NHL team in Vegas

[mexi cali]

I love Vegas. I have family there and I love the casinos and the atmosphere. I love the lights and energy and the booze and the gambling and the desert and the booze. Ooops. I think I said that already. I won't love the hockey though because Vegas, in my opinion, won't love the hockey the way Canada loves hockey.

Hockey is not going to be embraced there like hockey should be embraced. The folks that go will go because it is a place to be seen and to socialize and to text and hang out in the concourse and probably play the slots. It is Vegas after all.

As long as Bettman is in charge, the likelihood of any deserving Canadian town getting a team is practically nil.

Our game is slowly becoming their game.

And the fact that NO CANADIAN TEAM made the playoffs this year does zero to help make a case.

The US market and dollar are simply too strong for us to fight and hockey, like any pro sport is a business.

[GordonH]

Hopefully Vegas franchise fails miserably & takes Gary down with it.

[Poindexter]

Think the players will be happier than the fans about Vegas. I know I'd be lobbying to have it added to my conference.

[occasional thoughts]

It could be that Mr. Bettman is saving the QC people the $500 million USD entry fee because he knows a team will move there in short order.

Edited to add . . .

So why not let a foundering team relocate to Las Vegas for the same reason? Probably because no current team would go there voluntarily, so the NHL has to award a franchise.

[GordonH]

It could be that Mr. Bettman is saving the QC people the $500 million USD entry fee because he knows a team will move there in short order.

Edited to add . . .

So why not let a foundering team relocate to Las Vegas for the same reason? Probably because no current team would go there voluntarily, so the NHL has to award a franchise.

500 million would be from owner of team wanting to expand, since taxpayers have already paid to have arena built in Quebec City.

[JayByrd]

Las Vegas had 14,000 season ticket deposits before they had a team or even an arena. They also have an owner who was willing to write that $500 million cheque, which incidentally has cleared :) Don't underestimate how much that means.

Someone asked about minor professional hockey in Kelowna. I don't think that will ever happen.

[GordonH]

Las Vegas had 14,000 season ticket deposits before they had a team or even an arena. They also have an owner who was willing to write that $500 million cheque, which incidentally has cleared :) Don't underestimate how much that means.

Someone asked about minor professional hockey in Kelowna. I don't think that will ever happen.

For first few seasons everything will be fine in Vegas, it's season 4 & onward is were the wheels may come off (novelty wears out).

[JayByrd]

For first few seasons everything will be fine in Vegas, it's season 4 & onward is were the wheels may come off (novelty wears out).

The same was said about Anaheim, Nashville, Tampa, Dallas...

[JayByrd]

Hopefully Vegas franchise fails miserably & takes Gary down with it.

If the struggle of other franchises, along with X number of labour stoppages, hasn't cost him his job, nothing will. The BoG seems happy with the job he's doing. They'd also prefer for you to continue hating him, and not the league and member franchises who employ him.

[GordonH]

Hopefully Vegas franchise fails miserably & takes Gary down with it.

If the struggle of other franchises, along with X number of labour stoppages, hasn't cost him his job, nothing will. The BoG seems happy with the job he's doing. They'd also prefer for you to continue hating him, and not the league and member franchises who employ him.

I've done my part by stop attending NHL games & rarely if at all watching games on TV. Moved over to local teams

[Straight Shooter]

What I'm most worried about a NHL team in Las Vegas is that suddenly the city is going to gain around 20 or more millionaire hockey players and their families as well as hundreds of visiting team players who also have plenty of money and the desire to drink and gamble. If you have read either of the Jeremy Roenick or Theo Fleury books gambling was one of the demons that these players struggled with and almost ruined and in Fleury's case did destroy his marriage. It's not called Sin City for nothing and I despise Gerry Bettman for pushing this expansion dreams because he wanted to create his own legacy as being the first leader of a major professional sports league to establish a team in that city. Public opinion of Bettman shows up everytime that his name is announced and it was noticeably heard this past week during the NHL Draft in Buffalo that the sound of boo's followed those announcements.

[GordonH]

Bumped

Golden Knights big day is coming, NHL expansion draft June 21. To see who other 30 teams protected & who they did not.
Those unprotected players are up for grabs by Las Vegas Golden Knights

Then shorty after this is NHL entry draft.

[the truth]

looking forward to it, they just might end up putting a good team together

[Bsuds]

looking forward to it, they just might end up putting a good team together

I wonder if they will have enough people to go to the games to support them.

[the truth]

imo the first year maybe , just because it will be the it thing to do, the hotels bought thousands of tickets that they will be giving out for free to hotel guests, that might get *bleep* in the seats, but people do not go to vegas to watch a hockey game , unless your home team is in town, i think the empty seats sooner than later will make the nhl-bettman-- look really bad on this one