What If Everything Ever Said About The Las Vegas NHL Team Name Is A Lie

Disclaimer: This post is NOT news. It is just an attempt to put forth a possible explanation as to what is really going on behind the scenes and why the Las Vegas team name process seems so convoluted. This is simply a theory that will make sense to some, and none to others. Deep down, I do not believe this theory to be true, but what fun would the Internet be if we didn’t at least throw it out there. So here goes…

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What if everything we’ve been told about the team name since June 22nd, the day Las Vegas was officially awarded a team, was a lie? The gambling name ban, the London Knights fiasco, the Hawks situation, the trademarks, the domains, the color scheme, everything. What if it all were simply a ploy to keep us away from the real name and allow The Creator and his brand new organization to blow our socks off with something completely shocking at the announcement party?

And maybe the more important question, would you care? That’s where this entire concept begins. We’re talking about a team name. In theory the most insignificant piece of information surrounding the team in terms of the on-ice product. It’s a victimless string of lies or maybe we should call them mistruths, and the reason this all makes sense.

Let’s start all the way back before Las Vegas was ever awarded a team. At the time it was clear, if/when the NHL finally awards a franchise to the city, the prospective owner would like to name it Black Knights, in an attempt to pay homage to his alma mater, Army West Point. All other names were secondary, and in a way unacceptable if Black Knights was passable. But apparently it wasn’t.

Here’s the official answer that’s been given as to why.

There were too many objections from my alma mater and then some push-back from some other people. -The Creator

However, one has to wonder if it really came from the NHL, and this is a way to protect the real reasons why it didn’t make the cut.

Remember, before the team was granted, the league was not willing to instruct Las Vegas in any way. They had to remain coy in case the Board of Governor’s pulled a fast one and declined expansion. But once the team was made official, the league was there to help. And it just so happens right around June 22nd, the name Black Knights went from the clear leader to a castoff.

Is it possible the NHL had a problem with it? Is it possible the squeaky clean league was concerned about using the word “black” in 2016? Or even, is it possible an executive finally discovered that Black Knights is a term currently being used by a “well trained sniper assassin group” linked to the Black Lives Matter movement

Whether or not any of these are the actual reason, the fact of the matter remains, prior to the team announcement Black Knights was the one, after, it suddenly wasn’t. Nonetheless, a new name was now needed. So on we go, through the process of selecting a new name, now with three parties working together to choose something that will become synonymous with Las Vegas hockey, all the while protecting it to make sure they make the biggest splash at the unveiling event.

Tall task, but we’re talking about three very powerful organizations working to make sure everything goes smoothly.

1. The Creator, who is the CEO of one of the world’s largest investment firms, the owner of a winery which bears his name, the developer of a world class resort/lodge in Montana, the chairman of a restaurant group, a trustee on the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, and most importantly the checkbook behind the entire Las Vegas hockey organization.
2. Adidas, the owner of Reebok, the official provider of athletic equipment to athletes, teams, and leagues all over the world, and an apparel powerhouse that generations a revenue north of $16 billion.
3. The NHL, one of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States, and the undisputed best hockey league in the world.

These are people who have been there, done that. Who understand trademarks, domains, social media, marketing, sales, and everything else that goes along with the process of selecting, securing, and selling a professional sports team name. Are we really supposed to believe these three organizations wouldn’t realize we would discover their domains, unearth their trademarks, and dig until we found their name?

So, what if they gave us false nuggets to dig for? Bought up domain names to give us something to write about? Filed for trademarks to lead us down the wrong path? Utilized everything they knew the Internet savvy world would eventually find as free marketing for a team that refuses to do it themselves?

I have (included fake names as a misdirect). I think it’s irritating a few people. -The Creator

So yes, they have, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Obviously there are fake names in the mix. The only way there aren’t fakes is if the team is called the Las Vegas Golden Silver Desert Knights and their home website is LasVegasRedHawks.com. But it must be asked, how much of a misdirection are we talking about?

Since the moment Black Knights was ruled out, two themes have consistently appeared when discussing the Las Vegas team name. First, the rules and regulations surrounding domains and trademarks, something even The Creator has not been afraid to discuss. Second, is the consistent reminder of how much easier this would have been if  “people weren’t filing domain name registrations on previously mentioned names.”

Call me crazy, but those two concepts are literally fighting against each other. On one hand they’re teaching us about domain names and trademarks in an attempt to explain why the process is so difficult, while on the other they wish people weren’t so smart about domain names and trademarks so they could just go about their business.

Let’s try and learn from our short history. Before Las Vegas got a team, every quote from Gary Bettman, Bill Daly, or any member of the Board of Governor’s was non-committal. Every step of the way there was an out. If it didn’t happen, there was nothing ever said that would make anyone look bad. Every word was calculated.

Now, with the team name, there are mentions of Black Knights, Silver Knights, Desert Knights, Red Hawks, Night Hawks, Aces, Blackjacks, Scorpions, and the list goes on and on. Yet all the while we know, this entire process would be so much easier if the name had never been mentioned at all. Was that not calculated as well? Why tell us what to look for, when you clearly don’t want us to find it?

So make the jump, and join the conspiracy. The name has never been mentioned, and everything about the name has been a lie. It had to be, otherwise the ball was in our court, not theirs. And honestly, the lies are okay. The only people who stand to lose anything are those who bought up domain names attempting to exploit the pocketbook of our billionaire owner.

It’s time to re-think it all. No gambling names. Nothing with snakes. “Ken, stop it with the Rat Pack.” The trademarks. The color scheme. The domain names. Teleconferences with Adidas, back up names, the London Knights, the Black Knights, the unveil timeline. Everything! They are all mistruths.

IT’S ALL A BIG LIE!

So what is the team name? Great question. I haven’t the slightest clue. And that’s exactly where they want us.