NHL Expansion to Vegas - Official

[Thomas]

You can't really get much more money from a nationial tv deal from Canada while they is plenty of upside in the States. Plus there are no options in Canada that would naturally slide into the 14 team Western Conference.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

There has been no formal announcement, but formality seems to be all that is left. The team colors have been chosen (black, gray and gold), our team doesn't have a name yet, but it appears that we are about to become a pro sports town - at long last. After so many false starts and unkept promises, this may be finally about to come to fruition.

 

NHL Seems Likely to Boldly Expand to Las Vegas Strip

Edited June 27, 2015 by Vegas Halo Fan

[halobob]

It'll be Seattle and Vegas, it makes too much sense for both.  

[gotbeer]

There has been no formal announcement, but formality seems to be all that is left. The team colors have been chosen (black, gray and gold), our team doesn't have a name yet, but it appears that we are about to become a pro sports town - at long last. After so many false starts and unkept promises, this may be finally about to come to fruition.

 

NHL Seems Likely to Boldly Expand to Las Vegas Strip

 

The way they are talking.  It sure does sound like Vegas is a sure thing.  Heck, I think the owners or the NHL brass already took a tour of the new stadium.  

 

The other site though, is still up in the air.  Seattle has the lead.  But the stadium is the big thing that may hold it up for them.  It does make so much sense to put it in Seattle though.  

 

One thing that sucks though is the franchise fee.  $500 million sounds a bit too high.  Considering, Forbes has the Capitals at $500 million valuation and they are #11.  Ducks are at $365 million.  A team like the Blues are at $235 million.  

[Thomas]

The way they are talking.  It sure does sound like Vegas is a sure thing.  Heck, I think the owners or the NHL brass already took a tour of the new stadium.  

 

The other site though, is still up in the air.  Seattle has the lead.  But the stadium is the big thing that may hold it up for them.  It does make so much sense to put it in Seattle though.  

 

One thing that sucks though is the franchise fee.  $500 million sounds a bit too high.  Considering, Forbes has the Capitals at $500 million valuation and they are #11.  Ducks are at $365 million.  A team like the Blues are at $235 million.  

 

I think they pricing the expansion team as they would for one in Toronto, Quebec etc. But I don't see how Vegas could ever hope to overcome the initial cost unless this team is purely a vanity project for an owner.

[Tank]

mike richards could be the new captain for the vegas team.

 

 

 

 

too soon?

[Thomas]

Richards in Vegas. That'd go well.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

I think they pricing the expansion team as they would for one in Toronto, Quebec etc. But I don't see how Vegas could ever hope to overcome the initial cost unless this team is purely a vanity project for an owner.

 

I don't believe that this guy is hurting for money. It has also been said that he prefers building from the ground up rather than taking on an existing franchise with potentially years of negative baggage to overcome. I'm sure that the team will take their lumps early on, but if the right people are in place it could be a fun ride.

 

I'm just trying to imagine the atmosphere in town if we were in the Stanley Cup finals.

Edited June 30, 2015 by Vegas Halo Fan

[gotbeer]

I don't believe that this guy is hurting for money. It has also been said that he prefers building from the ground up rather than taking on an existing franchise with potentially years of negative baggage to overcome. I'm sure that the team will take their lumps early on, but if the right people are in place it could be a fun ride.

 

I'm just trying to imagine the atmosphere in town if we were in the Stanley Cup finals.

 

Took the Ducks 10 years from scratch to get to the Stanley Cup and 14 to win it.  But the first few years, even though they were losing was a bunch of fun, since there was the new car smell to it.  

[Vegas Halo Fan]

This city has never had our own team in anything other than arena football. Will be interesting to see the reaction. I just hope that the team isn't totally dreadful for several years.

[gotbeer]

This city has never had our own team in anything other than arena football. Will be interesting to see the reaction. I just hope that the team isn't totally dreadful for several years.

 

It will be.  Hopefully you will bring in good hockey guys.  The owner already seems like a plus.  But once his money is starting to get spent, and if he starts meddling and thinking he knows more than the scouts and management, then you could be in trouble.  Hopefully he's like the Ducks owner, and is more interested in using the game as a distraction from his real work, and letting the hockey people run it.  

