RODSERVATIONS

REPORTING ON MY TRAVELS

– It’s certainly been quite a week.  When we headed down to Las Vegas on the annual Harvard Broadcasting trip on Saturday, I had no idea what was going to be in store for the next five days.  By chance – thanks to Twitter – I learned that Bill Foley would be appearing live on a radio show at the Suncoast Hotel & Casino on Tuesday.  As was noted in Monday’s column, Foley is the man spearheading the movement to get an NHL expansion team for Las Vegas.  And boy, does that movement have legs.

– It was also learned that the Las Vegas “NHL team” would be holding a meet-and-greet with Foley and Las Vegas hockey fans Tuesday evening in a sports bar at the Suncoast.  I immediately began making plans and mapping out a strategy to get some facetime with Foley at some point on Tuesday.  And that, as it turns out, was a wild story.  I was also real glad that I packed a suit along with my shorts and sandals just in case an opportunity such as this presented itself.  Weird, I know, but it pays to be prepared.

– It should be mentioned that upon our arrival in Las Vegas on Saturday evening, I sent a note to Rider great Ray Elgaard (who’s lived in the Las Vegas area for some 20 years) that I’d be in town and would like to meet up.  Ray lives in the Las Vegas suburb of Summerlin but had no interest in making the long drive down to The Strip.  However if I were to find myself in Summerlin, I was to drop him a line.  Small chance of that, I thought.

– As it turns out, the Suncoast Hotel is in Summerlin, which is a $60 cabride from where we were staying.  I showed up at the Suncoast on Tuesday about 20 minutes before the radio show was to begin (at noon) and there was a large, well-dressed man standing near the radio set-up who told me he works for “Mr. Foley”.  He asked my intentions, and seeming satisfied with my answer, told me to wait nearby until the interview was over.  Just before the show began, Foley rolled in with an entourage which included – I’m guessing – a driver/security guy, and another gentleman who looked like a long-time friend of Foley’s.  These billionaires always travel with “a crew”, and Foley is no different.

– The live interview lasted an hour but Mr. Foley’s assistant told me afterwards that his boss had to run but would like to meet up with me later at the fan event.  That was music to my ears but left me with a few hours to kill before having to go on the SportsCage at 4:00 pm.

– So I sent a note to Ray Elgaard and he said his house is nearby so if I was willing to cab it over, he’d give me a ride back.  Away I went, and minutes later I was sitting poolside in Ray’s backyard discussing all things hockey and football.

Ironically, Tuesday was the same day the Gridiron Greats Hall of Fame announced Ray Elgaard would be among its 2015 induction class!  Ray posed for this photo in his backyard and then we chatted about the small, but tight, Las Vegas hockey fraternity.  Elgaard plays rec hockey four times a week and a teammate is former Pittsburgh Penguin Rod Buskas, a Wetaskin, AB product who settled in Las Vegas.  Everything was starting to come together!  Soon you’ll read how.

– Elgaard drove me back to the Suncoast Casino and I did the SportsCage radio spot live on 620 CKRM from a payphone in the hotel.  Then, I infiltrated The Game sportsbar and watched Stanley Cup Playoff games while Las Vegas hockey fans eventually filed in filling the joint to capacity.

Blessing (left) with Foley

– Sportstalk host Brian Blessing from 920 AM The Game all-sports radio moderated a Q&A with Foley where he took a bushel of questions from the crowd.  This was topical because Monday night in Winnipeg, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke at length about Las Vegas’s chances of getting an NHL team and all signs point to them landing a franchise within the next two years.

– Although Foley regularly pointed out that they don’t want to get ahead of themselves with the process, they’ve already sold 11,000 season ticket deposits for their team and have sold 38 out of 42 luxury suites at the 20,000 seat Las Vegas Arena which is scheduled to be finished construction one year from now.  And they’ve already designated a colour scheme of black, gold and silver for their team!  Even though they don’t even have a team.  Bill said he’s astounded by the support that’s been shown so early in the process.

– Interestingly enough, they haven’t picked a name yet.  They’ve stated they want no association or inference to gambling so you can forget about the “Las Vegas Aces”.  The nickname “Black Knights” has been bantied about however they plan to hold the always-popular “Name The Team” contest.  I’m submitting the name Las Vegas Americans.  That should grab the allegiances of any American looking for a team to cheer for, if they haven’t already got one.

(From left, Rod Buskas, Ray Elgaard, Debrah Buskas & Murray Craven)

– Lo and behold – during the fan event – Ray Elgaard shot me a text message saying that he was in attendance along with Buskas and former NHLer Murray Craven (who figures to be a big part of the Las Vegas NHL outfit).  They were excited to take in the festivities, and were seated in the corner of the sportsbar.

– The event wrapped up and here was my chance to get some one-on-one time with Foley for an interview for the SportsCage.  This was kind of staggering because I spent the past couple of months researching Foley’s background and trying to glean any info I could, however without any success.  Now, here he was, just a few feet away.  Crazy!

– However Foley’s assistant said again, time was tight and it was unlikely I’d be able to get my interview.  I slunked back to the table in the picture above and dejectedly told the boys my story.  Elgaard piped up, “That’s B.S.!  You’ve come this far and waited this long.  Go muscle your way in there!”

Yours truly interviewing Bill Foley

– So I did.  And Bill Foley could not have been more accomodating.  He obliged for a short interview which would later air on the SportsCage and we chatted about a number of things.  As the current face of the franchise, Bill was only too happy to chat about the NHL in Las Vegas and discuss his detailed plan moving forward.

