Yardbarker
x
Is Las Vegas expansion a sign of NHL's growth stateside?
Could an NHL team in Las Vegas open the door for teams from other leagues? George Rose/Getty Images

Is Las Vegas expansion a sign of NHL's growth stateside?

It may never steal the proverbial throne that the National Football League has built itself, but the NHL is making its mark in the popular sports bubble across the United States.

Part of this is can be seen in the adjustment of the TV viewing audience. Part of that can be seen in the growing number of American-born players in the upcoming draft.

But it’s the National Hockey League’s expansion into Las Vegas that could be its biggest step yet. It won’t just add a team to its league — it could be expanding its reach and changing the sports landscape that we have in the USA.

Expanding Hockey In A New State

Long before there were reports that Las Vegas had beat out Quebec City as the locale for the league's 31st team — and let’s not forget, the official announcement about the expansion team location hasn’t been made yet — billionaire businessman Bill Foley was garnering attention and support to show that a pro team can thrive in the Nevada hot spot.
   
Of course, there has been concern over whether or not a professional hockey team can successfully function  in an area so saturated with other entertainment options — not just sporting events, but shows and whatnot. According to multiple reports, Foley has been successful in aiming to grow a hockey community around the future team long before the city was awarded the team. And while it’s still a “gamble” to get the interest in hockey up in Nevada, the presence of a professional team has helped in other states, CBS Sports reported:

There's a lot of work to do when it comes to building up hockey in Nevada. According to USA Hockey's recently released membership report for the 2015-16 season, only 1,305 hockey players registered in the state of Nevada. That said, the presence of an NHL team led to massive growth in states like Texas, Arizona and North Carolina, so there's definitely growth potential anywhere when the game has more exposure. 
There's no doubt that a venture like this brings great risk, but it's a calculated one for the NHL. They have a chance to be the only major pro sports game in town, with a growing population in the city and large transient population flooding the market.

Vegas already has a sports foundation with interest in the local college teams and some if its largest entertainment venues playing host to the likes of boxing, MMA and college basketball tournaments. If a professional hockey team can acclimate itself to the Las Vegas scene, it could be the trailblazer for other professional sports to follow.

Speaking of which...

Paving The Way For Other Pro Sports

The NHL’s move into Sin City sheds more light on the NFL and Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis pushing to move the Silver and Black to Las Vegas.

247Sports pointed out that the NHL expansion team could be the start of movement to the area for the NFL, whether it’s the Raiders or another football team. However, some obstacles still stand in the way:

The fact the NHL deemed the Las Vegas market worthy of a team might convince NFL owners that the city can support one of their teams, too. Considering the perceived transient nature of Vegas, some have expressed concern about an NFL team drawing enough interest. But the NFL is a totally different animal than the NHL when it comes to fans and revenue, so if hockey thinks it can survive in Las Vegas football shouldn't have a problem. 
Of course, it helps the NHL that an arena fit for hockey is already in place and doesn't have to be built. For now, that's the biggest obstacle for Davis, who has committed $500 million to help build a $1.4 billion stadium. The remaining funding has to be approved on that first, though, and that's no guarantee.

The other obstacle for the NFL outside of funding? That little thing called sports gambling, something the NHL doesn’t have the same issue with...

Changing The Outlook On Sports Gambling?

Sports gambling was a business long before daily fantasy sites were on the scene, which has been a reason why professional sports leagues haven’t cared to set up shop in or around Vegas.

According to NBC Sports, the NHL isn’t looking to ban gambling on hockey — at least, not as of late. The NFL, on the other hand, is insisting that it still doesn’t want to rub elbows with the greater gambling industry.

But in an interesting piece for the New York Daily News a couple weeks back, writer Evan Grossman pointed out that some of the country’s professional football teams already operate near casinos and in close proximity to hubs for betting on the sport.

According to an AGA analysis meant to show there is no harm in putting athletes near casinos, 81 percent of NFL teams already play home games near a gambling den.
Six teams — the Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns — play in stadiums within walking distance of a casino. 
The Jets and Giants home field at MetLife Stadium is 30 miles from the nearest, Resorts World Casino in Queens. 
“Casino gaming has become a mainstream industry that is welcomed by communities in 40 states, including in many markets with NFL and other professional sports franchises,” said Sara Rayme, AGA’s senior vice president of public affairs. “The facts show that concerns about athletes playing games in Las Vegas are dramatically misinformed. It’s time for a fresh look at the sports betting prohibition that is pushing widely popular sports betting activity to an illegal market that threatens the integrity of the sports we love.”

If Rayme’s statement holds water — that the NFL really is misinformed when it comes to gaming and its sport — and the National Hockey League ends up functioning in Vegas without a hitch, the NFL could change its tune and follow suit.

NHL On The Rise

The idea that the NHL could influence the NFL to move to a city is but a small testament to how much the National Hockey League is growing in the United States. This year’s Stanley Cup Final was reportedly the “most-watched non-Original Six series in 15 years,” which is a big honor given that this was the first time since that a Canadian team didn’t even crack Round 1. (Now just imagine how much the general viewing might have gone up if the games were on regular NBC instead of the niche NBC Sports Network?)

There is also growth in homegrown talent set to enter the NHL. As Joe Yerdon of NHL.com reported earlier this month, the upcoming 2016 draft could be a milestone for the league because 12 of North America’s top 30 skaters hail from the U.S.:

“If those 12 players are selected in the first round, that would set a record; 11 were picked in the first round in 2010. It would also be more evidence the work being done by USA hockey and others across the country to develop the game is resulting in better talent.”

And what would add to hockey developing across the country? Adding the expansion team to Las Vegas, where work is already being done to grow a community around it.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.