Las Vegas’ NHL team now has a name and will be called the Golden Knights.
The announcement was made on Tuesday, Nov. 22, five months after Las Vegas was awarded an expansion team. Team owner Bill Foley said Nighthawks and Sidewinders were other names considered for the team besides Knights. Foley also cleared up that the team will be referred to as the Vegas Golden Knights, not the Las Vegas Golden Knights because most people refer to the city of Las Vegas as just Vegas.
The Golden Knights colors are steel grey, gold, and red and black, which reflect the community and the focus of the team, according to NHL.com. The grey represents strength and durability; gold is because Nevada is the biggest gold producer in the U.S.; red is from the Vegas skyline, desert and Red Rock canyons and black represents power and intensity.
"I wanted to have a successful name and a successful logo, and we've done that," Foley said. "This logo, it exudes everything I'm proud of and everything I believe in, in terms of creating this team and this culture we're going to have around this team. The Knights are the epitome of the warrior class. They're team-oriented, they always stick together, they never give up, they never give in. And hockey players are warriors. They've always been team players, all for one. That's us. That's what we'll be."
The logo for the Golden Knights is a helmet with a V to represent Vegas. Secondary logos include swords that create the star from the Welcome to Las Vegas sign.
The NHL is the first of the four major sports to have a team in Las Vegas. The Golden Knights will fill their roster through an expansion draft and begin play with the 2017-18 season.
Fans reacted to the team’s name on Twitter.