Just last year, the city of Las Vegas didn’t have an NHL team.
Now, on May 30, the Vegas Golden Knights are gearing up for Game 2 against the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Final with a 1-0 series lead.
But for one Vegas family, it’s more than just hockey.
Lauren and Brad Sugars were attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival when a gunman opened fire, killing 59 people and wounding over 800. But the family said, via NBC Sports, that having something to turn their focus toward has been a big help in recovering from the October tragedy.
Two weeks after the shooting, Lauren found out she was pregnant with the couple’s first child, and she gave birth May 18 to a baby girl. Lauren said they had the name “Austin” picked out at first, but after a few days, it didn’t seem to fit.
Brad attended the Golden Knights game the same night when they faced off against the Winnipeg Jets. Las Vegas right winger Reilly Smith scored the game-winning goal and with that, clinched a playoff berth for the first-year team, and also sealed the name for Lauren and Brad’s daughter.
“When you go through such a horrific event, it’s important to look for things that are positive,” Brad said via NBC Sports. “And Riley just gave us that from day one.”
Baby Riley already has sat in the Stanley Cup and Brad said he would love for his daughter’s first Golden Knights game to be a Stanley Cup Final one.
