Call it the "Vegas Effect"
Once the Vegas Golden Knights rolled out the "let's get ready to rumble" guy Michal Buffer to handle team intros for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Washington Capitals were on-the-clock to trick-it-up once the series shifted back to our nation's capital.
The decision to have longtime "Wheel Of Fortune" host Paj Sajak seemed like a head-scratcher until you realize he's been a long (suffering) Capitals season ticket holder for 13 seasons.
Obviously, as an NHL PA Announcer, I'm slightly biased and not a huge fan of this new precedent. I do, however, understand the importance of spectacle, and more talking (and clicking) about the NHL, I'm just not sure if this is the way to go about it. I'm also not sure anyone is more qualified to handle team intros than longtime Capitals PA Announcer Wes Johnson. Johnson is a successful character actor who's appeared in TV shows like "The Wire" and "Veep" as well as numerous voice acting roles. Ultimately, it's just one game as Johnson will resume full duties in Game 4.
Thankfully, Sajak didn't do the intros one letter at a time.