The ownership group of a prospective NHL franchise in Las Vegas that launched a ticket drive on Tuesday "has exploded out of the box, receiving 5,000 deposits in the first day and a half," according to Alan Snel of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. Lead investor Fidelity National Financial Chair William Foley "was thrilled with the hot start because it’s already half of the 10,000 ticket commitment goal" he and his partners set. Foley in a statement said, "All the seats in all the sections are selling really well. They’re pretty even distributed." Fans "can spend as little as $150" -- or about 10% of the cheapest season ticket plan -- to make a deposit. They "can also spend as much as $900 for a deposit for the best seats while checking out an arena seat chart" at VegasWantsHockey.net (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 2/13). The CP's Stephen Whyno noted getting 10,000 season-ticket deposits "does not guarantee an NHL franchise, but if this trend continues, Foley and his fellow owners will have a strong case to make about getting a team" for the '16-17 season (CP, 2/12).
CANNON BAN: TSN.ca's Rick Westhead reported NHL teams "have stopped using roof-mounted air cannons that shoot confetti inside arenas after a teenager allegedly suffered traumatic brain trauma when a part from an air cannon fell from the roof and hit him in the head." A lawsuit filed by the parents of Davis Baynton against the Canucks in B.C. Supreme Court "alleges the teenager, who was 15 at the time of the alleged incident" during an '11 Canucks-Sharks playoff game at Rogers Arena, "has suffered traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic amnesia, and other cognitive issues." It is unclear whether NHL teams "have formally been advised about the incident and the potential dangers of air cannons, or whether news of the accident has spread to other teams through informal word of mouth" (TSN.ca, 2/12).
GAME FOR THE GAMES? ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun reported there "haven’t been any meaningful discussions" between the NHL and IOC regarding "whether we'll see NHL players" at the '18 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. It "seems like all the comments that have been generated of late" from NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and Commissioner Gary Bettman "open the door just a crack to the possibility of no Olympic participation, that perhaps the World Cup is the replacement vehicle for best-on-best hockey." But it is "also wise for the NHL to send that type of public message to the IOC, so the Olympic organization understands it needs to step up if it wants to keep NHLers in the fold." NHL players "have always wanted to play in the Olympics and that hasn’t changed" (ESPN.com, 2/12).
