Even though Gary Bettman sang the tune of not expanding the league when he was on Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown back in June, reports have swirled in the last 24 hours that
a Vegas and Seattle expansion are "done deal(s)"
After the league turned in a ridiculous year in terms of revenue, more cities have been popping up lately in the realm of hosting a team. We've heard everything from Hamilton to Kansas City to Saskatchewan. However, of the most discussed locations only Seattle, Vegas, and Portland made sense in the current layout of 16 Eastern teams and 14 Western teams.
Therefore it seemed like a natural choice for the NHL that the Western Conference is where a new team would lie...if it were to ever happen that is.
Now it seems more likely to happen than ever. All of a sudden Mr. Bettman has done a 180 on the discussion and Sin City is at the center of it all.
Surprising? You betcha. Even with all the reports though it is still tentative and nothing is set in stone. However, the turnaround in mentality is quite intriguing. Bettman poker face?
I know Vegas is the hot topic on it, but why is no one talking about Seattle though? Well, to me it seemed almost inevitable that Seattle would eventually get a team. The Emerald City has had a long history of sports teams and have always had the support. The Seahawks have averaged just about 543,000 visitors a season for their 8 home games over the past decade. The Mariners have survived in the Northwest since 1977. The Supersonics were once a highly supported NBA team until owner Howard Schultz got into a dispute with Washington state officials about upgrading the now AEG owned and operated KeyArena. Even the newest member of the Seattle sports family, MLS Seattle Sounders,
has enjoyed incredible support and even better attendance year after year. Also, hockey isn't an unfamiliar sport to some either. The Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL draws about 4,000 people a game, which really isn't too bad in a city with a lot to do and a lot to see. Along with Seattle there are a number of CHL teams in the Pacific Northwest, including the Tri-City Americans, the Spokane Chiefs, the Everett Silvertips, and Portland Winterhawks.
With its rich sports history and the 14th largest T.V. Market in the U.S. (Sandwiched between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Tampa Bay) it seemed as though Seattle was a natural shoe in for expansion when the time came.
Enter Las Vegas.
The unnatural choice so to speak. The odd choice. The risky one, but the one that has an extremely high reward factor if the sport takes.
Geographically it's a great location for the league. Only two teams will have to fly over three hours non-stop and that is Edmonton and Winnipeg. LA and Anaheim fans would have an opposing arena to invade that is an hour by plane and four hours by car. Finally, an maybe most controversially, it's in an area where there are no major sports teams.
So are there no sports teams there because of lack of proposed interest? Or because owners are afraid of the distractions and extracurricular that could occur in a place dubbed "Sin City"?
Honestly, how many people are going to want to watch a hockey game when there is so much else to do in a city with gambling, shows, and hotels mimicking the Venice canals or with freaking roller coasters coming out of them? To try and shed some light on the question critics are pointing at the recent "Hiatus" or "voluntary suspension" of the ECHL Vegas team, the Las Vegas Wranglers. However, that can be a fairly shortsighted criticism. The team ceased to operate last year after a dismal year in attendance, but looking back over the past decade
the Wranglers have averaged around 4,700 a game. Last year they saw that number cut almost in half and the team
did not get a renewal of their lease from the Orleans Hotel and Casino. All things considered though, that attendance number of between 4.5-5k a night is fairly good for an ECHL team in such a bustling city like Vegas. An NHL team would theoretically draw an immense amount of interested supporters.
