Raiders start fresh at Vegas Death Star

There's an entrenched Raiders tradition — an inglorious one, but no less franchise-defining than all those that made cruel so cool back in the 1970s and '80s.

And you remember those ...

Unabashed, relentless rebellion. A bold offensive attack featuring strongarmed passers and speedster receivers. Rowdy fans in faux armour. The sports world's first nifty black uniforms. And a bravado that late owner Al Davis drenched the franchise in with his signature motto: “Just win, baby.”

The Raiders' other time-honoured tradition? Punching their fans in the gut.

Because three times now in their history, just when the locals fell deep in love with them, the Raiders skipped town.

Happened in 1982 when the Oakland Raiders became the Los Angeles Raiders.

Happened in 1995 when the Los Angeles Raiders became the Oakland Raiders again.

And it happened this off-season. After three years of NFL-blessed planning, the Oakland Raiders are now the Las Vegas Raiders.

Their new home stadium? The Death Star. That's what it's being nicknamed. What better moniker for the NFL's traditional Sith disturbers, right?

Tonight, in front of exactly zero fans, the Las Vegas Raiders make their Nevada debut at newly finished Allegiant Stadium, against the New Orleans Saints.

Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said he isn't even a Star Wars fan. But he likes the nickname the stadium has picked up prior to kickoff. “Death Star,” of course, refers to the super-tech, moon-sized, moon-shaped space stations in the Star Wars movie canon.

Davis probably was the closest thing to Darth Vader the NFL has ever had. With his slicked-back, black hair and take-no-crap Brooklyn attitude, Davis relished making workday life miserable for league leaders. Pete Rozelle, the NFL's commissioner from 1960-89, clashed almost constantly with Davis once the two of them helped orchestrate the NFL's merger with the AFL, completed in 1970.

Davis died in 2011 at age 82. His son, Mark, is now principal owner of the Raiders. He's about as scary and rebellious as Caillou. For most of the last decade, son-of-Al kept trying to resurrect the club's past glories, without success.

This is Year 3 of Return of the Jedi. Er, of Gruden.

Can he restore balance once and for all to the Raiders universe? By just winning, baby?

We'll see.