The Vegas Golden Knights. That’s the name of the newest National Hockey League franchise. Announced Tuesday night in front of a huge crowd at Toshiba Plaza in Las Vegas, hockey fans finally learned the name of the 31st club to join the NHL.
Just a short five months ago, Las Vegas was awarded an expansion franchise from governing NHL officials. Since then, much hype has surrounded the team as the staff came together, season tickets went on sale, and fans awaited the team’s name and logo. Now, the waiting is over. Check out the Knights’ logo:
Photo courtesy of NHL.com
Starting in the 2017-2018 season, the Golden Knights will become part of the NHL’s Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Teams like the Anaheim Ducks and L.A. Kings are just of couple of potential division rivals that could present themselves early in the franchise’s inaugural season.
With the team being named and things shaping up for next season, you may be wondering how the Golden Knights will get players. Here’s your answer courtesy of NHL.com:
“The Golden Knights will fill out their roster through an expansion draft. The 30 other NHL teams must submit their list of protected players by 5 p.m. ET June 17, 2017. Vegas will pick one player from each team and submit its selections by 5 p.m. ET June 20, and the announcement of the selections will be made June 21.”
Simple enough, right? Keeping things current, here’s a look at just a few of the tweets that came out of the Vegas announcement on Tuesday:
⚡️ “Introducing the Vegas @GoldenKnights”https://t.co/e18SXBp1az
— NHL (@NHL) November 23, 2016
.@GoldenKnights Welcome! See you soon in #Smashville! pic.twitter.com/HMSlsHpqdu
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) November 23, 2016
Now it's official. Welcome to the league, @GoldenKnights! We have a feeling we'll get to know each other pretty quickly.
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) November 23, 2016
Welcome, @GoldenKnights! #BoldInGold pic.twitter.com/KlftTz7G2h
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) November 23, 2016
.@GoldenKnights And to think they said hockey wouldn't last in the desert. 😏
Welcome to the show! We're glad to have you. pic.twitter.com/UKzENrsEBD
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) November 23, 2016
Vegas, enjoy this knight. We'll see you for the 2017-18 season. #BoldInGold pic.twitter.com/sCg53jouOI
— NHL (@NHL) November 23, 2016
Welcome to the NHL, Vegas Golden Knights.
