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NHL Las Vegas Owner Bill Foley Focused On Getting Hockey Operations Up And Running

Las Vegas' NHL expansion franchise will begin play in '17-18, and Principal Owner Bill Foley on Thursday "made it clear" that he "needs to get his hockey operations staff hired as quickly as possible," according to Steve Carp of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. Foley said, "The coach is not important right now. We need to get a GM hired and get our scouts hired." Foley next week will contact NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly to "learn the protocol on approaching other teams for talking to their front office personnel." Foley: "We want to do things the right way. We don't want to violate any rules." Foley said that he also "wants to make sure his team is well within the salary cap" before it begins play. Foley: "I want to build a team to compete now, and I'm going to find the best capologist there is" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 6/24). The team "will need a couple of minor league affiliates" as well. AHL President & CEO Dave Andrews said that if Foley "decides to purchase an AHL team, he can expect to pay" about $5M, adding that he "would be vetted by the league." Carp notes there is a "growing trend for NHL clubs to own their minor league teams outright." Foley's "vision is to have his AHL affiliate on the West Coast," and he is looking at Salt Lake City, Fresno and Reno (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 6/24).

GHOSTS OF EXPANSIONS PAST: The lack of a state income tax and Las Vegas' weather "could work in the team's favor in its courtship of free agents." The city "becomes an option" for unrestricted free agents in '17. Foley also is planning a $17-20M practice facility that is "expected to be ready" for the team's inaugural season. Hockey agent Neil Sheehy said, "It's a viable city. If they do things right, free agents may be more inclined to look at Las Vegas" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 6/24). Whoever Foley "picks to run his NHL franchise in Las Vegas will have a big edge" over some previous expansion teams. Predators GM David Poile said of the current system, "It might be fairer in that we have a cap system and greater free agency now. In a lot of ways, an expansion team can get competitive sooner than later." Hockey HOFer Phil Esposito, who helped with the Lightning expansion effort, said, "You're going to have guys who will love to live and play in Las Vegas" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 6/24).

MEET THE MAN: In Las Vegas, Ed Graney writes Foley has an "inexhaustable competitive streak, which also defines the type of owner he will be." Foley is "a combination" of late Flyers Chair Ed Snider and Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban. Foley "isn't one to sit back and wait for anything." Patience "might be a virtue, but it's hardly a central quality to Foley's personality." Foley: "I can be your best buddy. But you better get the job done. I'm demanding about accomplishing goals and staying on target and not getting distracted." Foley wants those working for him "accessible, responsible and decisive." Foley: "If you make a mistake, reverse it and move on." Graney writes for those "interested in joining his team in some capacity," they should "be ready to work." Foley: "As long as I have the right people, I'm great at delegating. I give people responsibilities and authority, and if they don't do things right, I let them know. If they don't do it right again, I let them know very strongly. If they don't do it right again, they're gone. I can't put up with that. I don't have the time." He added, "I don't want to blow this. I don't want to hire a bunch of guys who are here for three years and then gone. ... Those on the hockey side aren't going to have to baby-sit me. I'm a big boy. I'm a good crisis manager. When times are tough, I'm tough to beat. People we hire just need to do their job" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 6/24). Foley: "Las Vegas is embracing this. To me, I didn't understand how important having a major league sports team here is. It's gigantic for the community. It's going to give Las Vegas a different identity" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 6/24).

GOING FORWARD: The REVIEW-JOURNAL's Carp writes under the header, "10 Subtle Decisions Bill Foley Must Make For His Las Vegas NHL Team." These decisions "may not make headlines, but will have an impact on the game experience at T-Mobile Arena" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 6/24). AMERICAN LAWYER's Brian Baxter notes L.A.-based Loeb & Loeb Partner Scott Zolke helped bring Foley and the Maloof family together. The former NBA Kings owners will have a 15% stake as minority partners. Meanwhile, Proskauer "took the lead advising the league on its expansion" to Las Vegas through Chair Joseph Leccese (AMERICANLAWYER.com, 6/23).

OLDIE BUT GOODIE: The TORONTO STAR in an editorial writes for "anyone who cares about hockey as the Canadian game," Las Vegas getting an NHL team over Quebec City "stinks." Las Vegas has a "spanking-new arena and it's a pretty big place." But "adding yet another American team to the league while leaving an eager suitor (Quebec City) cooling its heels in the waiting room is one more reason for Canadian fans to turn away." The balance keeps "tipping away from the country that invented the game, and that will do nothing to revive flagging interest in the NHL across Canada" (TORONTO STAR, 6/24).

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