NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman speaks at a news conference before the 2015 NHL Awards on Wednesday, June 24, 2015, at MGM Grand. The league is opening a formal expansion review process to consider adding franchises to its 30-team league, Bettman announced Wednesday.
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I wanted to write about why putting a team in Las Vegas would be a smart move for the National Hockey League.
I’m desperate to tell you it’s a good idea and hockey will thrive here. And, don’t get me wrong, this native Las Vegan is thrilled about Wednesday’s news that the league is accepting expansion-franchise applications and we are believed to be the leader on a short list to join the exclusive hockey-town fraternity. But ...
I’m still not sold hockey will work in our desert. I’m afraid we’ll be the next Phoenix, where hockey has failed miserably and the franchise is close to leaving. If it fails here, it would be a black eye on our city.
Hockey has worked in some nontraditional markets — San Jose and Dallas, for instance — but there’s no guarantee it will pop here despite the ownership group seeking a franchise securing about 13,000 season-ticket deposits in a campaign to show NHL decision-makers our city is serious about hockey.
It’s just that we’re not a hockey town. Plain and simple.
When the league announced it was coming back to Winnipeg in 2011, tickets sold out in a matter of minutes. Here, it took months to nudge our way to more than the target of 10,000, which in all fairness, doesn’t include casinos, which will surely purchase tickets for high-rollers. And in Winnipeg, they had to cap the season-ticket waiting list at 8,000.
“Based on the drive he conducted, on the surface, it looks like there’s a tremendous amount of interest here,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said of Bill Foley, the billionaire who leads the ownership group. “It’s not surprising, but I know there were people who were skeptical.”
I’m guilty as charged of skepticism.
We have a small and loyal group of hockey fans, but probably not enough support to regularly fill the MGM/AEG Arena behind New York-New York where the team will play. Once the novelty of the franchise wears off, it will be tough for the franchise to be sustainable if the team isn’t winning.
In Las Vegas, as I’ve seen in nearly four decades of going to sporting events, we only support winners. Our support will be solid, especially in the first season, but it won’t be fanatical like in Detroit or Toronto.
Becoming familiar with the sport, which is paramount in supporting it, won’t happen overnight. And we are painfully behind in our hockey knowledge.
Our youth hockey system consists of a few teams and inadequate facilities. I took my family “ice skating” last December near Container Park in downtown, but we lasted just a few minutes because of poor conditions. It wasn’t ice we attempted to skate on that evening. Rather, the surface resembled vinyl flooring in our kitchen.
Most Las Vegas children aren’t familiar with the sport’s rules, history or traditions. They don’t appreciate it like children growing up in Canada or other hockey cities.
They can identify with players such as LeBron James or Kobe Bryant in basketball, Peyton Manning in football or Bryce Harper in baseball. I’m doubting most can name five NHL players.
Las Vegas is on the short list for consideration, along with Seattle and Quebec City. It would be our first major professional team, instantly enhancing our city’s status. Cities that matter — New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philly — have sports teams. They also have elite medical facilities, education opportunities, and other amenities such as entertainment and technology advancement. I believe we have that here, too.
“This is a city that has national and international prominence,” Bettman said.
Don’t get me wrong: Wednesday was a milestone day in our city’s history, one I’m privileged to document. If all indications are accurate and an expansion team is awarded, let’s hope Foley and his group do it right and make it a success.
Las Vegas is one of the world’s best cities, known for its great entertainment. Here’s hoping Foley continues that tradition.
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21
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