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After being in Las Vegas this past week, I am more certain than ever that an NHL team in that city would be more of a bust than all my hands at the Blackjack table at the Golden Nugget.
First of all, the city is currently taking a massive economic hit from what I experienced. People are being begged to stay at top hotels and walk the strip with any disposable money they can part with, and part with it they will. One walk up and down the strip will drain a couple hundred bucks out of your wallet even if you take things at a medium pace.
Which brings me to the notion of a Sin City NHL team.
Like most American cities, hockey is the last thing on people’s minds. Add to that the fact that since so many locals work in the tourist industry on or near the strip at night, you can scrap a good percentage of a potential fan base. Which leaves the tourists themselves. You aren’t going to see more than a handful of visitors take one of their (on average) 3 nights transporting to wherever an arena would be built to go see a hockey game between the Las Vegas Spurs and the Columbus Blue Jackets. After all they came to Vegas to gamble, drink too much and maybe catch a nudie show. They didn’t come to catch an “ice hockey” game for $300. So if the locals can’t support it and neither can tourism, then where does Vegas get 17,000 fans 42 nights a year?
The only relatively sane answer would be corporate, which would mainly be made up of the hotel industry. There are endless monster hotels and resorts in Vegas and the natural thought would be that they could buy up large chunks of seats and give them to guests of a certain level or as incentives in their packages. There are two problems with this solution and seemingly only way an NHL team could survive.
First, the hotel industry is already discounting their inventory as it is. Now this is not to say things won’t turn around economically in the US, because inevitably it will. But to think that it will consistently buy up thousands of seats and hand them out to virtually un-interested patrons who don’t put much value in the giveaway anyway might be a stretch.
Second, the freebie ticket thing with package-stay at a hotel would almost instantly cheapen the sport right off the hop. And going back to a prior point, many won’t take one of their evenings on an already short stay to go the game, leaving an all-to-familiar empty building on game night.
Even with a courtesy shuttle to the game, there is just too much going on in Vegas at every turn to think about hockey, not to mention more popular sports in the region, like UNLV sports for example.
In addition, to have a pro sport in THE city of sports gambling would make the NHL look extremely desperate. Recall XFL? CFL? No other major pro sport has put a team in the bookie capital of America and there are reasons for that. Besides looking desperate, it carries with it too much danger of betting scandal.
No, I think the NHL may have finally seen the light with regards to placing teams in non-traditional hockey markets. There are far too many better places to put them.
Ahem, ‘Lil Dubya.
Jets on the Strip
Darren Ford
Founder
Return of the Jets Campaign
www.JetsOwner.com
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I don’t think any educated, knowledgable hockey fan has ever taken Las Vegas seriously as a potential expansion/relocation candidate for the NHL. The NHL already has 1 disaster in the desert (Phoenix).
Couple that with the fact there’s no modern, NHL-calibre arena (no plans for one either) and few (if any) die-hard hockey fans, and not much of a hockey history at all and you a recipe for failure.
It’s doubtful any sport would really thrive there. Just take a look at all the minor league hockey and football teams that have come and gone. Las Vegas just isn’t a sports city… .not necessarily because they have few sports fans, but because the city doesn’t really need it. There are a billion things to spend your disposable income on there from September – April, entertainment-wise. Are the citizens of Nevada really suffering without an MLB, NBA, NFL, or NHL team?
Here In Winnipeg during the winter months? Oh.. well, we have Moose hockey and the movie theatre. Replace “Moose” with NHL franchise and suddenly the winters on the prairies become a little more bearable.
I’m just sick and tired of waiting for a team to relocate!
Sports gambling will have to become legal in Atlantic City or nationally before they would ever seriously consider Las Vegas for a franchise. The risk is just way too high for score fixing. I think the NHL would be the last of the 4 sports to have to worry but it’s still a risk.
You couldn’t pick any other team than Columbus? Phoenix, perhaps?
Darren Ford’s ego is way out of control as his site has shown for years. Any support of his egotrip does more harm to the idea of the NHL coming back than good.
Thanks Jimmy! Your “insider” knowledge on so many NHL teams is a great help.
All these years using my spare time and money…and all for an “ego trip”.
