The Golden Knights' Stanley Cup quest continues.

A sit-down with a fan favorite player, and a legislative update, that's this week on Nevada Week.

♪♪♪ Support for Nevada Week is provided by Senator William H. Hernstadt.

Welcome to Nevada Week.

I'm Amber Renee Dixon.

The Nevada legislature wrapped up its regular session on Monday, June 5, but multiple special sessions have since followed.

Joining us from Carson City is Nevada Independent Reporter Jacob Solis.

And Jacob, let's start with the first special session.

Why was it needed, and what was accomplished?

(Jacob Solis) Well, it was needed because by the time Monday finished, the legislature technically didn't have a complete budget.

There were five separate budget bills, and they were able to get through four of them.

But the fifth needed a two-thirds majority, and Democrats only control one seat less than that in the Senate.

So Senate Republicans voted as a bloc to essentially stop that budget from going through with about 30 minutes left in the regular session.

And that necessitated a whole new special session on Tuesday.

And basically after that, everyone agreed.

I say "everyone."

I mean, one extra Republican agreed that they needed to pass the budget.

The Governor was willing to sign it.

The Democrats weren't going to change what was in it, so it eventually made it through.

And that's how that ended.

-And that particular budget bill, what was it about?

-Yeah, it's called the Capital Improvement Program.

It's basically the state budget that handles all of the buildings, construction, renovations, maintenance, all that kind of stuff.

And it's like a-- It's a fairly sizable budget.

You know, you're talking about maybe 1.2 billion in new appropriations from places like the general fund, the highway fund, and bonds that the State uses to build buildings.

So it's pretty substantial.

-And this is going to be funded from a renewed property tax.

Are we talking about the taxes that people pay on their homes?

-Yes, that's right.

So it is the-- This bill is where the property taxes re-levied every single year.

And so that's why it required that two-thirds majority, unlike the other budget bills, which only needed a simple majority.

-There was probably no chance that people weren't going to have to pay a property tax on their homes, right?

-That's right.

Because these property taxes are used to pay off what are called "general obligation bonds," the State actually has a constitutional requirement to fund the repayment of those bonds.

And so it would basically threaten the State's full faith and credit if they decided not to re-levy that tax.

-All right.

Let's move on to the special session, the second special session underway as we speak.

And as we speak, it is Thursday morning, June 8.

Yesterday is when that special session started.

It's about the A's and their want of up to $380 million in public funding for a new stadium on the Las Vegas Strip at the site of the Tropicana.

We know that the Governor supports this bill, because he wouldn't have called for a special session without it.

But what are we hearing from lawmakers?

-That's right.

And you know what?

I think a lot of lawmakers in the Senate, which is where we've gotten the only hearing so far in this special session, are frustrated that the A's basically brought back the exact same bill that died during the regular session.

We heard multiple Democratic lawmakers basically say that they were unhappy with the tax structure, that they're unhappy with the way that the community benefits agreement is structured, that basically a lot of the smaller fine print in the deal isn't satisfactory enough for them to say, We want to give, you know, like you said, $380 million in total public money towards this deal.

-What is the perception of the A's right now, especially with what you just mentioned, that they brought back the same exact bill that had already died?

-Right.

I think there are some lawmakers that are definitely excited for baseball in Las Vegas.

You know, I think there's several Republican lawmakers, in particular, were looking at this as an economic boon, potentially.

But we've heard several Democrats basically, you know, raise questions over the A's as a baseball team: their record, the amount that they spend on payroll for the team, and whether or not there's any guarantees that once they actually show up in Las Vegas, they'll actually try and be good at baseball.

-Oh, boy.

And then what about their community impact?

That was also a point of contention.

-That's right.

And I think a lot of this goes down to how the A's are leaving Oakland.

It's been a very long and at times ugly fight between the team and the City and who is reneging or not reneging on what agreements they had made to benefit that community in Oakland.

And so now when the team is making guarantees about how they'll benefit the community in Las Vegas, I think lawmakers are really looking for absolute certainty that they're going to get what the team is saying they're going to bring.

-What comes next for this bill?

-Well, this bill is working through a special process called a "committee of the whole" where basically both houses convene every single one of their members into one big committee, they all hear the bill, and they all get to answer questions.

So that's why yesterday's meeting lasted all day in the Senate.

Once the Senate votes on that bill through committee, then they'll take a full vote on the floor.

And then it goes to the Assembly where this process repeats.

Then it eventually makes it to Governor Lombardo.

Before we get there, though, it is entirely possible and even likely that we get an amendment.

Several Democrats in particular basically said that they wanted changes to this language before they would feel comfortable with it.

