Fans watching the Stanley Cup Finals may see a curious humanoid reptile darting in and out of the seats at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena.
That would be "Chance," a Gila monster who debuted as the Golden Knights' official mascot in their inaugural 2017 season. At first glance, Chance may seem out of place as the Panthers take on Vegas on the road: He has no obvious connection to the franchise's Golden Knights nickname.
But then, it's not uncommon for teams to feature mascots that aren't directly tied to their team name. Just look at the Chiefs' KC Wolf and Commanders' Major Tuddy. And the decision to portray Chance as a reptile even pays homage to the Knights' location in Las Vegas and, more aptly, the state of Nevada.
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Here's everything you need to know about Chance and the animal that directly inspired his design and backstory:
What is the Golden Knights' mascot?
According to an April 2018 report by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the person behind the Chance mascot is Clint McComb, who has played several mascots over 18 years. That includes various jobs for the Arizona State Sun Devils, Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams.
McComb told the Review-Journal that the mascot's background and overall design had been settled on by the time he decided to portray it. He still was able to have some say in the final design, and even suggested Chance as the mascot's name.
The Knights first introduced Chance at their second home game on Oct. 13, 2017; their first home game, on Oct. 10, was an occasion to honor the victims of a mass shooting that occurred on the Las Vegas Strip on Oct. 1.
Introducing the Golden Knights mascot, CHANCE! pic.twitter.com/2VCu9H93Mu
— z - Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 14, 2017
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The Knights offered this backstory when announcing Chance as their mascot:
Most Gila monsters live in seclusion their whole lives and have little interaction with the outside world. However, when Chance learned that major professional hockey was coming to Las Vegas he became energized.
He emerged from his underground burrow at Red Rock Canyon and made his way to City National Arena in Summerlin to see what all the excitement was about. Once there, he learned how welcoming the hockey community is. Despite being shy and not knowing anyone at the rink, he was invited to come onto the ice and skate. Like many newcomers to the sport, he fell in love with hockey and the Golden Knights.
The same release also said Chance "represents the inclusive culture of hockey." That said, his introduction was met with widespread criticism, prompting the Knights to poke fun at the backlash with a variation of a "mean tweets" segment:
Why is the Golden Knights mascot a Gila monster?
The Golden Knights chose Chance to be a Gila monster — as opposed to a knight — as an ode to Nevada's ecosystem. As noted by NHL.com, desert is the dominant biome in Nevada, and also serves as the ideal habitat for the Gila monster.
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What is a Gila monster?
Chance is modeled after the Gila (pronounced HEE-la) monster. It's one of only two venomous lizards in North America, the other being the Mexican beaded lizard.
The Gila monster is the largest North American lizard north of the Mexican border, with skin that has yellow-to-pink splotches on a black surface (Chance's coloration has been changed to match the Golden Knights' official colors).
They inhabit the Southwest United States and Mexico, including Sonora, Arizona, parts of California, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico. Their natural climates are deserts but also include scrubland and oak woodland.
Gila monsters have a painful, toxic bite. That said, no human fatalities have been reported since at least 1930: good news for any opposing fans who may happen to run into Chance at home games.