– Now anybody’s first question would be “Do you think the NHL will be successful in Las Vegas?” but I quickly learned through the day’s events that these people are waaaayyyyyyy past that.  They know Las Vegas is starving for NHL hockey and all they want is the opportunity to show the rest of the world.  The area has 2.2-million people and of those, 130,000 are diehard hockey fans.  Add to that the fact Las Vegas attracted 41-million visitors in 2014 and 40% of those were Canadians!  It seems like a perfect fit.

– Gary Bettman seems to agree, however it will be on the NHL’s timeline and not Bill Foley’s.  Foley wants to drop the puck in September of 2016 however the NHL would prefer the 2017-18 season.  And they haven’t even filled out an official expansion franchise application yet!  That will happen in June.

– Many will still scoff at their dream.  That’s fine.  But consider this: the Arizona Coyotes have struggled to get a foothold in Phoenix for the past 20 years as they compete with the NFL’s Cardinals, the NBA’s Suns and MLB’s Diamondbacks.  Don’t forget the PGA and Nascar and the fact their arena is at least 40 minutes away from where any hockey fans are.  However in Las Vegas, they’ve always been a minor league town and now they strive to be Big League.  An NHL team would be their team.  Their only team.  And if you’ve ever flown into Las Vegas, you know it’s a five minute cab ride to where the Las Vegas Arena stands (right behind New York, New York).

You can drive six hours from Regina through a snowstorm to watch the Winnipeg Jets or hop a two-and-a-half hour flight to Sin City and be to the arena within minutes.  And you get to enjoy the warmth of the ever-present sun.

WIN!

– Having said that, it was great to get back to Canada Wednesday afternoon and take up my usual spot in the SportsCage talking sports on 620 CKRM.  It was also a great benefit to watch the live remote sports radio broadcast in Las Vegas to pick up a few notes on how it’s done in the big city.  More than that however, it was nice to get back to Canada where us hockey fans can enjoy a buffet of television coverage rather than endlessly channel surfing to find ONE Stanley Cup Playoff game on any given night in the USA.  In the States, NHL games are scattered all over NBCSN, USA Network, CNBC and whatever else you can hope to find.  You have to be determined to find it.  Up here, you can’t turn away from it.  Ask the football guys.

– Dave Randorf has made a seamless transition from the CFL on TSN panel to calling NHL play-by-play on Rogers Sportsnet.  It was a treat to watch him call the Anaheim-Winnipeg game on Wednesday. However watching Paul Romanuk call the Montreal-Ottawa series gives you flashbacks of watching a World Junior game on TSN in 1992.  Doesn’t it?

– One interesting note from the meet-and-greet in Las Vegas was that I met many hockey fans from all over the USA who’ve made Las Vegas their home.  I met a nice lady from Pittsburgh and having learned that I work in the CFL, she suggested we adjust our season so that it runs opposite the NFL.  “That way pro football fans like me would be able to enjoy the game year-round!” she exclaimed.

– What an epiphany.  Rather than tinkering with nine zany rule changes, how about moving the CFL season up to begin May 1 so as to avoid frigid playoff temperatures and the NFL season?  It makes too much sense to work in our league.  But, I suppose, if you want a seat at the CFL Rules Committee table, submit a resume.

– Another note: I received virtually NO blowback from the Monday column item where I wrote the Regina Pats were beset by the “Brandon Factor” in the 2015 WHL Playoffs.  If you didn’t read it, I mentioned that Wheat Kings Coach/GM/Owner Kelly McCrimmon is a league powerbroker who always gets the breaks from the league office.  Many hockey people told me, “You didn’t say anything that isn’t true”.  Well, I’ve seen it from the other side in the CFL so I know that it occurs.  The Saskatchewan Roughriders are the engine that drives the CFL and they’re on the “right end” of many calls and get the benefit-of-the-doubt more often than not.  Want proof?  How about the Riders avoiding a fine for breaking with league protocal in the 2013 Grey Cup and barging out of the tunnel as a team rather than politely waiting for individual player introductions?  Or how the rules were bent to allow Andy Fantuz to return from the Chicago Bears and play in the 2011 Labour Day Classic?  (Commissioner Mark Cohon’s ruling was later reversed after complaints from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers).

It happens.  And when you’re on the receiving end of it, you don’t lose any sleep or feel guilty. You just shrug your shoulders, be thankful, and hope it goes on for as long as possible.  Nothing lasts forever.

– Cinderella turned into a pumplin, or however that fairytale goes, for the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday evening.  The Anaheim Ducks completed a first round sweep with a 5-2 victory in Game 4 in the MTS Centre.  Perhaps the Riders’ Chris Getzlaf is a prophet considering he predicted, “The Jets might win a game” when we discussed the series last week in Florida.  It truly is too bad.  Winnipeg football and hockey fans are among the BEST in North America and they deserve so much more than they get.  Maybe next year.  Remember that feeling Rider fans?

– Meanwhile Game 4 of the Ottawa-Montreal series was a “waster” as far as my 2015 playoff pool goes.  I’ve got five Canadiens in the draft but they were whitewashed 1-0 by the Senators who staved off elimination on Wednesday.  If you’re gonna lose, could you have at least lost 6-5?

– Is there any time of the year other than the Stanley Cup Playoffs when you hear the word “stave”?  The definition of “Stave”: avert or delay something bad or dangerous.  As in, “I staved off going to the doctor for another year!”

– One last note — there’s still time to purchase tickets for Saturday night’s Regina Red Sox annual fundraising dinner at the Turvey Centre featuring Blue Jays great Devon White.  You can get your tickets at www.reginaredsox.com.  I’ll be the MC for the evening.  Red Sox GM Bernie Eiswirth will guest with us on the SportsCage on Thursday for our weekly baseball segment.

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THAT’S GOT IT FOR THIS WEEK!  DIDN’T EXPECT IT DID YA?
RP
@sportscage
Instagram: ridervoice