As an expansion team, the Vegas Golden Knights need to do some legwork to drum up some rivalries.
Granted, Nashville Predators fans (or at least GM David Poile) might grumble when the Golden Knights roll out James Neal. But for the most part, Vegas has some work to do, especially if they struggle like just about every expansion team has in sports history.
They say that you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer, so regional and divisional rivals stand as natural adversaries.
Now, it’s understandable if you dismiss a Twitter battle as a ... well, nerd war. But the Los Angeles Kings and Golden Knights at least provided a deliciously salty one on Wednesday.
It began with a little pre-season scoreboarding by the Kings:
LA Kings score 5 times (FIVE TIMES) in the 3rd@GoldenKnights all-time win percentage = .000
— LA Kings (@LAKings) September 13, 2017
Game 2: 1pm tomorrow @ToyotaSportsCtr @fuboTV pic.twitter.com/BK2fAJMi3I
The Golden Knights didn’t take too kindly with that, even claiming that the Kings’ Twitter feed has regressed.
Two Stanley Cups in the last five years and once regarded as the best Twitter account in the league, and now....¯\_(ツ)_/¯ https://t.co/MG0822rhon
— 🏆 - Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) September 13, 2017
That was just the beginning, as the Kings may or may not have evoked the Spice Girls in response:
*googles Vegas Golden Knights* pic.twitter.com/KMW1pgPVGq
— LA Kings (@LAKings) September 13, 2017
After holding all those cards in the expansion draft and enjoying a clean slate salary-cap wise, the Golden Knights provided a pretty good comeback:
We think if @LAKings spent as much time focusing on the salary cap as they did worrying about us, they'd have far fewer problems🙄 https://t.co/fEqgQBc1Fb
— 🏆 - Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) September 13, 2017
Here’s hoping the on-ice rivalry develops at the same rate as this online one is developing. It almost feels like the NHL equivalent of that Roman Reigns - John Cena “worked shoot.”
Update: These two will probably continue to trade barbs.
I know this phrase gets thrown around a lot but when it comes to having chill, @LAKings literally has none. pic.twitter.com/TavjnYPnF9
— The Royal Half (@theroyalhalf) September 13, 2017