The Las Vegas Golden Knights flag on top of Mount Ararat, with Masis in the background

BY ADROUSHAN ANDY ARMENIAN

The Las Vegas Golden Knights hockey team flag made it to the top of Mount Ararat on August 21, 2019 in anticipation of the team winning the Stanley Cup.

My friend, Levon Gulbenkian, who is a staunch supporter of the Golden Knights hockey team, had asked me to carry the flag to the top of Mount Ararat during our four-day trek. On the morning of August 21, along with my daughters Hera and Carnie, we first raised the Armenian tricolor flag, followed by the Golden Knights flag.

It was historic moment in time for the Las Vegas Golden Knights; The team was established in 2017, and within six years they were able to become the best hockey team and win the Stanley Cup.

The flag that made it to the top of Mount Ararat was presented as a gift to the “Kalavan Time Land Center,” located in the village of Kalavan, Armenia.

I was fortunate enough to be in Kalavan for the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the “Kalavan Time Land Center,” which is an education and tourism center financed by private donors, specifically the USAID, the Russian Federation, and the United Nations Development Program.

My friend, Robert Ghukasyan, the driving force to get the funding and see the project to its completion, spearheaded the Kalavan Time Land Center project to develop ecotourism in the region. Ghukasyan currently serves as the Governor for the Syunik Province in Armenia, bordering with Iran and Azerbaijan.

We hope that the 2023 Stanley Cup winning team flag, that made it to the top of Mount Ararat and is currently in the Village of Kalavan, will have a magical effect and lead to another victory, this time for Syunik and Armenia.

Adroushan Andy Armenian is the former Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia in Las Vegas and a proud supporter of the Las Vegas Golden Knights Hockey Team.