Sports

New Las Vegas NHL Team, Vegas Golden Knights Makes Debut

November 23, 2016 / 10:34 AM CST / CBS Texas

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We can now say that the NHL has officially arrived in Las Vegas. In a rally in front of their brand new arena, fans were treated to the official name and sports logo unveil of the first major sports franchise in Nevada.

The team did a really good job keeping the fans and media guessing what the official name would be. The three names that became final speculation were the Las Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Desert Knights, and the Las Vegas Silver Knights. Everyone pretty much knew Knights would be in the name. Owner Bill Foley also mentioned that Sidewinders and Nighthawks were discussed.

So here is your winner, the Vegas Golden Knights.

Let's start with the name.

It's not the Las Vegas Golden Knights, it's the Vegas Golden Knights. As a person who lived in Las Vegas, I can relate to just Vegas. When you live in Las Vegas, you drop the Las. "I'm from Vegas". It's a nice touch and a tribute to the thousands of residents who created the ground swell to make this franchise happen.

As for the logo, Foley attended West Point. Here is his quote from NHL.com, "The Knights are the epitome of the warrior class," the U.S. Military Academy graduate said. "They're team-oriented, they always stick together, they never give up, they never give in. And hockey players are warriors. They've always been team players, all for one. That's us. That's what we'll be."

The team explained the colors in the logo.

Steel Grey- strength and durability;

Gold-The state of Nevada is the largest gold producer in the United States

Black- Power and Intensity.

Here is the secondary logo of the team.

I actually like this logo better than the primary. You have some great Knight swords and together they create a star that resembles the star on the iconic Welcome to Las Vegas sign. The team explained that the red in the logo stands for the desert skyline along with the famous Red Rock in the surrounding mountains.

Unfortunately, the logo unveiling didn't go as planned. As you can see in this video at about the 8:49 mark, the video started with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman but quickly went to a place holder which is basically a blank screen with the name.

Foley jumps on the microphone with the quote, "We're going to do better on the rink, I'll tell you that". Good save Bill Foley. I can only imagine what was going through your mind. You've spent millions of dollars on this franchise and this is your day. North American hockey fans have their eyes on you and that happens. I feel as though the video production team won't be sleeping too much tonight. Vegas is one of the worlds top entertainment destinations, how can you not get a video on the screen?

So here's my take. I hate to knock this logo because as a former Vegas resident, I couldn't be more excited for a community that I have grown to love. That said, there are so many unique features of Southern Nevada and that's what the logo should have focused on. Reading various articles, it seems as though the team wanted to stay away from anything associated with gambling. To me, that's what you are known for so embrace it. If I say Golden Knights, does Vegas come to mind?

Foley also said that they would bring the Stanley Cup to Vegas in the next six years. That's high expectations from your owner. If you told any NHL fan base that within six years, you would win the Cup, they would grab at that chance.

They have their vision and I'm excited for them. I just think this franchise would have exploded with the right creative name.