Vegas franchise owner rules out 'Sand Knights' name
The Las Vegas Sand Knights is a no go, says team owner Bill Foley.
Foley commented Friday on the names leaked in recent weeks to Nicholas J. Cotsonika from NHL.com.
"It's creating a lot of excitement in Las Vegas," Foley said. "I mean, all I do is get harassed every day by people who have a name idea or, 'Use this name,' or, 'What's the name going to be?'
"It's in the news all the time, so we're front of mind."
Las Vegas has trademarked Silver Knights, Golden Knights, and Desert Knights, while registering domains for Red Hawks and Desert Hawks, though Foley added he's grabbed a few decoy names as a means of misdirection.
Earlier this offseason, Foley secured Nighthawks as a secondary option. The first choice remains unknown, and Foley intends to keep it a secret until the team's mid-October unveiling.
Still, Foley added the Sand Knights nickname, revealed earlier this week, "never was" a possibility, though his preference remains for a two-word name.
As it stands, the NHL has just three two-word named teams: the Blue Jackets, Red Wings, and Maple Leafs.
Foley also discussed some of the names submitted by fans.
"Aces is pretty good," Foley said. "We could produce some pretty interesting logos. I was kind of focused on a little different direction than Aces.
"A lot of people like Scorpions, but the scorpion is a defensive animal. We're not going to be defensive. So I didn't want that."
While the NHL has denied gambling-related names, Aces could depict the fighter jets at Nevada's Nellis Air Force Base.
From the beginning, Foley - a graduate of West Point, the U.S. Military Academy - has preferred a name that reflects his military background.
"My goal is to really have a culture that has a military origin to it, of loyalty, strength, perseverance," he said. "We never stop trying. We never give up. We never give in. That kind of culture."
Team representatives will continue to meet with NHL officials and NHL jersey manufacturer, Adidas, in finalizing the design, color scheme, and logo.
The hope remains the team will have merchandise available by the start of the regular season.