Another Hockey Gamble in the Desert

English: Vector image of the Las Vegas sign. Português: Imagems vectorial da placa de Las Vegas. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For many years, the city of Las Vegas meant gamblers, entertainers and reputed mob figures brought together in a neon oasis, operating 24/7 in the Nevada desert.  But as the Rat Pack and Wayne Newton have given way to Celine Dion and Britney Spears, alleged mobsters replaced by entertainment conglomerates and high rollers are joined by tourists, Las Vegas is getting more mainstream every day.

So it shouldn't have come as a surprise that the National Hockey League has awarded an expansion franchise to Las Vegas, to begin play in the 2017-18 season.  The ownership group, led by businessman Bill Foley, came up with the half-billion in cash that the league wanted.  Which is way more than what the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets fetched back in 2000, the last time the NHL expanded.

The NFL may be next, with the Oakland Raiders either in negotiations with the city, or simply using them to get a better deal out of Alameda County or sharing space with the Los Angeles Rams.  Major League Baseball and the NBA are also considering Las Vegas for relocation or expansion.

You might think that the major sports leagues have been avoiding Vegas until now because of its unsavory reputation as a city where games are wagered on, and because teams and players are routinely punished for betting on their sports (see:  Pete Rose).  But we've become so used to point spreads, fantasy leagues and casinos in nearly every state that it's almost hypocritical for professional sports to suddenly decide that it's now OK to operate in America's gambling mecca.

The NHL has been adding teams since 1967, either through expansion or merger.  In recent years, the league has gone to places where you don't see much ice, if at all.  The most notable failure thus far is the Arizona Coyotes, who keep threatening to leave because of bad attendance and the lousy arena deal they have.  And the NHL wants to put another team in the desert?  Where next?  Dubai?

las vegas does not have a large population or TV market, so it will be interesting to see if the new NHL team gets any kind of fan support beyond the high rollers who already secured their season tickets.  If it does, then other leagues will want to set up shop here.  If not, the franchise won't be the first (or last) to leave Las Vegas wearing only a barrel.