Golden Knights owner Bill Foley: ‘We’ve already moved our schedule up’

By Jesse Granger

Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018 | 2 a.m.

When Golden Knights owner Bill Foley unveiled the name and logo for his expansion franchise in November 2016, he set a timeline for success: Make the playoffs in three years. Win the Stanley Cup in six.

But after the best start for an expansion team in NHL history, the timeline has been altered.

“It does change our perspective a bit,” Foley said. “We’ve already moved our schedule up.”

Veteran scorers like James Neal and David Perron, both unrestricted agents after this season, were assumed by most to be nothing more than bargaining chips when the NHL season started. But with the Golden Knights leading the Western Conference with a record of 28-10-2 that may no longer be the case.

“I would say that instead of being on a six-year plan we need to be on a shorter plan,” Foley said. “My goal is to improve the team at the trade deadline, if possible. And that’s ultimately for George (McPhee) to decide if that’s possible.”

Vegas leads the second-place Winnipeg Jets by three points while having played two fewer games, and is now five points clear of the Los Angeles Kings for the lead in the Pacific Division.

“We are pleasantly surprised,” Foley said. “We knew we’d be competitive but you never know how things are going to come together.”

Early in the season, Foley watched games from an event-level suite, spending most of the contest socializing. But he quickly drew tired of that, and wanted a better view of the action.

“I just couldn’t see the game quite as well, so I moved to an upstairs suite so I could see it better,” Foley said. “I sit with George (McPhee) and (assistant general manager) Kelly McCrimmon and we watch the games together. I’m learning so much from these guys. I’m all about strategy.”

Foley says people often visit him during the game and he’ll make brief acquaintances before turning his attention back to the action.

“People think I’m antisocial but I’m working,” he said, laughing. “I’m watching the game.”

Following a win, which has been nearly every game at T-Mobile Arena to this point, Foley makes his way down to the locker room and congratulates the players before heading home.

“I’ve never had more fun than I’m having with this hockey team,” Foley said. “The games are so exhilarating. When I go home after a game I’m can’t go to sleep until 1-1:30 a.m. It’s insane.”

And while Foley enjoys watching the games with McPhee and McCrimmon, he lets them do their job when it comes to hockey operations.

“I ask (McPhee) questions about players and I ask him what his thought process is,” Foley said. “Things like ‘why this length of the contract?’ He’s a very smart guy and he’s very analytical. His background is unbelievable. It’s George’s job to run the hockey operation. What I try to do is be as informed as I probably can, and give him a perspective from a guy that’s been in business and dealt with business tactics and strategy.”

When Foley paid the NHL’s $500 million expansion fee to give Las Vegas its first professional team it was a gamble — especially in a city not known for its affinity for hockey. To this point it appears that gamble is paying off in spades.

“With the help of a lot of people, I’ve built some great companies over the years but nothing has been as gratifying as this,” Foley said. “I feel really good for the city of Las Vegas, and all of Clark County, Henderson and everyone. I feel great that my analysis and thought process has been validated.”

The average attendance at T-Mobile Arena is 17,854 which is 102.8 percent of the capacity thanks to hundreds of standing room tickets sold every game.

Hoards of fans gather at City National Arena in Summerlin every morning to watch practice. The stands are filled with overflowing fanatics spilling into the stairways, and fans stand three-rows deep along the boards, just to get a glimpse of their first-place hockey team.

Foley watches it from his office window, which overlooks it all.

“My theory was that Las Vegas wanted to have an identity other than The Strip,” Foley said. “Whenever I tell people I live in Las Vegas they say ‘you must go to The Strip all the time.’ But the reality is I never went there, and it’s the same for residents. Most of the people I know never gamble. For me this is a validation of a theory and premise that Las Vegas wanted an identity for themselves outside of the casinos everyone knows.”

The winning has certainly helped grow the fanbase at a much faster rate than anyone expected, but the Golden Knights’ efforts in the community deserve a lot of the credit as well. From their spectacular response following the Oct. 1 shooting on The Strip, to the players visiting children’s hospitals around town, to the growth of youth hockey.

“I believe we’re doing more than most expected,” Foley said. “The team feeds off of the community, and the community feeds off of the team.”

Jesse Granger can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Jesse on Twitter at twitter.com/JesseGranger_.