NY Islanders legend Billy Smith could share a distinction with seven Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights blew out the Dallas Stars 6-0 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals on Monday night to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time since entering the National Hockey League for the 2017-18 season.

Vegas remarkably made the Stanley Cup Final in their first season, losing to Barry Trotz and the Washington Capitals in five games. Now they get a second chance at Lord Stanley and a second chance at becoming the quickest expansion franchise in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup.

The New York Islanders were quick to win the cup, but the not fastest.

The 1973-74 Philadelphia Flyers own the record, accomplishing the feat in their seventh NHL season. There were four players on that team that the team selected in the 1967 expansion. Among the selections were steady defensemen Joe Watson and Ed Van Impe, along with winger Gary Dornhoefer. The most impactful expansion selection was goaltender Bernie Parent, who was left unprotected by the Boston Bruins. Parent went on to a Hall-of-Fame career in Philly.

Meanwhile, the Islanders dynasty didn't start until their eighth season in the league. Billy Smith was actually the second goaltender the team picked in the 1972 expansion draft (Gerry Desjardins was the first from the Chicago Blackhawks). Coming from the Los Angeles Kings, Smith was part of a goalie tandem throughout much of his Islanders career, but 'Smitty' was always the man between the pipes come playoff time as the team won four straight Stanley Cups. The hockey hall-of-famer won the Vezina Trophy in 1982 and was awared the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1983.

Now, players on the Golden Knights have a chance to join Smith and the four Flyers as the only players to win a Stanley Cup with the team that selected them in the expansion draft.

Per VegasHockeyNow, if the Golden Knights win the Cup, they will have done it with seven players on the roster that they took at their expansion draft. The lucky seven include William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith, Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb, William Carrier, and Zach Whitecloud.

Relocation is probable to happen again in the NHL, but we don't know with expansion, so this could be the last and best chance for players to be added to this short list of expansion players to win a Cup.