The Nevada Newbie: NHL expands to Las Vegas
On June 22, the NHL officially announced that starting in the fall of the 2017-2018 season there will be 31 teams in the league. This team, currently unnamed, will be playing in Las Vegas. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says, “We think this is a tremendous opportunity, not only for Las Vegas, but for the league as well.”
Bill Foley, the billionaire and businessman behind the Vegas expansion as well as the new team’s owner says, "Our great sports town now has a major league franchise, the NHL… It's the best of the leagues. It's a legendary league. Las Vegas is my home along with 2.3 million other people. We want everyone to be a fan. We're dedicated to it. We'll leave no stone unturned in our dedication and our …show more content…
When those who do not like the expansion to Vegas were asked where they would have preferred, the results came back as 50% for each. Many Canadians would have liked to see another Canadian team, and they might eventually. The team in Quebec City was deferred due to issues with the Canadian dollar and the US dollar as well as more unbalance between the eastern and the western conferences. Adding a team in Quebec City would put the league with seventeen teams in the eastern conference There is currently sixteen teams in the eastern conference and fourteen in the western. The addition of the team in Vegas helps with numbers by making the league have sixteen teams in the east and fifteen teams in the west. Also, Montreal is only 158.7 miles (255.4 km) away from Quebec City, whereas the distance from Vegas to Glendale, Arizona, is 279.7 miles (450.1 km). When talking distance from Seattle to a nearby team, the Vancouver Canucks are only 142.4 miles (229.2 km) away. The team in Vegas helps fill a gap in the southwest where there is no
On June 22, the NHL officially announced that starting in the fall of the 2017-2018 season there will be 31 teams in the league. This team, currently unnamed, will be playing in Las Vegas. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says, “We think this is a tremendous opportunity, not only for Las Vegas, but for the league as well.”
Bill Foley, the billionaire and businessman behind the Vegas expansion as well as the new team’s owner says, "Our great sports town now has a major league franchise, the NHL… It's the best of the leagues. It's a legendary league. Las Vegas is my home along with 2.3 million other people. We want everyone to be a fan. We're dedicated to it. We'll leave no stone unturned in our dedication and our …show more content…
When those who do not like the expansion to Vegas were asked where they would have preferred, the results came back as 50% for each. Many Canadians would have liked to see another Canadian team, and they might eventually. The team in Quebec City was deferred due to issues with the Canadian dollar and the US dollar as well as more unbalance between the eastern and the western conferences. Adding a team in Quebec City would put the league with seventeen teams in the eastern conference There is currently sixteen teams in the eastern conference and fourteen in the western. The addition of the team in Vegas helps with numbers by making the league have sixteen teams in the east and fifteen teams in the west. Also, Montreal is only 158.7 miles (255.4 km) away from Quebec City, whereas the distance from Vegas to Glendale, Arizona, is 279.7 miles (450.1 km). When talking distance from Seattle to a nearby team, the Vancouver Canucks are only 142.4 miles (229.2 km) away. The team in Vegas helps fill a gap in the southwest where there is no