The Vegas Golden Knights are currently the sporting story of year and majority owner William (Bill) Foley has a passionate Kiwi connection.
In their inaugural NHL season, Vegas have defied the odds and will now face the Washington Capitals for the Stanley Cup in a best-of-seven series.
Foley, 73, played hockey as a youngster in Canada and always wanted to be involved in a hockey franchise.
But before the concept of the Golden Knights arose, Foley invested in the New Zealand wine industry, owning wineries in central Otago and Marlborough.
In fact, one of his Vavasour sauvignons blancs - which he sells at Vegas home games - was recently voted best in the world by Decanter magazine.
But right now, Foley's focus is on the Golden Knights, which are on the brink of North American sporting history, as they look to win the Cup in their first season.
Speaking to Mark Sainsbury on RadioLIVE, Foley talked about a dream that he was on the cusp of achieving much earlier than anticipated.
"I told everyone that I thought we would make the playoffs in three years, make a run for the cup in five years and win it in six," he told Sainsbury. "I was laughed at.
"So imagine what is going now because the team has played so well, the team has jelled so well together, they feel like a part of the community in Las Vegas and it is exciting.
"It is like the Ivory Coast playing the All Blacks for the World Cup."
Just under a year ago, nobody was predicting big things for the Nevada state side, which were expected to finish towards the bottom of the standings.
But some smart trades and intelligent picks in the expansion draft have helped propel the team to success.
The players and franchise were also motivated for success by the unfortunate incident that occurred at the start of October. Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd of music lovers on the Las Vegas strip, leaving 58 people dead and more than 800 injured.
Foley said the incident hurt the community and the grieving rallied around the team.
As a tribute, the number 58 was retired by the team to pay homage to the ones who passed.
"That massacre on October 1 was a massive shock to everyone and we immediately made our opening home game a tribute to the 58 people who were killed.
"Deryk Engelland [who is from Vegas] gave a speech that lasted 58 seconds and from that moment, our team became embedded in the town and the town came embedded in the team."
Now they are four wins away from lifting the cup and they hold home ice against the Capitals, who are also hunting for their first Cup.
Foley compared his players to the All Blacks, who are regarded as one of the best sporting teams in the world.
"People who play hockey are warriors - they are selfless, so they are all about the team.
"They are like the All Blacks - they are all about the team, they put themselves behind the goals of the organisation and the goals of the franchise.
"They are a good bunch of guys. I have breakfast and lunch with them most days, I have gotten to know many of them very well and it's a pleasure."
If all goes to plan, Foley could be writing off heaps of Kiwi wine and celebrating one of the all-time great sporting success stories.
Newshub.