Anything else brilliant to contribute?
So what have you actually done besides mug for cameras and pound your caved in chest on your site?
Hey Jimmy- get a life.
You’re either a Moose fan who’s terrified of something new and better or someone living in Manitoba with the dreaded “inferiority complex”- believing Winnipeg to be inferior to other cities in Canada and the U.S., thus less deserving of things like NHL franchises.
In any case, your lack of vision is overwhelming. I bet you’re *real* successful in life…
The world needs more Darren Ford’s, and less “Jimmy Hollywood’s”.
Of course here comes another member of DF’s cult spouting terms like “naysayer” and “inferiority complex”. Answer the question, what has your hero ACTUALLY DONE to bring the NHL back to Winnipeg besides a website that Lauren Robb actually made, not him. No event when the NHL was here for an exhibition game last year, no rallys, no attempts to actually get an ownership group together in about 5 years, no promotion of this “campaign” at all actually since the first year. In short, Darren Ford has done ####all other than pound his chest on a web blog begging for some sort of credit and respect.
Had he earned any, he’d have it from people that matter in Winnipeg.
Oh yeah and the “lack of vision” claim was rich considering how small the MTSC is and how few boxes it has. Keep on trying to get in the paper Darren. Maybe one day you’ll be in Nick Turnette’s league…
One last thing:
Watch for Darren to resort to his tired, “I made a funny so I automatically win the argument” attempts at a comeback rather than answer the tough questions. That and I’m sure he’ll run smack on me in his next blog solidifying my place in his dome.
Jimmy H, normally I wouldn’t allow comments from somebody that (for whatever reason) is not interested in putting his real name behind his comments.
I took a chance but you let me down.
About Darren’s earning any credit, well I’ve been happy to have him as part of this site. His articles are always interesting, well written and have provoked some of our best discussions. He’s earned my respect…
He is yet to show much more than hyberbole and ego thus far. I gave him a chance to show what he has actually done to make a return to the NHL for Winnipeg happen and HE let me down.
He hasn’t earned anything until he actually DOES something to make it happen. Oh and real proof of his claims wouldn’t hurt either.
One Question Mr. “Holly-Won’t”
What have YOU done to create awareness to the cause?
Yep,
Once again Darren Ford hides behind his minions rather than answer the tough questions. I rest my case…
You won’t answer mine?
Sorry Jimmy
a) I don’t hang on your every post
b) you don’t use real name, I do
c) you are an angry individual
Your posts are now just attacking and offer nothing. And by the way, I have loads of respect fro the “people that matter”, that’s why there are very little publicity stunts or new content on the site. I am playing my cards the way they have to be played. Maybe one day you’ll get it. But right now you are waaaaay off.
I hide behind nothing. I don’t have to.
Your comments will be deleted from now on, at the agreement of this site’s admin staff, or “minions” as you refer to them as.
Good job.
By the way, I’m pounding my chest as I write this.
Darren Ford is swell.
(ps Jimmy, I have editing power. You want the same, go get your own blog)
Darren Ford is swell
Daren keep up the good work let the nay sayers and people who dont live or have ever lived in winnipeg tell us how winnipeg is too small no money blah,blah blah. say what you want winnipeg is a hockey city and it was political why they left had winnipeg had the support from the nhl that the emty seated coyoties have and we were givin enough time they would have never left so negitine people and arrogance fill the the world with hot air. admit it gary your human you screwed up never too late to fix your mistakes bring our jets back Be a man.!
NHL belongs in winnipeg! Not in navada…. Keep up the good work darren!
The negative nature of Winnipeggers is showing, these comments here, the ROTJ boards. It seems like the Jets leaving killed all inspiration in MOST peggers.
winnipeggers are not negitive when our jets were stolen from us by the almighty green back wich isnt mighty as it used to be we were devistated!
we are still living with that anger and loss until this day until you live that its easy to se it on a negitive way. we are still angery and we still hurt and bleed. until we get back which we neve should of lost. i stil cant stand o hear the name barry shankrow it upsets me. but time and a new nnhl team heal all wounds. ps true north please dont let mr shankrow in your ownership group for the teams sake.