In the midst of a two-game game against the Sharks, the Golden Knights of Vegas had to go and change hotels in San Jose because the league’s designated place suddenly went bankrupt, according to several reports.
Citing financial difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fairmont Hotel, a landmark in downtown San Jose, closed its doors, but said it would reopen and resume operations in two to three months, according to the San Jose Mercury News .
This puts a bit into the NHL’s plans to host visiting teams in San Jose, and the Golden Knights, not long after they won an additional 5-4 hours at the Sharks on Friday night, had to pack up and -changes accommodation.
“It was a surreal experience,” Golden Knights coach Pete DeBoer told Las Vegas Sun. “Hopefully this is the end of COVID, but it was almost the topping on the cake for what was last year for everyone in the world. Just another thing thrown at you, another thing to deal with.
“Not that we put him in the same breath as the COVID treatment, but it was just one of those things we threw at ourselves, we did.”
Max Pacioretty scored the game’s second goal in overtime on Friday, leading the Golden Knights to victory, which led to Vegas’ five-goal victory. But the enthusiasm was interrupted not long after the goal.
“This is a premiere for everyone on our team,” said defender Nick Holden of Vegas.
The Golden Knights will take the Sharks on Saturday night to close the set back-to-back before traveling to Minnesota to meet with Wild.
But the problem of accommodation will remain in San Jose. Fairmont was the destination of all shark opponents and, with St. Louis Blues heading to San Jose on Monday, a new hotel strategy will have to be worked out by the league.
Mercury News reported that Fairmont, an 805-room hotel, is trying to find a leading partner and expand its existing mortgage debt. The newspaper also reported that the total debt of the hotel is between 100 and 500 million dollars.