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Tattoo you: Golden Knights fans seal their connection to the team with ink

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Las Vegan Kyle Barber gets a free Vegas Golden Knights logo tattoo from Revolt Tattoo artist Kappa prior to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals in May.
Photo: Yasmina Chavez

As Golden Knights’ fever swept through the Las Vegas Valley last season, many diehard fans opted to permanently commemorate the moment on their bodies. Joey Hamilton, and other artists from his local shop Revolt Tattoos, offered free VGK tattoos outside T-Mobile Arena prior to playoff games, and fans lined up by the dozens to get the team logo inked onto their skin.

“A lot of people get tattoos to mark a point in time of their life,” says Hamilton, who has been in the tattoo business for 16 years and won Season 3 of the reality TV show Ink Master.

Hamilton says his team gave out between 300 and 400 free tattoos throughout the memorable playoff run. Many fans called ahead to find out what time the artists would arrive, so they secure prime spots in line. The trend has also spread to Hamilton’s shop on Paradise Road, where customers are regularly requesting them. Revolt utilizes a 6-by-12-foot projection screen, on which Hamilton shows Golden Knights games so fans can watch their team while Hamilton works the needle.

Many of the Golden Knights-inspired tattoos also have a connection to the tragic October 1, 2017 shooting at the Route 91 Harvest festival—including the #VegasStrong moniker, the date or the logo from the festival.

“I’ve tattooed police officers with the Golden Knights logo, many of whom were there that night,” Hamilton says. “I feel like it helps. It’s not just about the team. It’s about our community.”

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