[nando714]

This city has never had our own team in anything other than arena football. Will be interesting to see the reaction. I just hope that the team isn't totally dreadful for several years.

Liar!

[Vegas Halo Fan]

How could I ever forget the XFL? Oh, wait...or the two-time UFL champion Las Vegas Locomotives?

 

The NHL has officially opened the expansion process.

 

A defining day in Las Vegas sports history

[gotbeer]

Oh wow.  Sounds like a rumor, maybe to get the city of Phoenix or Glendale to ante up.  But it could also be possible.  One of those smoke and mirror things.  But seems highly highly unlikely.  Look at it this way.  If Phoenix moves to Vegas, then Seattle and Toronto get the big new franchises.  That means 3 new areas instead of 2.  Again, highly highly unlikely, but where there is smoke...

 

Report: The Coyotes are moving to Vegas in 2016-17

 

..

NHL, Coyotes vehemently deny report team is moving to Las Vegas

Edited July 1, 2015 by gotbeer

[Pujols4MVP]

The only new Canadian expansion team that could be in the western conference is if one were located in the city of Regina in the state Saskatchewan.

Toronto doesn't need another team, they should consider Halifax, Nova Scotia or St. Johns, Newfoundland.

 

Giving Toronto another team would be like giving LA another NBA team.

[Gavin]

Has anyone been to Vegas recently? They have nutlike billboards on the 15 saying something like "bring hockey to Vegas". Vegas is putting the full court press on getting a team there.

[halobob]

Vegas is getting a team, they aren't spending all that money building a hockey arena right now to not get a team.  

[Vegas Halo Fan]

It will be.  Hopefully you will bring in good hockey guys.  The owner already seems like a plus.  But once his money is starting to get spent, and if he starts meddling and thinking he knows more than the scouts and management, then you could be in trouble.  Hopefully he's like the Ducks owner, and is more interested in using the game as a distraction from his real work, and letting the hockey people run it.  

 

I haven't gotten much of a read on the new owner in terms of how involved - if at all - he might be in player acquisitions. Like you said, I hope that he doesn't go Steinbrenner/Moreno on us and decide that he knows better than the GM or the coach who they need to bring in, or sign a player who was once a big name but is declining to a big money contract just for publicity.

[gotbeer]

VHF, I passed the stadium while in Vegas.  It's really looking nice.  At least from the freeway.  They've pretty much enclosed it now, so must be close to finished on the inside.  

 

Hopefully the bidding process is just a formality for Foley.  For the other cities, it might be more of a problem in their bids.  I just don't see the effort put in elsewhere, that Foley has put in.  

[Vegas Halo Fan]

The only new Canadian expansion team that could be in the western conference is if one were located in the city of Regina in the state Saskatchewan.

Toronto doesn't need another team, they should consider Halifax, Nova Scotia or St. Johns, Newfoundland.

 

St. John's is a place I know a little about. Simply put, the size of the city and the local economy would not support an NHL franchise. St. John's has a total population of just over 211,000 people, and there are no other population centers of significance nearby. The population of the entire province is estimated to be about 526,000 people, and this includes those living on the mainland in Labrador.

 

While Newfoundlanders certainly love hockey, logistically it wouldn't work in St. John's at the professional level. 

Edited July 18, 2015 by Vegas Halo Fan

[nate]

St Johns is also in the Atlantic time zone which would be a problem I think.  Very sparsely populated area.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

St Johns is also in the Atlantic time zone which would be a problem I think.  Very sparsely populated area.

 

Actually St. John's is in the Newfoundland Time Zone, which is 30 minutes earlier than Atlantic.

[Pujols4MVP]

What about Halifax, Nova Scotia ?  Halifax according to Wikipedia has more people than the city of Anaheim.

Their province has more people than Manitoba which has a NHL team already in Winnipeg.

Would still be a small market but they would sell out every game & people across the whole Nova Scotian province would buy Jerseys, watch games etc.

They are proud of their province.

[nate]

Wait, what?  I have a friend that lives in St John New Brunswick and it is Atlantic.

[gotbeer]

Las Vegas, Quebec City groups submit applications for NHL expansion

 

Guess, the other cities couldn't get a group together and get their stadium in order.