Golden Knights Forced to Change Lodging After San Jose Hotel Declares Bankruptcy

Plenty of professional athletes have been kicked out of hotels, but the Vegas Golden Knights might have the best excuse for scrambling to book accommodations.

While in San Jose for two games against the Sharks, the Knights were abruptly left without a place to stay when the Fairmont Hotel filed for bankruptcy. According to the Mercury News (via ESPN), the landmark building closed because of financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It expects to reopen in two or three months.

"It was a surreal experience," Golden Knights coach Peter DeBoer told the Las Vegas Sun's Justin Emerson. "Hopefully this is the end of the COVID year, but it was almost the topping on the cake for what the last year has been for everybody in the world. Just another thing thrown at you, another thing to deal with."

The Knights had to quickly pack up and leave following a 5-4 overtime victory Friday night.

But the problem will extend beyond Vegas, as ESPN noted, because of the Fairmont's status as the NHL's lodging option for visiting opponents. The St. Louis Blues were expected to check in Monday, but at least they'll have a bit more time to alter their plans than the Golden Knights did.