Hi Everyone:  

It’s Chance the Gila Monster, your favorite, fun Vegas Golden Knights FAN-atic!

I’m thrilled to say, weee’reee baaack! The 2020-21 NHL season is officially underway and you know what that means, right? A brand-new set of Vegas Golden Knights Collectible Team Bookmarks at the Library District! This year, we’re going to surprise you with who the new VGK player will be each month. I can’t wait to find out cuz they haven’t even told me!

But before we get into that, I’ve gotta give my boys a shout out for the phenomenal start to the season. And of course, a great offense is only as great as its defense, and we’ve got one of the best goalies in the league guarding our net: Marc-Andre Fleury, who just happens to be the star of this month’s collectible player bookmark!

It's no secret that Marc-Andre is our superstar goalie, and a highly decorated one at that. His NHL career started back in 2003 when he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was the youngest goaltender in the league at 18 years old, and put on an impressive show out of the gate. He went on to win three Stanley Cups with the Penguins (in 2009, 2016, and 2017, respectively) and even snagged a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics before moving west. When he joined the Golden Misfits in our 2017-18 inaugural season, he literally saved us time and time again, helping us make it to the NHL Stanley Cup Championship in our very first year!

Speaking of huge saves, Marc-Andre may be best known for his “Superman save,” or as some call it, the “save of the century.” On Nov. 19, 2019 during a match against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Leafs were making a drive for an empty net when out of nowhere, our hero dived in and snatched the puck out of the air with his glove, securing a big win for the Knights. That moment will be etched in Vegas hockey fans’ minds forever. It’s also frozen in Lego form! Las Vegas sculptor Chris Ihle created a life-sized statue of Marc-Andre’s famous save made out of 77,000 plastic bricks. Hey, when do I get my statue?!

Marc-Andre has had an impressive career and it’s still going strong! At the time of me writing this month’s blog, he has 467 wins and a .913 save percentage, with 61 shutouts. With stats like that, he’s destined for the NHL Hall of Fame!

But enough about Marc-Andre on the ice. Let’s get to know him when the skates come off in his interview with yours truly and you can also check out all his favorite titles from the Library District too!