-And real quickly, Jacob, no word on a possible special session for the expansion of a Film Tax Credit program?

-Not that we've heard, no.

That one is dead for now.

-All right.

Jacob Solis of The Nevada Independent, thank you for your time.

From politics to pucks.

Golden Knights Owner Bill Foley famously said his team would win the Stanley Cup in six seasons.

Now the Golden Knights are two wins away from fulfilling that prophecy.

They are in Sunrise, Florida, home of the Panthers, along with a large number of sports reporters, including SinBin.Vegas founder Ken Boehlke.

And Ken, after two dominant wins at home, the Golden Knights go to Florida and fall 3-2 in overtime on Thursday night.

I watched your Periscope from the game last night on SinBin's Twitter, and you don't seem too concerned about the team's chances of still going on to win the Stanley Cup.

Why?

(Ken Boehlke) They played a good game.

Great defensive structure.

They played a good game.

So yeah, I'm not all that concerned.

It happens.

It's hockey.

You don't win them all.

-Okay, could you understand the possible concern about maybe the team's ability to close in crucial moments, because there was just 2 minutes and 13 seconds left in regular time before Tkachuk scored that equalizer.

Any concerns in that area?

-A little bit there, because this isn't the first time.

This happened against Winnipeg.

This happened against Dallas.

Now it happens in this series.

So it's been something that has been happening.

And especially the first time that the other team has pulled their goalie, we've seen this come to light.

But over the course of each series, the Golden Knights have gotten better when the opposing team has pulled the goalie.

And usually they've been able to improve in that area.

And I think that's probably what's going to happen the next time we see this situation again in this series.

-Okay, so you are in Sunrise, Florida, as we talked about.

You told me you're at the Ritz Carlton, which is where the Golden Knights held a media availability today, but not a practice today.

Is that unusual?

-It's not.

They normally do this same type of thing.

So normally they get here the day before the game, then they have the day of the game, and there's a day in between before the next game.

And they typically do take this day off.

I mean, let's be honest, the beach is right over there, there at the Ritz Carlton.

Why are we-- why are we playing hockey today?

Let's live it up for a day.

You made it to the Stanley Cup Final.

They'll be all right.

But no, they normally do take the day off whether they're in Edmonton or Winnipeg or a great place like Florida.

Not to-- Well, I will say what I said about those other cities.

[laughter] -Well, before you head to the beach, tell me about what happened at the media availability.

Anything besides the normal, Short memory, We got to move on to the next one?

-They seemed fairly positive.

I think everyone's still a little bit sour of the fact that they played a good game.

They had a great chance to go up 3-0.

They could be just one win away from winning, but it's two now.

They know that if they keep playing the way that they did play, that they've got a pretty darn good chance to get this thing done.

And I think everybody's got that confidence of saying like, Look, it's three games in.

We still feel like we're better than this team.

So I think they have that belief.

Now they just got to get it done tomorrow.

-A big difference between Game 3 and Games 1 and 2 was the performance of Florida Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.

If he continues to play the way that he did in Game 3, how much trouble is that for the Knights?

-Yeah, he's one of the huge reasons why the Panthers are here at all.

It's one of the big reason they got through Boston.

It's why they were fantastic against Carolina.

He is spectacular, and there's really no way around the fact that he can be good enough to win a game on his own.

And I think he did that to a degree last night.

But if you look at the game, the Golden Knights scored twice, and both times there was absolutely no way the goalie stopping the shots.

So for me, you just got to create more of those, create more of those chances that even the best goalie in the world can't stop.

They got two of them last night.

They got five or six in the first couple of games.

Just do that a little bit more and take him out of the picture.

It sounds easy.

It's really not, but it's the Stanley Cup Final for a reason.

It's hard.

-And Ken, you brought up the beach conditions.

Tell me about the weather there.

Is it impacting ice conditions?

-There definitely have been some complaints about the ice.

I mean, it is humid.

It is hot.

It is Florida in June.

It's not terribly surprising that ice is not exactly in the best condition that it should be.

And I think that that's something that the Golden Knights can just be aware of going into the next game.

They felt it in Game 3.

Now they get to play in the same building in Game 4.

They just have to have a little bit more awareness of how bad it is and how it's impacting the game.

And I think it'll be less of a factor next game than it was in Game 3.

-And then finally, you have been covering the Golden Knights since their inception, even prior to that when Bill Foley was doing that ticket drive.

You started the first website dedicated to the Golden Knights exclusively.

What do you think?

Is this the year that they finally hoist the Stanley Cup?

-And I was really feeling like it absolutely was right before they tied the game, but then, you know, things went off the rails.

