DENVER — The Vegas Golden Knights have officially entered their villain era.
At least, that’s the feeling inside one downtown Denver donut shop ahead of the Western Conference Final.
Inside Voodoo Doughnut on South Broadway sits a Golden Knights voodoo doll complete with pretzel “pins” for Avalanche fans to stab into it during the Western Conference Final.
WATCH | ‘Hexing’ the VGK? Denver donut shop leans into Vegas’ villain reputation for WCF
The display quickly became a hit this week as Avalanche fans poured into the downtown Denver shop before the series between the Avalanche and Golden Knights.
Then Vegas won Game 1.
Taylor Rocha of Channel 13 asked one worker how the “hex” was working after the Golden Knights beat Colorado 4-2 at Ball Arena.
“It didn’t,” he said. "It's a flawed system.”
Employees at the shop said they create similar displays for big sporting events in Denver, but this one felt especially fitting given the Golden Knights’ growing reputation around the NHL.
Vegas was recently named the NHL’s most hated team in a study conducted by Rotowire, which found 11 states identified the Golden Knights as their least favorite franchise.
And honestly, it’s not hard to see why.
The Golden Knights entered the NHL in 2017 and immediately disrupted hockey’s traditional power structure. Vegas reached the Stanley Cup Final in its inaugural season, won the Stanley Cup in 2023 and is now playing in its fifth Western Conference Final in just nine seasons.
The franchise has also developed a reputation for eliminating teams with championship expectations of their own.
Including Colorado.
Avalanche fans still remember the 2021 playoff series when Vegas dropped the first two games before storming back with four straight wins to eliminate the Avs.
Now the rivalry is back — along with a little superstition.
Workers at the donut shop described Avalanche fans as “world class,” and fans happily posed with the voodoo doll while sticking pretzels into it ahead of the series.
But through one game, the curse failed to slow Vegas down.
If the Golden Knights keep winning in Denver, the donut shop may need a few more pretzels.
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