The next SinBin.vegas Guest Post comes to us all the way from New Orleans. Like many around the country, our next writer was waiting for an opportunity to love the best sport on Earth, and the Golden Knights are here to give him that opportunity.

So here it is, the New Years Resolution from Chris Trew.

Hockey fans and Las Vegas residents don’t know me and should have no reason to care about my 2017 New Year’s resolution. But I resolve to be as big of a Golden Knights fan as geography and my time allows.

Quick, context-providing, background: I’m a season ticket holder for the New Orleans Pelicans where I sit behind the visitors bench and write about it for Uproxx. Our AAA minor league baseball team recently rebranded from the Zephyrs to the Baby Cakes and I wrote this piece documenting my approval and that led to me now with a position on the franchise’s advisory council. I love sports and I’m fascinated with expansions and rebrands. I’m obsessed with fan loyalty and without a real reason to get behind an NHL team, I never have. Until now.

I was in Las Vegas for my annual Thanksgiving weekend trip in November of 2015 with a couple of units left in my sportsbook budget on the final night of my stay. Since I had discovered the possibility of the NHL landing in Las Vegas I couldn’t consume newspaper articles, blog posts, and podcasts quickly enough. The ticket drive was in full force and my heart told me to avoid investing the rest of my budget and to put it into a ticket. So, I did. For my last night in your city, I ate a leftover granola bar for dinner and watched Netflix instead of having steak and gambling. But I was now a proud partial season ticket holder for an NHL franchise that didn’t exist.

Since then I’ve downloaded the NHL app, added the NHL Network to my Roku account, stocked up on books to learn about the league, purchased Golden Knights merchandise the day it became available, watched more hockey than I ever have in my life, tried to help get the geo-restrictions lifted for the Behind The Vegas Ice documentary, and talked the franchise up with every single one of my sports friends who will listen. Basically, I’m the non-local target audience for this franchise. An out of town free agent that the Vegas Golden Knights marketing department should covet. And I’m here with my pen ready to sign the long term contract. My annual Thanksgiving weekend trip is now contingent on Golden Knights home games. I’m also proud to share that my annual Thanksgiving weekend trip will likely become two weekends or bi-annual to accommodate my growing love for the city as well as my upcoming relationship with your hockey team. I’m in.

I’m certain there are others like me. Sports fans willing to take on the NHL but without a reason to do so. I’m excited to learn about the sport through the lens of an expansion city. I’m grateful that so many resources exist already to hold the hand of the willing fan. I’m ready to be won over by this game and to soak in the journey.

-Chris Trew

Hang out with me on Medium, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat: christrew

christrew@gmail.com

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