Lancaster Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 I think having Las Vegas as a team might be a cash cow. Lots of potential sponsors (casinos, hotels, etc.), potentially a "free" arena paid for by corporations, maybe the NHL get a cut of all NHL-related gambling. Chances are the team will have to be a cap spending team, the need to attract all the star players to compete with other entertainment options. Canucks fans regularly travel to Phoenix and California to watch games, so having Vegas is basically the same thing. Ticket sales probably won't be an issue as premium teams will probably fill up 2-4k of the seats, a lot of season tickets purchased by casinos to give away, and then the rest with the regular folks living in the area. Chances are there will be more seats sold than people attending the game though. My only issue is the optics of having a team in Sin City. Any sudden success will have many suspicious of influences by gambling money. Imagine if it's an Vegas vs Canucks series and the officiating becomes disadvantageous to Vancouver. Also, I find it already kinda strange to have a team like Tampa or Dallas raising the cup.... but potentially hearing.... "The Las Vegas Blackjacks are your new Stanley Cup Champions!!!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SabreFan1 Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 I think having Las Vegas as a team might be a cash cow. Lots of potential sponsors (casinos, hotels, etc.), potentially a "free" arena paid for by corporations, maybe the NHL get a cut of all NHL-related gambling. That would be illegal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJDDawg Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 I don't know if this is a good idea man. I mean, the last time a Canadian league went into Vegas the lounge singer butchered our national anthem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Provost Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 I think some nights you will be right .. the building will be full of high rollers given tickets to the game . they won't know why they have come . They will have the choice of hockey or celine . they will come , they will come ray if you build it , they will come Kind of this. All the matters in this case is that there is a whole lot of very well-heeled corporate sponsors who have never had a top tier sports team in their town to support. There will almost certainly be a ton of corporate boxes and no problem filling them and the advertisement space. There will be a core group of local supporters, but a lot will be tourists and corporate handout tickets. Every game against a Canadian team or one of the established Eastern U.S. markets will be sold out by travel packages for flight, hotel, and a game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancaster Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 That would be illegal. I guess I should have worded it better. Not a cut as one part of the winnings, etc... but more like through licensing of their brand. Much like how you used to be able to buy Canucks scratch & win tickets at the lotto. Pretty much any NHL related revenue that casinos earn from gambling will be shared with the NHL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SabreFan1 Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 I guess I should have worded it better. Not a cut as one part of the winnings, etc... but more like through licensing of their brand. Much like how you used to be able to buy Canucks scratch & win tickets at the lotto. Pretty much any NHL related revenue that casinos earn from gambling will be shared with the NHL. Casinos would laugh at the NHL if they wanted a cut of any kind of revenue. People are still going to bet the same whether they put hockey logos around the casino or not. A professional sports team or league can license images, but not a penny of their revenues can be derived from any type of gambling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VegasCanuck Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 I am surprised nobody has mentioned the irresponsible unsubstantiated reporting of one of the biggest hacks in all of journalism, Tony Gallager (I don't really think he should be known as a journalist). This guy is unethical and is incredibly negative about every aspect of the Canucks. There is not a silver lining that he can not find a grey cloud for. I really think the little weasel hates all athletes (bullying when he was young maybe) and has used the paper as his pulpit for his little personal revenge. Vegas is very interesting. Hard to say how much the locals could support given so many work at night. I think they would be a team more star dependant than most others, visitors would want to go see Crosby or MacDavid or whoever. The reports of four teams makes no sense, just imbalance the league again. 32 just works 4X8. 34 is untenable especially since it would put two more teams in the East. That being said Southern Ontario could definitely support another team. Quebec has arena money and desire, the NHL owes them too. Seattle doesn't seem to want the NHL as much as the NHL wants Seattle. I would love to have teams in Portland and Seattle, would cut our travel down a lot. Sure, point out the obvious and spoil our fun!!! Bloody killjoy!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VegasCanuck Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 That would be illegal. Well, yes....but when has that ever stopped Bettman??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erkayloomeh Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Idk wtf Bettman is on. There is 1000x more demand for hockey in Quebec/Ontario and Seattle than anywhere else. If they were to relocate those would be the common sense spots. But knowing the NHL, money talks so who knows, they'll do just about anything to get more money. Watch Bettman try and land a team in San Diego or Hawaii for all we know..could they even keep a rink ice cold in Hawaii? That would be really something to be able to go to Hawaii and seethe Canucks. I wonder what they would call the team.? The Chin Ho's maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Sikes Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 could they even keep a rink ice cold in Hawaii? That would be really something to be able to go to Hawaii and seethe Canucks. I wonder what they would call the team.? The Chin Ho's maybe. The nature of the schedule would make it impossible for hockey or basketball in Hawaii, football with one game a week or baseball where you are there for 3 or 4 games might work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancaster Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Casinos would laugh at the NHL if they wanted a cut of any kind of revenue. People are still going to bet the same whether they put hockey logos around the casino or not. A professional sports team or league can license images, but not a penny of their revenues can be derived from any type of gambling. If the owners of the LV team are casinos, sharing part of the revenue may not be too bad of an idea. Obviously more thinking will need to go into it first. IIRC, didn't the Canucks just outright get some money from those Canucks lottos? