It’s nowhere near the seven minutes it took True North to sell out 13,000 season tickets in its effort to bring a franchise back to Winnipeg, but if the first day and a half of the prospective Las Vegas team’s ticket drive is any indication, then there could be a hearty appetite for NHL hockey in Nevada.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the ownership group for the prospective NHL franchise has reached the halfway point of its 10,000 season tickets goal.
The group, headed by lead investor Bill Foley and former Sacramento Kings owners (and brothers) Gavin and Joe Maloof, launched its campaign Tuesday. Fans could put down a deposit of as little as $150 or as much as $900 for premium seats.
“All the seats in all the sections are selling really well. They’re pretty even distributed,” Foley said in a statement.
If Las Vegas lands a franchise, which the Foley-Maloof group hopes can begin play for the 2016-17 season, the team will call a 17,500-seat-capacity, $375-million privately financed arena its home.
A pair of high-profile figures secured their seats Tuesday. UFC president Dana White and boxing superstar Floyd Floyd Mayweather Jr. both committed to season tickets. Canadian poker star Daniel Negreanu, who has voiced his support for Las Vegas as a hockey market, also committed to tickets.
“The town’s starving, absolutely starving, for a professional sports franchise,” Negreanu told the Toronto Star this week. “I’ve found the support to be overwhelming. People that live here, they’re dying for this.”
Fans can place their deposits at vegaswantshockey.com. In the event the Foley-Maloof group fails to land a franchise, fans will receive a full refund.
Five thousand season tickets sold in 36 hours is impressive for non-traditional hockey market. Now let’s see how the second half of this campaign goes.
