THE NHL in LAS VEGAS

January 23, 2017

Las Vegas is finally cashing in on professional sports. And despite the delays in announcing the team name and logo, the excitement is growing as the Golden Knights work toward their debut at the T-Mobile Arena this fall.

The chosen name lacks the word "Las", but most refer to Sin City as "Vegas" just by itself. Many pundits dislike this, feeling it's a bit unprofessional and perhaps a little gimmicky. Despite the issues raised by the U.S. Army Parachute Team, I'm convinced these two, separate entities can co-exist with a similar moniker. The wordmark for the team features a custom (hybrid?) font and is mildly unique — but unspectacular in my opinion.

The primary logo features a knights helmet with v-shaped opening on the visor. The secondary logo is the real winner, with the Las Vegas sign's red starburst augmented by crossed swords. This logo could be used brilliantly for youth hockey programs and other team-related or sponsored endeavors.

Finally, the colors cited for the uniforms — steel grey, black, gold (x2) and red — are yet to be judged in the context of the jersey design. Adidas takes over as the official supplier of the NHL in 2017-18. Unveiling of the jerseys will take place sometime during the first half of this year, perhaps coinciding with the Expansion Draft in June. Stay tuned!