You probably know the achievements by now.
Seven Stanley Cup playoff appearances.
Four division titles.
Two Stanley Cup Final appearances.
One Stanley Cup.
That's quite an impressive resume for an expansion team in the past decade. Yet, some people will still discredit the Vegas Golden Knights by saying they're not one of the most incredible expansion stories around.
On top of that, the Golden Knights have the best winning percentage of all-time, clocking in at .585. Yep, I can already hear those haters talking about how they haven't been around long enough for people to care. While that might be true, it's still impossible to pull off a winning percentage of .585 in your first eight seasons.
The stats have shown how impactful Bill Foley has been on Las Vegas sports. Suddenly, he's entered the scene as one of the best owners in the NHL. Heck, you could even make a case he's one of the best owners in North American sports.
The funny thing is that Foley's hockey impact stems far beyond the Golden Knights. He's had an overall net positive effect on the state of hockey in Nevada overall. How, you ask?
How Bill Foley set the tone for hockey taking off in Nevada
Of course, there's acquiring the Henderson Silver Knights that made an impact on Nevada. On February 6, 2020, the Golden Knights announced they purchased the San Antonio Rampage from the San Antonio Spurs (sorry, Shawn Michaels). They intended to relocate them to Henderson and construct what would be Lee's Family Forum (although Orleans Arena was a cool place for hockey, not gonna lie).
In their first season in Nevada, the Silver Knights made the Calder Cup Final. They ultimately fell short to the Bakersfield Condors in 2020-21, yet they established themselves as a bona fide hockey franchise in the Silver State.
But Foley's contributions extend beyond the Silver Knights. It also involves the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation, which built the first ball hockey rink in the spring of 2021. Add $1.7 million in contributions and it's easy to see why Vegas's owner is such a likable guy.
Overall, hockey participation has grown by 200% since the Golden Knights arrived, according to the Foley Food and Wine Society. What's more is that hockey participation among women and girls grew by 327% over the last five years.
Imagine if a PWHL team comes to Sin City down the road. It'll be thanks to Foley's grassroots movement to popularize the game when people were skeptical of its success in Las Vegas.
That led to other franchises and clubs taking off in Nevada
Last season, the Tahoe Knight Monsters made their debut in the ECHL. They made it all the way to the second round of the Kelly Cup playoffs before bowing out. Hmm... that sounds eerily familiar. I wonder who else had similar success in their first season in the Silver State?
There's also UNLV's hockey club, which won the 2025 ACHA National Championship. They defeated the Adrian Bulldogs in the Men's Division 1 National Championship in impressive fashion, 7-3. It's good for the Golden Knights to have some company in the hockey championship department, eh?
Still, this all stems back to the Golden Knights becoming part of the Las Vegas community. Without Foley leading the charge, would Vegas lead the NHL in attendance capacity consistently? Would the team fulfill a promise of a Stanley Cup in six years?
Sometimes, I wonder what would've happened if the NHL never made its way here. It wouldn't be a pretty sight, mind you. But it also puts matters into perspective how Foley changed the game.
Without him, you don't have the number of children under eight years old enrolled in youth hockey programs from 100 to 900 in 2022. Without him, your promises aren't fulfilled.
Without him, where would the state of Nevada be in the hockey universe?