Vegas team bets on ‘Golden Knights’ moniker
THE National Hockey League’s newest club was unveiled on Tuesday as the Vegas Golden Knights by majority owner Bill Foley with colours and logo to match the nickname.
Five months after NHL owners sold Foley’s group an expansion franchise for $500 million, the 31st NHL team began to take shape with a logo of a knight’s helmet in front of a shield with a V-shaped front opening and colours of gold, back, red and steel grey.
The Golden Knights will be- gin play in the 2017-18 season in a new arena that will seat 17,500 for hockey and 20,000 for basketball.
The unveiling of t he first major professiona l team in the US casino capita l took place outside the new $ 375 million arena.
“We want our team to be known for dedication, honour, strength, courage and a commitment to never give up – both on the ice and off,” Foley said.
“We wanted a name and logo that represented all of this and was unique to Las Vegas and our community. Vegas Golden Knights is that name. We selected ‘Knights’ because knights are the defenders of the realm and protect those who cannot defend themselves. They are the elite warrior class.”
It’s a lso a wordplay on t he possible jackpots from t he neon-lit Vegas St rip casinos t hat help lure 45 million tourists a year to the Nevada desert cit y with a poulation of 2.1 million people.
Foley says grey represents strength and durability, while Nevada is the largest US goldproducing state, red is from the natural colouring found in nearby desert and canyons and black represents power and intensity.
A secondary logo features swords that create the star from the iconic “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign.
The Golden Knights are the first NHL expansion team since the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild joined in 2000.
Las Vegas had been shunned by major sports leagues, with concerns about the integrity of results and links to legalised betting, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made it clear the league welcomes it’s newest club as it prepares to celebrate its centennial year.
“Las Vegas, welcome to the NHL,” Bettman said. “We are thrilled to be here.”
The Golden Knights will be the eighth team in the Pacific Div ision and 15t h in t he Western Conference, giv ing it only one fewer than t he Eastern.