Vegas goes all-in on Chance the Gila Monster with rally towels for Game 3

Island of Misfit Towels? Heading into Game 3 of the Western Conference Final, the Vegas Golden Knights have gone all-in on Chance the Gila Monster rally keepsakes.

On Wednesday, the Vegas Golden Knights will host the Winnipeg Jets in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final.

The night promises to be one of excitement, as the NHL’s newest franchise continues to stun the hockey world with stellar postseason play. Whether’s it’s through William Karlsson’s seemingly endless goal-scoring bonanza, Marc-Andre Fleury’s remarkable push for the Conn Smythe Trophy, Jonathan Marchessault’s indomitable spirit or Gerard Gallant’s inspirational leadership, these “Golden Misfits” have not only managed to silence their detractors, but have also translated attempts to undermine their success into narratives of respect.

Part of the beauty of watching the Golden Knights lies in observing the spectacle of T-Mobile Arena on any given night. From the outset of the team’s 2017-18 season — in which hockey lovers united to cheer on their new franchise just days after a deadly attack claimed 59 lives — to the present moment, the organization’s fans have shown that #VegasStrong was no brief campaign, but instead represented an overarching movement.

Which brings us to tonight’s matchup.

As per TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, T-Mobile Arena is prepared to host a showdown for the ages. To get fans pumped, the organization has stepped up their rally game, opting to place the face of the one and only mascot, Chance the Gila Monster, on complimentary towels that will be distributed at the evening’s contest.

But who is this creature?

Chance debuted back in October, when the prospect of a Vegas-led push for the Stanley Cup was still a running joke. As NHL.com reported at the time, he is inspired by a venomous lizard that is a known feature of Nevada’s desert territory. Despite being capable of ushering forth extremely painful bites, gila monsters are sluggish creatures that have been granted legal protection due to the fact that they’re classified as “Near Threatened” by the IUCN.

Chance may be part of a species that’s strained the edges of extinction, but there’s little doubt that he’s found a new home in the hockey world.

So please, Vegas fans, enjoy these majestic keepsakes. They’ll surely serve as a warm memory from the Golden Knights’ first Stanley Cup run.

Who knows? This might just be the first of many times in which we experience the Island of Misfit Towels.

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