Lee Orchard has donned 60-pound armor and a sword to portray the Vegas Golden Knights’ knight character in all 408 consecutive home games since the franchise’s inaugural 2017-18 season. The longtime recreational hockey player, Peterborough, England, native and Vegas resident since 2012 was even awarded a 2023 Stanley Cup championship ring for his efforts.
That’s already a heck of a day job, but Orchard’s talents also extend into the wee hours as DJ Britlee. The Weekly’s 2023 Best Local DJ honoree spins at numerous Valley venues, including the recently opened Vanderpump Hotel, and is a co-founder of the entertainment booking agency VBE Talent. We caught up with him just before he tuned in to watch England play in the early stages of the World Cup.
You’ve lived and worked as an entertainer in England, Spain and throughout the Mediterranean and Caribbean seas, where you served as a cruise ship director. How does Vegas compare?
It truly is the entertainment capital of the world, and one thing I’ve noticed is that it constantly evolves. If something doesn’t work, it gets changed, and I’ve always loved that about this city. As a DJ, emcee and presenter, I don’t think there would be as many opportunities anywhere else. If you have diverse talents, you can write your own story here.
This was your third time suiting up as the Golden Knight in a Stanley Cup series. Any thoughts on how the season ended?
We went up against a phenomenal team from Carolina for one of the best playoff series in many, many years—especially for a Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, we didn’t win, but this year was a little bit different, because nobody really thought we were going to get into the playoffs even a month out, to be honest.
You had an ice hockey background prior to getting the gig. How does a young lad from across the pond end up getting involved in the sport?
We had a local team called the Peterborough Pirates that was coached by a retired NHL ironman named Garry Unger. My dad also traveled to the U.S. for work a lot and kind of got into the hockey mind through the [Detroit] Red Wings. One time, he said to me, “The best guy in the world, [Wayne] Gretzky, just got traded!” That’s how I really started getting into it—the Gretzky trade from Edmonton to the [LA] Kings. I used to videotape games and watch them on grainy TVs in the U.K. in the late ’80s. Back then, I never thought that I would be here now—not just working for the team, but being in America.
The Golden Knight’s official bio says he was “plucked almost from obscurity based on his merits and special characteristics that allowed him to pull the ancient mythical sword from the stone.” How do you remember that happening?
Right place, right time, right experience. Plus, I had the accent for it. I remember meeting the initial VP of game day presentation, and he’s like, “Do you want to be a DJ?” I didn’t, but I told him I’d love to be the arena host if I wasn’t British. He wasn’t sure what difference that made. I said, look, if I went to see Manchester United play at Old Trafford, and an American came out on the microphone, I’d be like, really? We couldn’t get a British guy? The trail went quiet until about three weeks before the first preseason game, when [former VP of entertainment and production] Jonny Greco called me and said he had an idea—and that’s how the Golden Knight was born. The first year, there was a whole Reddit thread about my fake accent, and I may or may not have created a persona and joined the conversation: “He’s actually from Alabama!”
You spent almost nine years working at Medieval Times in Tenerife, Spain—as a knight and then a show director. What was that experience like, and how did it inform your approach to your VGK role?
It was very raw. You’d have 1,300 paying guests watching, but you don’t really get away with much spoken story because they spoke a number of different languages. So, a lot of it was about visual prompts and energy. And I think that’s helped me, because a lot of my work at games is also about hyping people up without a microphone.
You also regularly DJ at venues like the Flamingo Go Pool, M Resort’s DayDream pool, Park MGM, the F1 Paddock and Vanderpump lounges. How did that happen?
It was a hobby for many years before I moved to Vegas, where I got some opportunities to DJ some small events. There was never the intention of being a DJ. I wanted to work in event management and production, but it just became evident really quickly that I had a skill, and I should make the most of it.
What’s next?
What’s been achieved with the Golden Knights—not just me, but the actual team—I don’t think it’ll hit me until I stop doing it. I still find it surreal that people know who I am because of it. It all doesn’t make sense to me. I’m just Lee from Peterborough. It’s been a lot of fun, but I don’t know how much longer I’ve got left. I’d love to do 10 seasons. I think that would be a great number to go out on.
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