And now maybe it'll just take a little bit longer.

But I still feel very confident.

This is a team that is really coming together.

They don't really have any weaknesses.

They're staying healthy.

They seem to be very tight and connected as a group.

Their coach is awesome.

Like a lot of it just seems to finally be coming together, and I don't know when it's gonna happen, but I really do believe by the end of the next week and a half, the Golden Knights are going to be Stanley Cup champions.

-Ken Boehlke, SinBin.Vegas, thank you for your time.

Our knights coverage continues with a bit of nostalgia.

Deryk Engelland was part of the Golden Knights team that went to the Stanley Cup final in its inaugural season.

We sat down with the now retired defenseman who still works for the Golden Knights in an ambassador-type role.

Well, first off, Deryk, what is your role with the Golden Knights?

I'm curious what your perspective is on it.

(Deryk Engelland) A lot of community stuff: the alumni, learn to play with the little kids, kind of a little bit of everything.

It started with, you know, three or four things that "we're going to" kind of thing.

And George or the people upstairs working will just ask you.

And, you know, it's good to keep busy.

-So you're talking about George McPhee-- -Yes.

- --whose position currently is president?

-Yes.

-He continued to rise in this organization.

-Yes.

He's amazing, awesome guy.

-Well, tell me about him and his influence in making this team we're talking about.

-What he's done with his team, it still blows my mind now, some of the trades they made and everything around the expansion draft.

Just how they brought that team together was amazing.

And every year you seem like it's-- okay, it's gonna level out here, and you go into free agency or trades and it's just, wow, how did-- how do they pull it off?

And it's exciting to see as a, just as a hockey fan.

But... -What blows your mind about it?

-You know, bringing in guys like Jack Eichel, Pietrangelo, all these big-- Everyone says they chase all the big names.

No, they're making a team that's competitive every year.

And you know, I think we got a taste of the finals the first year and, unfortunately, we lost.

But you get that taste, and you want it, want to get there again.

And they've done nothing but gave this team opportunities to, every single year, to win the Cup.

-Now, how closely do you watch the games?

Do you watch every game?

-If I go to a game, it's hard to.

There's a lot of some-- another job thing, ambassador, around the suites and the sponsors, so it's hard when you're doing that stuff to actually watch it.

You know, if you see a goal, it pauses conversation and stuff like that and watch.

But if I have none of that going on, I like to go home and I actually get to watch the game on TV.

It just makes it a little bit easier.

But it's-- you know, I've met a lot of amazing people that I'm friends with now that I wouldn't have without the job, I wouldn't have met, through sponsors and suite holders and stuff like that.

So a lot of them have come to our alumni golf tournament.

That was just on Tuesday.

So you build those relationships, and it's a-- Everyone knows Vegas is a very small big city, so the relationships you make and is amazing, and it's, you know, it's tough to watch the actual game at the game, but-- -I would imagine.

-But you still get the atmosphere, the feeling, and an excitement when you're there.

-When you are able to watch a game, do you share your observations with the players?

-No.

I'm kind of upstairs, the business side more.

You know, that's the coach's stuff.

-Have you been told not to?

-No.

No, nothing like that.

I still, when I run into the guys, we talk and see how things are going and stuff like that.

But you know, I think-- I feel like when I was a player, you always talked hockey.

So, you know, you run into the guys and stuff like that, and it's more about how life is and the family's doing and stuff like that.

And just keep it, keep it, just like, just buddies, you know?

So I try to stay out of the hockey stuff and let the guys that are in the locker room take care of that.

-If you were to give them any advice for the Stanley Cup Final, being that you played with some of these guys in the last Stanley Cup Final that the Golden Knights were in, what would that advice be?

-Just enjoy the moment.

I think they've been playing one game at a time all playoffs long, and that's the biggest thing from my takeaway from the first year is, you know, we got that first game, and it was almost like everyone's like, Oh, it's Vegas's Cup now.

They're gonna win.

And then as soon as everyone started hearing that, it's like tighten the stick a little bit, and then you're worrying too far ahead instead of just that next game.

That would probably be the biggest thing I would tell them.

-Because enjoying the moment, that seems so difficult when it's work, and it's high pressure work.

-It is.

And I think if you can, you know, after a game, win or lose, enjoy that moment or dwell on it if you lose the game.

But the next morning it's a new day.

Then worry about the next one and don't get too far ahead.

And you know, you still got to enjoy it.

The atmosphere around the city is electric, and it always has been with the Knights.

And now you're in the finals again, and it's just gonna ramp up even more.

