Las Vegas is obviously well known as America’s adult playground. Sin City, the place where you can go and let your inhibitions run wild.

But this trend of thinking that everyone who lives (and works) in Las Vegas are some sort of degenerate gamblers, smokers, and porn addicts is simply false. We are regular people, like all of you in your regular boring cities across this country and that other one above us.

Here’s the latest bunch of hooey, this time from TooManyMenOnTheSite.com.

With gambling comes drugs. Not to mention being close enough to the Mexican border to be a perfect destination for illegal drugs. It’s a place where people with money can go and have a good time. -Ryan Ritchie

Gambling = drugs is false, but let’s just let that one slide. The latter part is absolutely true. There are drugs here, and people with money often come to use them. However, the cause and effect that comes with it is just a bit off.

Does that sound like a good recipe for a young hockey player with millions of dollars?

Does it really make sense to put these kids at even higher risk in a city with a higher propensity of drug use and overall drug availability?

Now I don’t blame Mr. Ritchie for making this assumption because he’s probably never been to Vegas for longer than five consecutive days, and I’m pretty sure the motive of the article was to finally get Gary Bettman fired not to bag on Vegas. But it’s an assumption that happens FAR too often and it has to end, because it’s simply not fair.

Every major city, and really, every city, has drugs. People with money (i.e. professional hockey players) can get their hands on them if they try hard enough. Las Vegas will be no different.

The players will not live at Caesars Palace or the Bellagio and walk by the shysters on the Strip trying to sell them drugs. They’ll live in the nice part of town, drive their fancy cars to practices and games, and live the same life as an NHL player in any other city.

Do you see issues in Denver with players being high during every game? What about in Florida, are they all in constant danger of being arrested by Sonny Crockett and Rico Tubbs? How about in Montreal, are their hands too sticky to correctly grip the stick?

These things are stereotypes. Las Vegas has some rough ones, and for good reason, but they are not indicative of the real city these players would live in. Come to Vegas and venture off the one street you know, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find out we are just like anyone else, and NHL players living here won’t face any challenges they don’t face in any of the other 30 cities in the league.

Stop with this particular narrative please. There are better reasons to doubt Vegas as a hockey town, even though we’ll fight you on every single on of those too.