Gary Bettman watched the performance with a bemused expression. The commissioner of the National Hockey League wore a faint smile, looking like the director of a hit musical who had agreed to watch a spirited audition without an opening in his cast.
“There are no promises,” Bettman said more than once during a news conference, which included a Plexiglas podium, video panels and a pair of guys in hockey uniforms skating on fake ice.
The point was to announce that season-ticket deposits for a nonexistent NHL team are being collected at vegaswantshockey.com.
“One of the reasons Bill asked me to be here was because he’d spent a lot of time and resources, and wanted me to see the response firsthand,” Bettman said.
“Bill” is Bill Foley, CEO of Fidelity National Financial and the head of Hockey Vision Vegas. A West Point Academy graduate who’s both congenial and philanthropic, Foley is leading the effort to land an expansion team at MGM Resorts Arena.
Foley has serious cash and is brimming with passion and confidence. Las Vegas has an arena already under construction on the Strip. If you are the commissioner of the NHL, why not check it out?
“Without two key factors, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Bettman said. “One is the fact that there is a new arena coming out of the ground, and two is Bill Foley.”
But Bettman’s visit was as remarkable for what it didn’t represent as what it did. His trip wasn’t verification that an NHL team would be sent to Las Vegas — even if advance season-ticket sales are a success — nor was it a tacit endorsement that the city is ready for an expansion NHL team.
There is no expansion plan in place for the league. The league’s Board of Governors requires a three-quarters vote to approve new teams, and the league hasn’t yet studied whether there is enough top-level talent to add franchises to a 30-team league. Two would be needed for a balanced schedule.
No team is moving cities, so forget the relocation of, say, the Arizona Coyotes.
As for concerns about open sports-book betting, Bettman said the league hasn’t even started a conversation on the subject, adding, “It’s not something we’re focused on.”
“To ask these questions, you’re assuming we’ve started an expansion process, but we haven’t,” Bettman said. “This is Bill making sure that his pursuit of a franchise makes sense, that the interests and support is here, and we don’t have a problem with that because we’re kind of curious as well, if at some point we’re going to give this consideration.”
Bettman observed firsthand that resort executives (especially those with MGM Resorts International), tourism representatives and elected officials are excited about bringing an NHL team to Las Vegas.
The league agreed to allow Foley and his partners, ex-Palms resort and Sacramento Kings owners Phil and Joe Maloof, to test the Vegas market by securing 10,000 season-ticket commitments for a team that would start skating in the 2016-’17 season.
That effort started with the Founding 50, which last week bloomed to the Founding 83. Members of the club are to sign up at least 50 prospective season-ticket holders. The idea is to parlay their passion into real revenue and fan support for a team.
Foley has said moving 10,000 of the refundable ticket deposits would guarantee that a team would move to Vegas. But Bettman says otherwise.
“What you’re hearing is Bill’s enthusiasm,” he said. “He’s very enthusiastic. If you’re Bill Foley and are chasing the dream, you want to know early on if this is a dream worth chasing.”
Making it to the big time can be a journey with many stops along the road. When Bettman stands and cheers, so can we. Otherwise, it’s all a rehearsal.