-What did you think of the team's decision not to touch the Campbell Bowl in the Western Conference Final, because it's the opposite of what you did in 2018?

-Yeah.

Well, we-- You know, we had no captain the first year, and-- -Oh, that's right.

- --there was only-- I think Fleury was the only guy that has been to the finals.

And so I, you know, we all, all the leadership guys, kind of talked.

And a lot of guys went to "Flower" and, you know, just, What do you think?

And he didn't touch it the first time in Pittsburgh, and they lost.

And then they touched it, they won.

So we wanted to try to keep his streak going and try to win.

He was the backbone of the team that year, and so we touched it.

And you know at the end of day it's superstition, but I guess hockey guys are pretty superstitious.

-Would you take it back?

Would you go back and not touch it?

-No.

I don't think that played any factor in the outcome.

We came out strong and won that first game, but, you know, we were playing a really good hockey team that beat us, unfortunately, four straight.

But it was still the most magical season of my career.

And it sucks we didn't get a win, but just making it there...

I played in Pittsburgh for four years, and it seemed like every year they were handing us a Cup, and I never made it past the second round.

So it's hard to get there, and you gotta embrace that and just, like I said, take it one game at a time.

-Back to Marc-Andre Fleury.

My, how goaltending has changed over the years for this team and in this season in particular.

What have you thought as you've seen the team use five different goaltenders this season?

-Yes.

It's just since the All-Star Break too.

It's been crazy.

Bringing in Jonathan Quick turned out to be brilliant because other guy got hurt and all that.

So it was brilliant.

But it seems like it's how the team plays defensively.

Any goalie that gets in there, obviously they have to be good and make those saves at key moments.

But the way they play really helps a goaltender out.

They don't give a lot of second opportunities up.

They clear rebounds so the goalie can really focus on that one shot, and he knows that the guys are clearing the puck.

When Brossoit started, he was phenomenal.

Unfortunately, he got hurt.

And Adin came in and hasn't missed a beat.

He's been phenomenal since he got in there, and hopefully it continues for the Finals.

-What makes this team special in your opinion?

-I just think the depth.

You know, the guys that they brought in have really complemented the lines.

You go before the trade deadline, and you had that high-end skill.

And the fourth line has been phenomenal all season long.

But just a little smaller pieces, Barbashev and guys like that, that have really done, been impactful for-- you know, Eichel and Marchy, playing with him, you know?

They add that extra element that-- not that the other guys aren't doing it, but kind of that grind aspect, to grind it out to create a little bit more room for those guys to do what they're good at.

And you know, the depth.

If one line is not going one night or has the hard matchup, the other guys are coming and picking it up for him.

So I think it's-- the depth is huge for this team.

-I want to go back to that magical season that you were talking about.

And I think perhaps one moment that everyone will remember the most in this city is when you gave that really profound and poignant speech, following the 1 October shooting, at the very first game of the Golden Knights' inaugural season, the very first game after that shooting, very first home game I should say.

How often do you think about that moment?

-A lot, actually.

I still have people that you meet that tell you how much it touched them or helped them through a tough time.

And the whole team the whole season I think helped, but so it gets brought to your attention a lot.

And you know, you'll see something around town.

My wife keeps bringing up, showing me things on her phone that come up, and it's 58 everything.

Like it's crazy how many times it comes up.

Just two days ago, I forget what it was.

Maybe during the golf tournament something was 58.

She's like, there's another one.

There's another one.

It's always coming up around her, and she mentions it.

So it's-- You know, I don't know if it's people looking down on us, but it's brought to your attention a lot more than you think.

-Whew!

That gives me goosebumps.

-Yeah.

-58 being the number of people originally reported that had passed away.

When you do see that and hear that from your wife, what kind of emotions does it give you?

-Same thing.

It's almost chilling.

It's such a tough time.

The speech was the hardest thing I think I've done.

I've played-- hockey was easy, but getting up there to say a speech and was very nervous.

It was tough, but it's one of those things that you'll never forget.

-Last question.

Five years later, the Vegas Golden Knights are back in the Stanley Cup Final.

What's it going to take for them to win it this time?

-Oh, I think goaltending is going to be huge.

You know they're gonna-- Bobrovsky has been lights out since he's come in, so we got to match that.

And then the depth, like I said.

If the depth can keep coming, I think we're an extremely deep team, that all four lines contribute.

You know you look at Game 6 against Dallas, and I think our fourth line really set the tone.

They came out the first shift, dominated, they scored their second shift, and everyone jumped on and rode that and they were phenomenal.

It was a flawless game, I thought.

-You don't often hear people talking about the fourth line, right?

-Yeah.