Then you have the "M word" that makes this one a potential homerun for the NHL. By "M word" I mean MONEY. Despite a pretty significant disparity in the average income of the working class Las Vegan, there is a very high number of wealthy individuals within Clark County and Las Vegas city limits that would snap at the chance of having a suite or a season seat for a professional sports team. The NHL is hoping to be the first one to tap the well. They could be rewarded for their bravery, but they could also be bit right in the behind for it. How much of a lasting and dedicated fans base they could establish is debatable. It is a city that thrives on tourism, and while the tourist with a free evening may stop in for a hockey game on one night they won't be coming back again and again. While the economy and the tourism industry has slowly picked back up over the last few years, it is still a risky play. Most of the dedicated loyal fanbase of the Las Vegas NHL team would have to come from the outlying neighborhoods like Henderson, Summerlin, or Centennial Hills. Some of these can be up to a 30 minute drive from the strip, and who wants to deal with that traffic? Then you factor in that Vegas is a pretty small T.V. Market,
ranking in at 42nd between Newport News/Norfolk and Harrisburg (also note Seattle's position on the list.). Then you get into the whole off-ice thing. There is a lot to do in Vegas. There is a lot of trouble to get into for a 21-year old with a few hundred bucks in his pocket, let alone a superstar with millions. In recent years the whole gambling fixation and its ties to the sporting world have taken a backseat when it comes to Vegas criticism. Now it's about the potential for players to get themselves into trouble off the field/ice/court. Remember when everyone freaked out about
Evander Kane taking this picture from the balcony of the Cosmopolitan hotel? Yea. Think about that, and now put a team of 25 professional hockey players there. It isn't fair to assume that they would all get into trouble, and honestly Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago offer the same kind of distraction if you are looking for it. Trouble doesn't find you sort of idea. Vegas presents a unique environment for players to potentially live and some may like it and want to go there, while others may hate it and steer clear. In the end it would be just like any city in my opinion. All it will take though is one photo like Evander Kane's and everyone will start questioning the kid's compete level and dedication to the game. Ah well.
Oh, and if the list of detractors wasn't enough...what about an owner? Who wants to own a team in Vegas? Then you have to deal with potentially getting a lease with a hotel group like the MGM Grand, and as I recall Vegas isn't the most tax friendly environment.
Despite all the negative that could arise, there is a definite allure. The town made of money could be a money maker. The city has been a wonderful place for the NHL Awards since 2009, and they have held the wildly successful Frozen Fury Kings preseason tournament since 1997. The MGM Grand has a fully functioning 16,500-seat arena that is home to many prize fights, pre-season basketball games, and concerts.
It's a tough sell but there is an opportunity for growth and investment in the game, and as we all know by now Gary Bettman loves to grow markets in odd and untapped places. With great risk comes great reward. With the amount of high finance and tourism that spans the area of Vegas, I'm thinking the NHL is convinced they will have the financial support to make a Sin City team stand up.
It seems unfair that Quebec City, Hartford, Hamilton, or a 2nd Toronto team have more hockey merit and support by default and aren't getting any proposed expansion. However, the current layout of the conferences geographically doesn't help their cases. Also, fans of these areas shouldn't rule out the possibility of relocation...(insert sunbelt team argument here).
Seattle is a natural and safe selection both geographically and financially. Fans would definitely come out to support it, and you would probably end up getting a market much like that of Minnesota or Colorado. It properly fills in the hockey gap in the pacific Northwest, which is currently filled with ECHL and CHL teams. Las Vegas is a good choice geographically, but where Seattle is low risk Las Vegas would be on the high side. It would be hard to imagine a team not taking there considering all the hustle and bustle, but who knows.
The Western Conference needs two teams as it currently stands. Unless the NHL wants to tell either
Detroit Columbus or Columbus to go back, it doesn't seem likely to balance soon via that route. There is the relocation option to the west, but then you may upset the balance of the East a bit and we all know that the NHL does not like to throw in the towel. Right
Phoenix Glendale Arizona?
Personally, I am all for a team in both cities. I'm also for teams in Quebec City, Hamilton, Nova Scotia, and Alaska. Hockey should be everywhere here. Heck, let's get this sucker up to 40 or 50 teams and set up a Premier League style relegation league.
In reality though I'm glad someone is taking the risk to put a team in Vegas. It has been a long time coming in my eyes. Likewise with Seattle and the NHL. If anything, the NHL is a proponent of growing the game in all corners of the U.S. and Canada. Even if those markets seem a bit unorthodox. You can't fault them for that. While expansion seemed out of the question no more than two months ago, a new day brings new ideas and new visions. Right now the NHL is apparently seeing visions of Emerald and Silver.
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