Originally written during my junior year of high school, this essay is a reflection on the freshman season of the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Following the worst mass shooting in American history, no one was sure if the city could ever fully recover and return to its status as the greatest party in the world. However, with the introduction of our first major league sports team and their record-breaking first season, Vegas was allowed to recover from its depression and grow from the tragedy. That iteration of the essay received a Gold Key in the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition. However, the Knights won the Stanley Cup during the 2022-23 season, giving me an opportunity to expand on my thoughts and look at our 2018 loss in the finals in a different light.