced widespread dislike in 2011 for their collection of pests. Florida Panthers drew ire in 2024 and 2025 for capitalizing on Florida’s no-tax advantage. In 2021 Nikita Kucherov wore an “18M over the cap” T-shirt at the Lightning parade, fully owning the circumvention label.
Carolina itself once earned Don Cherry’s “bunch of jerks” label for choreographed celebrations and responded by selling matching shirts. The pattern shows that sustained success often breeds resentment regardless of style.
Vegas has made deep playoff runs look routine since entering the league in 2017, giving opponents and fans alike a clear target. The franchise’s willingness to absorb criticism while winning has mirrored wrestling’s shift from heroic figures to anti-heroes who draw stronger emotion.
Hate as Competitive Fuel
Few predicted Vegas would reach the playoffs, let alone the final, after the late coaching change. Carolina entered the series having lost just one game across three rounds. Vegas has turned external negativity into internal motivation, a tactic that has defined its nine-year history.
Every era produces teams fans love to boo. The Golden Knights have positioned themselves as the current standard-bearers, printing their own version of “Nobody likes us. We don’t care” in spirit if not literal shirts.
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Par Mike Jonderson
Mike Jonderson is a passionate hockey analyst and expert in advanced NHL statistics. A former college player and mathematics graduate, he combines his understanding of the game with technical expertise to develop innovative predictive models and contribute to the evolution of modern hockey analytics.