NHL hockey is never going to work in Vegas. I’m saying this as someone who has had a phone number with a 702 area code and thought that everyone had to walk through a casino in order to get to the movie theater. It’s not going to work! I wish it would, but like, it won’t.
If you don’t believe me, here are my responses—as a local!—to the majority of reasons I’ve heard in support of this team:
1. Las Vegas, while not a traditional hockey market, has tourists.
This seems to be the predominant reason why people believe that the Black Knights (it’s gonna happen, I hate it too) are going to be able to sustain existence, but I’m not feeling it. First of all, wasn’t that the mindset behind putting TWO teams in Florida? I’m not arguing that a Saturday night game against the Kings or even the Leafs isn’t going to sell out— however, not every single one of the 41 home games on the schedule is going to be a weekend game against a team people are going to be willing to travel for. Most games are going to end up being the rough equivalent of seeing the Flames on a Wednesday. Most people aren’t going to go out of their way to call out in the middle of the week to fly to a city that’s sole reason to exist is getting fucked up on a long weekend. Maybe you (definitely me), but not most people.
2. Las Vegas won’t even be the smallest city with an NHL team.
Well, sure, but this answer lacks a real understanding of the type of person who lives in Las Vegas. Ask anyone who lives in Las Vegas where they’re from. Do it! I dare you. In case you don’t have access to a Las Vegan, let me answer that for you: the clear majority of people you’ll ask will say a city that is not Las Vegas. Take me for example. I spent all my formative years (ages 4 to 19) in the valley, and if you asked me that question before I moved to Reno, I’d tell you Anaheim. Why? I don’t know. Anyone who moves to Las Vegas goes in assuming they’ll be moving out of Las Vegas sooner or later. There is a reason why UNLV, the only university in Southern Nevada, is jokingly said to stand for “U Never Left Vegas”.
A transient fanbase doesn’t lend itself to a strong one. My family tried to buy season tickets only for them to try and lock us into a five year contract— if there is one thing for sure, the majority of Las Vegan’s five year plans look like “leave Las Vegas”.
Also, like, everyone in Las Vegas is a Mets fan. I don’t know why. It’s one of the greatest mysteries of life. I’ve known so many kids who spent their entire lives with a Las Vegas residence and they loved the Mets. Is it some type of disease? We just don’t know. I don’t want to know.
3. Locals can sustain the team.
This goes with the previous question— firstly, Hospitality is the largest industry and employer in Nevada, and it shows: I don’t have an actual statistic for this, but it’s safe to say a large percentage of the county doesn’t work your standard 9 to 5 job. Do you want to know when the majority of people are working? If you answered “the hours in which a hockey game would be played”, you are right on the nose.
Also, like, Las Vegas isn’t a particularly rich city. For example, look at this ranking of top GDP in the state: Mount Charleston and Boulder City are both a good hour outside the valley, for background—not necessarily the fanbase people are assuming is there.
And less complicated than GDP is the fact that Las Vegas is still struggling. I grew up in Summerlin and half the houses on my street are still shuttered from the foreclosure crisis— this is a city that is still struggling after the financial downturn. While the tourists are slowly starting to trickle back in, that money isn’t necessarily fast to get back into the pockets of the people living here. It’s safe to assume that tickets are going to have the Las Vegas price bump— priced for rich tourists, instead of locals.
4. There is precedent with hockey’s success in the area, look at the Wranglers!
Look, I loved the Wranglers. The Las Vegas Wranglers, the local ECHL team, got me into sports. I had season tickets and I look upon the games with a fondness mostly reserved for parents looking at their children. BUT: Nobody went to Wranglers games. Don’t tell me people went to Wranglers games. Did you go to Wranglers games? No? Well, nobody else did either.
5. It doesn't just cater to the strip and casinos. Nevada is a big place.
Nevada is the 7th largest, the 35th most populous, and the 9th least densely populated state. In summary: this means that it’s a whole lot of nothing.
Also, like, in closing, the team will never be called the Aces. It’s like calling your Bahamas-based cricket team in the 1700s the Nassau Pirates. You don’t want your professional sports team affiliated with something that is extremely illegal in the eyes of professional sports.
Agree or disagree, it's apparent that the league is throwing all of it's cards down and going with this. Are you excited for the new team? Don't tell us in the comments. Write it down on a piece of paper and burn it. Don't tell anyone.
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