Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson (71) celebrates during the Stanley Cup championship parade Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

Golden Knights’ William Karlsson gives memorable speech during Stanley Cup parade

Originally posted on Daily Faceoff | By Scott Maxwell | Last updated 6/18/23

Some years we get some fun moments during the Stanley Cup parade, and the Vegas Golden Knights did not disappoint.

The MVP of the parade was center William Karlsson, who was chaos personified throughout the night, particularly when introducing playoff MVP Jonathan Marchessault during the celebration.

“This guy, this f-ing guy. He was here day one. And I know you have been here day f***ing one,” said Karlsson. “You guys are so amazing. We played Arizona in the first game, and we beat the s*** out of them. And I had no points, but that’s okay because in year one I was pretty f***ing great. But you guys were greater, and we’ve been up and down on this journey to the Cup.

William Karlsson just gave one of the greatest speeches ever, absolute all-timer#VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/DeWcncvNJr
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) June 18, 2023

“We’ve been waiting for six long years for this guy to be M-V-P! Jonathan Marchessault!”

The Golden Knights are just a few days removed from winning the first Stanley Cup in their franchise’s six-season history. They defeated the Florida Panthers in five games, capped off with a 9-3 win in Game 5 to secure the Cup.

Marchessault had 13 goals, 12 assists, and 25 points in 22 games on the run to win the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoff’s MVP, with all but two assists coming in the team’s final 15 games.

Karlsson was already on a roll before the speech as well, as entering the ceremony, he also took a tumble down the stairs.

Karlsson and Marchessault were two of six original Golden Knights from their inaugural season in 2017-18, also known as The Misfits. Those two along, with Reilly Smith, Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb, and William Carrier, helped Vegas surprise the hockey world by winning their division and making a run to the Stanley Cup Final before they were defeated by the Washington Capitals in five games.

Karlsson finished the year with 14 goals, 39 assists, and 53 points in 82 games in the regular season, and 11 goals, 6 assists, and 17 points in 22 playoff games. He also had 43 goals, 35 assists, and 78 points in 82 games in the Golden Knights first season, so he wasn’t wrong by saying he was “pretty f***ing great” in year one.

This article first appeared on Daily Faceoff and was syndicated with permission.

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