NHL Franchise Coming to Las Vegas?
Las Vegas appears to be a serious contender to land an NHL expansion team. This would mark the first professional team in Las Vegas.
Beyond the potential conflict of interest with the epicenter of gambling, there remains a significant question about long term fanbase support. Las Vegas is a mecca for people from all walks of life and interests.
Color me skeptical on this one. I would think that Seattle is a stronger contender.
The Las Vegas Sun raises questions about the season ticket drive being lead by Bill Foley:
The group on Feb. 10 launched a season ticket deposit drive with aspirations of securing deposits for 10,000 tickets, believing that figure would show NHL officials the area would support a team. While it’s widely believed deposits accounting for more than 10,000 season tickets have been received, the group still hasn’t confirmed they’ve cleared that plateau. For other milestones, such as 8,000 deposits in less than one month, a press release was issued.
An arena is definitely being built that could host NBA or NHL teams. ESPN considers the possibilities:
Still, the promise of being the first major league sports team in this town is something — something to call their own, something to get behind and embrace, and they hope such a day is coming.
Certainly, amid the cacophony of sight and sound that is the Las Vegas Strip, among the endless neon and constant motion and commotion of this city that knows nothing of “Last call” or “Time to go home,” you’d be hard-pressed to find one little sign saying: “Welcome, National Hockey League.” Not yet, anyway.
But other signs indicate that such a welcome is being prepared. In a town not known for subtlety, some of those signs are big and bold, such as the massive construction project at one end of the famous Strip, across the street from the Monte Carlo casino and next door to New York-New York resort extending from Las Vegas Boulevard to Frank Sinatra Drive.
Workers and cranes and cement mixers swarm the location of the Las Vegas Arena as the $350 million state-of-the-art arena/event venue slowly takes shape, heading toward its expected opening in the spring of 2016. The arena is located near major freeway access, theoretically attractive to local residents who aren’t interested in the Strip, while at the same time providing easy walking or public transit access for visitors.
The 20,000-seat facility will host boxing, UFC, other sporting events, top entertainers and awards shows. It’s expected the arena will host 100 total events annually, even without an anchor tenant such as an NHL or NBA team, although the NHL is seen as the league most likely to make the move to Las Vegas, given the league’s overall franchise health. Multiple locker room facilities, dressing rooms and modern broadcast facilities that would meet the specifications of NHL broadcasters will be part of the building plan. The arena is being built with an understanding of the local marketplace. Whereas Staples Center in Los Angeles, home to the defending Stanley Cup champion Kings, has 150 suites that have been sold out since the building opened, the Las Vegas venue will have about a quarter that number because the corporate presence is not as strong in the city.
Image courtesy of Moyan Breen.
