No Elvis impersonators, but ‘it will be top-notch’
Canadians are interested too. Hockey fans from Western Canada, including Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver have already expressed their interest to the Vegas ownership group in attending games in Vegas. They will be welcomed, said Pollard.
THE ARENA
Built to accommodate a variety of sports, in addition to concerts and award shows, the Las Vegas arena will seat 19,000 for basketball and 20,000 for boxing or UFC events.
A 50-50 joint venture partnership of AEG — which was in on the initial development of the Edmonton arena project — and MGM Resorts International, the arena is expected to host more than 100 events annually, and that doesn’t include 41-plus dates for potential exhibition and regular-season NHL games.
Las Vegas’ newest landmark, a caramel-and-gold coloured oval shaped arena, will feature premium dressing rooms, column-free space for unobstructed views of the event floor and 50 luxury suites.
But this being Vegas, the bling starts on the outside with a 53-metre by 14-metre LED media mesh, transforming a Strip-facing portion of the arena into a vivid video surface that could be used to display sold-out events to those gathered in the exterior plaza and the adjacent six-acre park being developed by MGM.
Inside, two upper-level Tower Clubs with a capacity of 125 people each — one per arena side — will have triangular portions jutting out over the seating bowl, allowing views different from any other arena. Plans are still being finalized, but there could be beverage and light food service or a nightclub-like atmosphere.
“It was of paramount importance to AEG and MGM that the array of guest amenities, the unparalleled VIP premium entertainment and seating options and the groundbreaking design and technological features brought together by our incredible development team and our partners would create a sports and entertainment venue never before experienced by fans, athletes or performers,” said AEG senior vice-president Mark Faber. “There is no doubt that this arena and this marketplace will attract a schedule of artists, special events, championship sports and awards shows never before assembled. We truly look forward to unveiling an arena that will transform the entertainment experience for our guests from around the globe.”
From the hockey perspective, Pollock said to expect a balance between feeling like you’re in a hockey arena watching an NHL game and expecting to be blown away by the in-game entertainment, the lights and on-ice projectors the team is considering.
“What that looks like, to be honest, we have a lot of ideas we tossed around but we’re not going to be afraid to do things differently, to be bold,” said Pollock, noting that until a franchise is awarded, nothing will be finalized. “It’s not going to be like you’re at a Vegas show. We’re not going to roll out Elvis impersonators, but it’s not going to be a mundane experience. It is Vegas, it has to be big, it has to be exciting. It will be top-notch.”
THE TEAM
While the Vegas ownership group waits for the NHL to make a decision on whether or not to award it — and possibly Quebec City — a franchise, work on getting a team ready is cautiously proceeding in the background.
Bill Foley, chairman of Fidelity National Financial Inc., and the Vegas-based Maloof family — the only ownership group in NBA history to take two different franchises to the league’s conference finals (the Houston Rockets in 1981 and the Sacramento Kings in 2002) — are the people behind the Las Vegas ownership group. They say they not only want a successful NHL team, they actually want to bring the Stanley Cup to Las Vegas should the NHL give Vegas the green light.
Foley, who grew up in Texas, spent some of his youth living in Ottawa where it is said he became enamoured with hockey. He’s also a graduate of the U.S. military academy West Point, and has taken a liking to the name Knights or Black Knights (Black Knights has been the official nickname of all Army teams since 1999) for the fledgling franchise, but a final decision has yet to be made.
“People are dying for a sports team here,” said Pollock, who is optimistic that an NHL Vegas team could be in place for the start of the 2017-18 season. “We believe the league has some of the best athletes in the world and look forward to promoting the exciting matchups of our players and visiting team players. We certainly expect droves of visiting team fans to visit our wonderful city and arena and look forward to developing rivalries with many clubs in the league for many years.”