No, it's-- The line has been phenomenal.

You look at Will Carrier.

He missed a big chunk of the season, and he puts up 16 goals on the fourth line.

That's, that's amazing.

That's, that goes to the hard work that he, he's always working.

He's always doing extra.

So, you know, and Roy and Kolesar are picking up right there too.

So they put the wall back with that line, and they lead the way.

-Carrier being one of the original Golden Knights still on this team.

What would it mean for you to see those guys get this Stanley Cup Final?

-It would be amazing, you know?

Like I said, we come up short last time, and it was a lot of other guys' first time in the finals.

And so that experience I think will help them out in the long run.

The guys from the first year and then guys that they brought in--Pachal, Quick, Barbashev, Stephenson-- -Eichel.

-They have all those, the experience.

And you know I think Eichel hasn't been in the playoffs, but his excitement will, I'm sure, turn to his play.

So it's gonna be amazing to see, and, you know, I hope the guys the best.

-Right.

Eichel, very first playoffs ever, and he's in the Stanley Cup Final.

What a big deal.

-It is.

-Deryk Engelland, thank you for your time.

-Thanks for having me.

-What the Golden Knights did for Southern Nevada following 1 October is one of the many reasons they have such a loyal fan base.

Nevada Week's Maria Silva got to hang out with some of those fans at City National Arena.

(Knights Fans) Go Knights Go!

Go Knights Go!

Go Knights Go!

Go Knights Go!

(Maria Silva) There's no doubt that we have the best fans.

They're here watching the team practice.

You feel the excitement.

Mendoza family, why are you such huge Vegas Golden Knights fans?

(Mendoza family) I don't know.

We just got into the game, and we've been fans ever since they started.

So hoping they're winning the Stanley Cup this year.

-Oh, I love it.

Okay, and has it been so much fun to share this with the family and the kids?

-Definitely.

It has been nice.

Excellent!

They are all into it.

Yeah, we love it.

-So I need to ask you your favorite player.

-Anyone really.

-Oh, any of the players.

Who is your favorite player?

-Stone.

-Oh, right, the captain.

Yours, do you have a favorite player?

-The same one, Stone.

-Yeah.

How about Mom?

-I do watch over Stone.

-Future hockey players?

You can be a hockey player.

Do you want to be a hockey player?

-No.

-No, okay.

How about you?

-Kind of, because I already played hockey with my brother.

-We love all the players, right?

But you're Stone fans, so go Stone go.

Ready?

3-2-1... Go Stone Go!

Go Stone Go!

Can you read this?

Yeah.

I was like, what is that?

It's Russian.

All right, Shannon.

What does this sign say?

(Shannon Walker) It says, May I have a stick or puck, in Russian for Barbashev.

-No luck, right?

He didn't get to see it?

-Not today, no.

He saw it, but no luck.

-Let's talk a little bit about why the Vegas Golden Knights means so much to you.

-I was just so amazed at how much they did after 1 October and going out into the community like the very next day.

-And they honored the victims in such a beautiful way.

You still see this sign up there, and and it was about unifying our community when we needed it the most.

-Yes, it absolutely was.

And we just needed something to smile and bond over that wasn't, you know, such a negative thing.

And really, they were one of the first things I smiled over after 1 October.

And it just, they touched my heart.

So I kind of fell in love with them almost before I fell in love with hockey, really.

-Okay, we know Mr. 49.

Any other favorite players?

-I really love Whitecloud and Cotter and Miromanov.

They're all really special to me because I have followed them as they came from the lower league up into the Golden Knights' actual team.

-What message do you have for our Vegas Golden Knights team?

-I think the entire town of Las Vegas is behind the team.

We are cheering for you.

[cheers] -Woo!

-Okay, so you never know who you're going to see at these practices.

My brother Manny.

Let's talk a little bit about why you're such a big Vegas Golden Knights fan.

I mean, check out those tattoos.

(Manny Silva) I got this in 2017 for Vegas Strong, for October 1.

-We grew up here in Vegas here since '81.

Did you ever imagine in your lifetime that we we would actually become a sports town?

-I love to bet on sports.

I never thought it would even be possible, but thank God it is.

And we are ready.

VGK and 5.

-Do you have a favorite player?

-My favorite player is Marchessault, 81, and romancing the Stone.

Go Knights Go!

We got this.

-All right.

Proof that the Silva 7 were fans from the get-go.

-VGK and 5.

It's good to see you, sis.

-A big thank you to Maria and Manny for that story.

And thank you for joining us here on Nevada Week.

Enjoy the rest of the Stanley Cup Final, and we will see you next week on Nevada Week.