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremyCuddles Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 You could say the same about LA or NY really. Hell, there's plenty of trouble to get in to in just about any NHL city if you go looking for it. Vegas is one of those cities where trouble finds you. But it is true you can find trouble just about anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VegasCanuck Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Vegas is one of those cities where trouble finds you. But it is true you can find trouble just about anywhere. I've been here for 3 years and haven't been arrested yet!!! The trick if you live here is to stay away from the Strip as much as you can. There's lots of stuff to do here that does't involve gambling and nightlife, as long as you can stand the heat! On a side note, I've got close to 900 bottles of vodka we are liquidating pretty cheap, if anyone is coming down here!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneezy Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Ughh........I REALLY hope this isn't true, Not that I wouldn't like to see games when I'm in Vegas, which is usually a few times a year, but because I know what that place is like.... An NHL team will be absolutely ignored, there is so much going on there and the population so transient, that it will be impossible to build up a core fan base. This will be worse then PHX (Who weren't all that embarrassing until they moved to that albatross of an arena they play in. For comparison's sake, imagine the Canucks built an arena in Abottsford) Downtown PHX to Jobing.com is 18 miles. D/T Vancouver to Abbotsford is about 65 km. So, if you're living in PHX, it's like driving to Surrey. Greater metro Vegas has a full time population of nearly 2 million making it the 30th biggest city in the US...the transient population is the tourists who hang out on the strip. I have to agree that finding 20,000 hard core hockey fans out of the 2 million would be a challenge, though there are lots of transplanted Canadians living in suburbs like Henderson, Paradise, and the likes. Most of these folks are retired and probably moved to Vegas because they hate snow and hockey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VegasCanuck Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Downtown PHX to Jobing.com is 18 miles. D/T Vancouver to Abbotsford is about 65 km. So, if you're living in PHX, it's like driving to Surrey. Greater metro Vegas has a full time population of nearly 2 million making it the 30th biggest city in the US...the transient population is the tourists who hang out on the strip. I have to agree that finding 20,000 hard core hockey fans out of the 2 million would be a challenge, though there are lots of transplanted Canadians living in suburbs like Henderson, Paradise, and the likes. Most of these folks are retired and probably moved to Vegas because they hate snow and hockey. Not many retirees here, but a lot of population from Canada and other Eastern (hockey) cities. What people don't understand, there is no "natural" population base in Las Vegas. In New York, you have families who have lived there for generations. In Vegas, its a young population base and mostly from other parts of the country. Vegas imports people from everywhere. We have a ton of tourists from Europe, you hear people speaking German and Swedish on the strip all the time! Situation in this town is completely different than Arizona. If the Wranglers can attract more than 4000 per game, Hockey could work here! I know lots of hockey fans here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustapha Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Fly to Vegas for a weekend on a mini-vacation. NHL could promote vacation packages that include tickets to the game. I would totally fly to Vegas to gamble one night and watch them play the Canucks the next. Why the hell not? I could see Flames fans, Jets fans, Oilers fans all doing it too. If I could get a week's worth of tickets to Vegas NHL team home games, it would justify me spending a week down there during the winter. If the NHL markets this properly, that team could make a ton of cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SabreFan1 Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 If the owners of the LV team are casinos, sharing part of the revenue may not be too bad of an idea. Obviously more thinking will need to go into it first. IIRC, didn't the Canucks just outright get some money from those Canucks lottos? Individuals that have ties with casinos can own sport teams (for example the Fertitta Bros. and the UFC), but not the actual casino companies themselves. Plus, I highly doubt the NHL Board of Governors would approve a casino owner/CEO anyways. Can you imagine what kind of cr*p that "blind as a bat" casino magnate Steve Wynn would bring into the league, or any one person of the idiots that run the MGM corporation. Then you have the people that run Boyd Gaming who were so clueless that they had employees (and a few mob associates) running an illegal sports book out of their very own poker room at the Borgata in New Jersey. No good would come from an NHL team owned by anybody with Las Vegas casino ties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake Doctor Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Hockey in Vegas is the dumbest move if it were to happen. Worse than hockey in Florida which is not making any money either. People go to Las Vegas for so many other reasons than hockey. Sure there would be great sponsors but the last think I want to see is another empty hockey arena in the NHL. Bring the Nordiques back and then go from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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