NHL, Stars stand with Vegas before Golden Knights' debut

It was more than just the establishment of a hockey team. The NHL community stood in solidarity Friday as it extended its arms to a community suffering from heartbreak.

Before the Vegas Golden Knights’ first-ever game in Dallas, the Stars lined up behind their opponents – standing together with Vegas – as they paid tribute to those that lost their lives in the horrific terrorist attack in Las Vegas on Sunday.

The moment was accompanied by this video from the NHL, helping demonstrate that the unity shown on the ice Friday night extends to all corners of the league.

In addition to many lives lost in Sunday’s attack, the Stars had two of their own to honour before the game.

Promise Hamilton, a graphic designer who worked for the Stars and was killed when a car she was travelling in was struck by a drunk driver, was remembered for her kindness and compassion for others.

And of course, the Stars paid tribute to legendary NHL broadcaster Dave Strader, who was diagnosed with cancer last summer after his second season as the Stars’ play-by-play man. “The Voice” succumbed to the disease after a year-long battle on Sunday.

Daryl Reaugh, Strader’s partner in the Dallas broadcast booth, led the show on Fox Sports with this message: