For months now we've heard about how both the NBA and the NHL have been looking at Las Vegas as a potential city for an expansion franchise, and today we moved one step closer to that happening when the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) -- the folks who own the Staples Center, the LA Kings, the LA Galaxy, the Home Depot Center and another arena in Kansas City -- announced a deal to build a privately financed arena in the city conjunction with Harrah's Entertainment.The new arena, which will seat 22,000, will be built on land in between Bally's and Paris right on the Las Vegas Strip and is set to open in 2010.
With the announcement, the city now has two competing proposals, though one wonders what Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, who announced another deal to build an arena off the strip with Real Estate Interests Group of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, thinks about getting bigfooted by two of the biggest entertainment companies in the world.
As for what it all means, something tells me that the question of NHL expansion to Las Vegas is all over but the shouting. There's simply too much money being put up by people who are too close to the league -- namely AEG -- for Commissioner Gary Bettman to not award an expansion team to the city.
But what about Rick Tocchet, who, depending on the results of an internal NHL investigation into his illegal gambling activities, may get bounced from the league? But what about Tim Donaghy, the NBA ref who seems to be about to start naming names in a gambling scandal that promises to consume more than its fair share of NBA refs?
This too shall pass my friend. Memories at NHL and NBA HQ in New York will get very short when it comes to the prospect of collecting a massive expansion fee and breaking into one of the fastest growing cities in North America.
Previously on FanHouse:
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Spare Me the Moralizing and Let Rick Tocchet Coach Again
Time to Make an Example of Tocchet
Bruckheimer Wants to Bring the NHL to Vegas
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