While thousands of fans of the Winnipeg Jets cheered when their team took down the Vegas Golden Knights 7-3 on Tuesday, one Portage la Prairie kid was not as happy.

Eight-year-old Tucker Panko is a grade 3 student at Ecole Crescentview School and has been a big fan of the team since its inaugural season in 2017. Tucker's mom Kellee says his Auntie Cori became a fan first, traveled to Vegas to take in a game, and brought Tucker back some gear.

"He got a T shirt. He was appalled when he first got it, but it was the slippery material T shirt, and once he put it on, he refused to take it off. He slept in it, and every time I washed it, he immediately put it on," says Kellee. "He slowly got used to the idea of Vegas, and it turned into a passion, and now the kid is obsessed."

Tucker had started out being a Washington Capitals fan because the team wore red, but ever since he got the shirt, he was all in on Vegas. Tuesday's game was his second overall -- he had been in attendance when the Knights lost 4-0 to Winnipeg back on March 6th, 2020. The first goal scored by Vegas was assisted by Zach Whitecloud, who is from Sioux Valley First Nation, and was born in Brandon. Tucker loves watching the games live.

"It's very exciting and it's easier to see the players," says Tucker "I love seeing the Knights in-person because it's very rare for me to go a game."

Kellee says Tucker won't be at the rink on March 22nd, when the Knights are back in town, but odds are, he'll want to watch from the comfort of his own home.

"Every time they play, usually it doesn't even start until 9:00, so he usually starts begging the day before, (asking) if he can stay up and watch. 99% of time, we settle on one period, so he gets to watch the first," says Kellee. "He was so so so, so excited on this road trip because there were a couple games that started at 6:00 so he got to watch the entire game, because it finished before bed. He was so excited about that."

Regarding this year's squad, he says his favourite players are Jack Eichel, Max Pacioretty, and Brandon's Mark Stone. (Eichel was was traded to Vegas in the trade that sent Tucker's then-favourite player Alex Tuch to Buffalo, in a move that devastated him. Kellee notes her son used to hate being called 'Tuck', until he found out about the hockey player. For a short while after, he started signing his homework as 'Tuch'.) After the game, which was the fifth loss in a row for Vegas, Tucker was not optimistic about their postseason chances.

"(They're playing) OK. I don't think they're gonna make the playoffs," says Tucker. "They're in a bit of a dip right now. First, they need to get the power play up."