Written by By Ed Graney at Las Vegas Review Journal.com
I’m certain ol’ Soren Kierkegaard didn’t have hockey in mind when defining a leap of faith, an act of believing in or accepting something intangible or unprovable, or without empirical evidence.
But it sure applies to Las Vegas today.
The term first used by a Danish philosopher in the 1800s is exactly what the NHL has made when it comes to the city welcoming a major league professional sports franchise for the first time.
It has put its trust in the notion Las Vegas is ready and able to support such a moment.
Time will tell, but this much appears true: It’s here.
It’s done.
The only thing left seems to be Gary Bettman and Bill Foley standing side by side for a photo op of the NHL commissioner and Las Vegas franchise owner shaking hands, making official that which has seemed official for some time now.
The NHL is coming, a fact supported Tuesday when the Review-Journal confirmed the league’s executive committee has recommended expansion to Las Vegas when the Board of Governors meets at Encore on June 22.
That’s when we get the photo op.
That’s when Las Vegas as a sports town will change forever.
Foley’s team would become the league’s 31st just as soon as the billionaire chairman of Fidelity National agrees to expansion terms. He will then make good on a $500 million fee, which is more a sure thing than triple-digit temperatures arriving next week.
Foley didn’t go through this long and detailed process that began in 2014 to haggle over small details or if there was a chance his check might bounce.
By the way, have you set aside money for an official black and gold sweater with a Knights logo?
Bettman in announcing two years ago the league’s intent to consider expansion called Las Vegas “a city that has national and international prominence.” We will now see if it’s also one that can successfully confirm the NHL’s confidence in Foley and, in a much larger sense, this town.
This is bigger than UNLV winning its national championship in basketball and Greg Maddux making the National Baseball Hall of Fame and every Grand Slam trophy Andre Agassi held aloft. This is sports at a level Las Vegas has never known, an entirely different dynamic than ever experienced here. The potential impact of an NHL team, socially and economically, is immeasurable.
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