Las Vegas Flying Elvises

So the NHL just approved a sale to a group that is willing to keep the Phoenix Coyotes in Arizona. Good for them, but if the old ownership couldn't make money there, why does this group think they can? Or is there a "Major League" type of scam that is going on here? You know, they have a clause in their contract with the city of Phoenix that states if the team finishes dead last x amount of times or fails to draw in x amount of fans to games that they are allowed to pack up the team and move. Now I know since I'm an Islanders fan I shouldn't be judging other teams financial statuses, but I am so fucking deal with it. The Islanders are in their current situation because of past poor ownership situations and Nassau County bureaucratic bullshit. There is a large fan base on Long Island and all they need is a winning season or two and some of those bandwagon Rag$ fans from 1994 will return to being bandwagon Isles fans. In Phoenix (like Atlanta and Nashville) the amusement of having a professional hockey team in waning. I'm not saying there isn't actual hardcore hockey fans in Arizona (one of the places I'd consider moving to when I retire), but there apparently isn't enough. Not that hockey can't succeed in the Southwestern United States though, since Dallas seems to do well and the California teams all have a decent fan base. The difference is though that Dallas and Anaheim have won a Stanley Cup in the past decade, San Jose has had plenty of good seasons in their history, and LA had some guy named Gretzky for a while. Apparently The Great One doesn't draw quite as well as a coach as he did a player. So the key for the Coyotes may just be to have a few exciting seasons to cure their monetary woes, but if that doesn't work and then it's time to pack up and head to...

And head to the desert oasis of beautiful Las Vegas. Vegas is home to pretty much everything but a professional sports team (and is also another place I'd consider moving to when I retire). Obviously Vegas' population is probably around 50% full time residents and 50% seasonal residents/tourists. So that may be a tough sell for the NHL, but I know I for one could always use another excuse to visit Vegas if the Islanders were to come to town. Not to mention Anaheim and Los Angeles is within driving distance. Las Vegas already has a minor league franchise in the Wranglers and they usually have one preseason game there involving the Kings that sells out. So even if the team wasn't that great the arena would still be drawing in the other teams fans from around the US and Canada. And until our economy went into a bipartisan shitter, Las Vegas was one of the fastest growing cities in the country. Not to mention there are these things called Casinoes that generate a lot of revenue. I already have my choice of a name for the team, the Las Vegas Flying Elvises. It just rolls of the tongue nicely, not to mention it's been my fantasy team name for years now. So let's go Islanders and let's go Flying Elvises!