Vegas it is: NHL expansion a go

AP Source: NHL Settles on Las Vegas for Expansion

Quebec City gets told non; gnashing of teeth to follow shortly.

 

Have they said how they're going to handle the gambling question? Not that hockey generates much revenue, but it would be an interesting early indicator.

Seems better than even-money (gambling! ha!) that the Raiders are going there as well. They might even get there before an expansion team does.

 

I think that MGM jsut built an arena they can use for hockey. I don't know of any roadblocks.

The Raiders still need to find a site and finalize financing. Also, do the Raiders want to play in a 35,000 seat stadium for a couple of years?

 

A 31-team league would lead to some weird scheduling.

 

Is Vegas really ready for two major pro sports. Strictly going by population it's a little bigger than Nashville and about the same as KC, but smaller than a lot of one or two franchise towns.

Vegas is different in a lot of ways though.

 

2.2M in Vegas metro, but an hour's drive from the Strip its nothing but cactus and spent Acme products. I can see travel packages from cold-weather cities and an appeal to snowbirds, but is that enough to sustain a team long term?

 

It's mathematically impossible to write a schedule for 31 teams in which all teams play the same number of games, much less balance the divisions.

They have to add a 32nd team, and all the schedule/division problems magically disappear.

 

What's the team nickname going to be?

I vote for Las Vegas Flush

 

Didn't the NBA have 29 teams for a long time and everyone played 82 games?

 

Not if its unbalanced its not

NHL had 21 for years.

 

What the hell are you talking about?

 

They'll jigger-rig it to work but the schedules will be fucked until they go to 32.