The drive to bring an NHL team to Las Vegas one way or another has been a big story for some time, yet it only makes sense that the subject is cropping up when much of the hockey world is fighting off sunburns and/or hangovers in Sin City as we speak.
While the process - which would likely come via expansion - is creeping along slowly, players seem intrigued by the idea ... and maybe a little frightened.
For one thing, Winnipeg Jets forward Andrew Ladd pointed to the obvious weather advantages, as the Canadian Press’ Stephen Whyno reports.
“You talk to any human, whether they play hockey or not, they’d rather go to work in shorts and a T-shirt than a parka,” Ladd said.
(One almost wonders if Jets fans collectively cringed at that commentary, although at least he was discussing parkas and not parks.)
The Las Vegas Review-Journal collected a few players’ thoughts on the matter (from Carey Price praising a “glamour city” to Jonathan Toews’ typically serious approach), including Florida Panthers rookie Aaron Ekblad discussing the rather obvious about temptations.
“I think there are a lot of places where you can get in trouble,” Ekblad said. “We’re professionals. I think we can learn to adapt to working and living in a place like Las Vegas.”
Honestly, Ekblad’s teammate Roberto Luongo probably said it best, though:
Gonna be unreal when Las Vegas goes undefeated at home every year........ #nhl #expansion
— Strombone (@strombone1) August 27, 2014
Even if Vegas does get a team, it will take a while. It sounds like quite a few players would be more than fine - though a little apprehensive - about such a concept.