Domain names registered last week "might be an indicator" that the NHL expansion team slated to begin play in '17 "could be called the Las Vegas Desert Knights," according to Justin Emerson of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. The domains LasVegasDesertKnights.com, VegasDesertKnights.com and DesertKnightsHockey.com last week were "privately registered to Moniker Privacy Services, the same company that procured the domain name to NHL.com." The domain names for Nighthawks, Desert Hawks and Red Hawks "were registered publicly and confirmed by Foley as choices for the team name last month" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 8/26). Meanwhile, the team's AHL affiliate "will be announced relatively soon." Franchise Senior VP Murray Craven said, "We’ll know by Christmas where we are going to be. It’s a process, it’s a little bit tricky. The AHL is such a good league now, probably the second best league in the world. It’s such a big part of what teams are now." The leading candidates "are still probably Salt Lake City, Reno, and Fresno" (SINBIN.VEGAS 8/24).
WINNING THE RACE? NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in a recent interview was asked why he thought it was "important" for the NHL to have the first major pro sports team in Las Vegas. He replied, "Who said it was important for us to be first in Vegas? ... We went to Vegas because there was an application (and) when you looked at the market, you looked at the ownership, you looked at the arena and you looked at the potential impact on the league, it was a positive. This wasn't a race. In fact, nobody else was talking about going there until we decided to go" (CP, 8/25).