Las Vegas' NHL franchise last night announced "amid fanfare" that it will be named the Vegas Golden Knights, according to a front-page piece by Steve Carp of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. An estimated 5,000 people "waited outside the team's home, T-Mobile Arena" for the unveiling of the name and branding. Golden Knights Owner Bill Foley said that he "purposely left off the word 'Las' for the team name because he said locals call the town 'Vegas' and thought he could connect better with them." Foley: "I also thought ‘Las Vegas Golden Knights’ was too long. So we shortened it and it sounds great to me." Foley, a West Point graduate, was "originally going to call the team the Black Knights." But he backed off because he was "afraid of the social and political repercussions of naming the team after his alma mater." The Golden Knights will "wear black, gold, steel gray, white and red in their uniforms." Officials said that their home jersey will be "primarily steel gray with black and gold trim, along with white and red accents." The road uniform "will be white with black, gold, gray and red." The crest, which "primarily is black and gold with some gray, has a knight’s helmet with a 'V' on the face within a five-sided shield." The shoulder logo "has two swords intersecting and will be white, red and gold on a black background." The uniforms will be "unveiled at a later date." Foley believes that the look "will be accepted, not only in Las Vegas but internationally." With the team name and logo "now in place, he can start selling the Knights’ brand" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 11/23). In Las Vegas, Ed Graney writes the team's nickname "fits Foley and his beliefs perfectly," as the Army's parachute team is known as the Golden Knights. Foley: "We wanted to have the Golden Knights drop in for the ceremony, but it got kind of complicated" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 11/23).
ORIGIN STORY: ESPN.com's Scott Burnside noted Foley "had to get approval from the NHL and they had to clear the use of the Golden Knights name with Clarkson College" in Potsdam, N.Y., which also uses Golden Knights as its nickname (ESPN.com, 11/22). YAHOO SPORTS' Josh Cooper wrote the decision to go with Golden Knights "ended a long process that involved many twists and turns." These included possibilities "from variations involving the word 'Hawk' to the 'Knights' template." In early October, Foley said that he had "registered Desert Knights, Silver Knights and Golden Knights." Foley said that he was "initially partial to Black Knights," but "got 'pushback' from the army and immediately moved on." Also, Foley noted that Black Knights "wasn’t exactly the first choice of the team’s prospective fans" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 11/22).
KNIGHT'S ARMOR: THE HOCKEY NEWS' Jared Clinton wrote it is "hard to have any gripes with what is an excellent design and one that doesn’t feel as though it’s going to have any difficulties aging." The logo is "sharp, sleek and modern, the colors really stand out and it even has the subtle touches that can turn a good logo into a great one." The eyes of the Knight's helmet in the primary logo create a "'V' as a nod to Vegas." The secondary mark "has some cleverness to it, as well, as it plays on the famous 'Welcome to Las Vegas' sign" (THEHOCKEYNEWS.com, 11/22). TSN.ca's Frank Seravalli wrote the Golden Knights logo is "reminiscent of a spartan’s warrior helmet with a 'V' for Vegas" as its "central focal point" (TSN.ca, 11/22). ESPN.com's Paul Lukas wrote the basic illustration of a knight's helmet is "fine, although it looks somewhat familiar." The "V" for Vegas in the helmet is a "simple but effective design maneuver." The color scheme "is strong." Lukas: "It's hard to imagine anyone claiming that this logo design belongs in the upper echelon of NHL team brands. But it's the kind of bold, straightforward design that tends to function well as the crest on a hockey jersey" (ESPN.com, 11/22). NHL Network's Brian Lawton: "It is going to look fantastic on a jersey. ... When you really do focus on it and think about how many professional teams there are throughout the world, color schemes, everybody wanting to be unique, I think they did an excellent job in something that’s not an easy task” (“NHL Tonight,” NHL Network, 11/22). In Las Vegas, John Katsilometes reports hundreds of fans "descended on an outside merchandise tent at Toshiba Plaza and the T-Mobile gift shop, carting away hoodies for $90 and $65, hats for $25, T-shirts for $25-$30 and beanies for $22" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 11/23).
STAMP OF APPROVAL: The REVIEW-JOURNAL's Carp writes if Foley "was the proud papa with the announcement of the name for his Las Vegas NHL team," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman "was the doting uncle, heaping praise on Foley, his staff and the city as the Vegas Golden Knights were born." Bettman was "pleased with the nickname, the logo and the colors." He also "didn’t rule out the possibility of the NHL bringing its All-Star Game to town in the future." Meanwhile, "many of the 5,000 fans on hand booed" Bettman (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 11/23).
