The NHL has awarded an expansion franchise to Las Vegas, giving the Nevada city its first ever major league sports team.
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“Las Vegas seems to have a lot of things going for (it), from the brand new arena to not having any major league sports there to an appetite to strongly acquire a major league sport”.
Incidentally, the team-run website changed its URL from VegasWantsHockey.com to VegasIsHockey.com after the official announcement was made.
As much as T-Mobile Arena has all the earmarks of a Vegas-specific venue, its seating bowl is very much set up for hockey. Foley has already accepted more than 14,000 season ticket deposits and sold out all 44 suites in the rink. The leagues alignment and playoff format wont change.With almost 2.2 million people in the last census, Las Vegas is the largest population center in the USA without a team in the major professional sports. That company, which established its offices in Las Vegas, has not yet made any acquisitions.
The approval of the Las Vegas franchise comes two days prior to the one-year anniversary of the National Hockey League announcing the Board of Governors authorized a formal expansion process. Foley said the team will focus on community and charitable initiatives, as well as educating fans about hockey.
When it comes to the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Vegas will be given the same odds as the team that finishes with the third fewest points during the 2016-17 regular season – to avoid any issues with them being given the best odds in the lottery.
The deadline for the Las Vegas franchise to submit its selections is 5 p.m. ET on June 20, 2017.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, right, and Bill Foley attend a news conference Wednesday, June 22, 2016, in Las Vegas. While upsetting to Canadians that yet another franchise heads to the Southern United States, take comfort in knowing that your time is soon coming to expand to eight franchises.
The franchise is expected to begin play in the 2017-18 season.
“On behalf of Las Vegas Founding 75, our 14,000 season-ticket holders and the entire Las Vegas community, I would like to thank Commissioner Bettman, the National Hockey League staff and the team owners for their support during this process and the confidence they have placed in Las Vegas by awarding this franchise. We lost the Nordiques once, we don’t want to lose them twice”.
“The NHL, I think, likes the Quebecor application”.
The real question here is, who is going to watch hockey and can the new Vegas team (which might be named the Black Knights) sustain an actual fan base? The league would have to redraw the Western-Eastern border again, and that would certainly not sit well for certain teams on the bubble.
Canada’s seven NHL teams earn ticket and concession revenue in Canadian dollars while salaries, which account for half of the league’s hockey-related revenue, are paid in US dollars. The last time the league added teams – Columbus and Minnesota in 2000 – the expansion fees were about $80 million each. These components, the ones within the control of the Quebec City applicant, are first-rate. Despite construction finishing on a new arena in Quebec City, Las Vegas will become the league’s 31st team.
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Here is the link to the Associated Press story from today.
