Las Vegas NHL GM George McPhee and Owner Bill Foley spent 30 minutes Saturday afternoon taking questions from fans during the team's Fan Fest, and Foley said the team still is "tinkering with the final colors," according to Steve Carp of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. Foley said of a date announcing the team name, "We’re shooting for Nov. 18 here at Toshiba Plaza. It’s not finalized. We’re working with the arena on the date." He said of the colors, "We really want it to pop when you see them on our jerseys. But the logo’s been picked. The name’s been picked." McPhee: "I know the name, but I haven't told my wife, and I haven't told my kids, so I'm not telling you." Foley, when asked about the possibility of the Raiders moving to Las Vegas, said, "I’m not going to be politically correct here, but I believe if you’re going to spend $750 million of the public’s money, it should be on policemen, firefighters and teachers. We have our fan base, and they have theirs. The Raiders will be irrelevant to us." Foley also fielded a question about the team's AHL affiliation and said, "We’re going to probably share with another (NHL) team for a couple of years. We’re going to start working to build youth hockey as soon as the practice facility opens next September. That’s how you build your fan base, when they’re young" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 10/9). In Las Vegas, Ed Graney noted this is the "calm before the storm, the appetizer before the T-Mobile Arena next season hosts" the team's first games. Foley: "(McPhee) is really focused. He’s doing exactly what I want -- build the hockey side of things. He’s hiring great hockey people. I’m really pleased. This will be a successful team. George is everything I wanted as a general manager" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 10/9).
LIVIN' ON A PRAYER: In Boston, Stephen Harris notes the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, which is without an NHL tenant, is "obviously an NHL-quality venue." It seats 18,259 in a "surprisingly intimate arena that features all the requisite amenities." But the Quebec City bid for an expansion franchise two years ago "probably never had a prayer of success -- for two major reasons." With 16 teams in the Eastern Conference and only 14 in the West, the "last thing the league needed was another Eastern club." The second reason the bid for a new team was a "no-go in NHL offices was the relative weakness of the Canadian dollar." With 31 teams starting next year, the NHL "no doubt wants to add a 32nd, ideally in the West, with Seattle and Portland two possibilities" (BOSTON HERALD, 10/10).
