WalletHub posted a study on Wednesday regarding the best hockey cities in the United States. Their methodology included the number of Hall of Fame head coaches, Stanley Cup wins, and stadium capacity. Of course, there are notable names such as Detroit, Denver, and Boston. They've earned notable reputations as desirable hockey cities through past successes, reliable NCAA programs, and countless Stanley Cups.
However, Las Vegas didn't do as well, ranking 19th overall in the survey. That's just above the worst NHL cities, namely Columbus, San Jose, and Los Angeles. In fact, Chicago wasn't ranked highly in this study (15th). The city with "Chelsea Dagger" and three Stanley Cup wins in the 2010s era! How did they get shafted in this study along with Las Vegas?
Most of all, how are cities like Sunrise and Anaheim ranked higher? Franchises that don't have much history get a better ranking than Sin City for being hockey cities. Yes, Sunrise has a hockey team that is back-to-back Eastern Conference champions. That's all thanks to Matthew Tkachuk and company. However, Las Vegas deserves more love, especially with the instant success known as the Vegas Golden Knights. Here are some reasons why Sin City deserves more love as a hockey city.
Vegas Golden Knights fans are one of the best fanbases in the NHL
Let's look at NHL attendance based on stadium capacity since not all arenas are built the same. For every United Center that can house over 20,000 fans, there's a Canada Life Centre, which barely houses over 15,000. The Vegas Golden Knights reached 105.3% capacity during this season's playoffs, the best in the NHL.
"But this year's playoffs don't mean much since Las Vegas only hosted three playoff games!"
Yes, that's true. However, this regular season also speaks for itself, with the Golden Knights finishing second in the same category (103.6%, 0.2% behind the Minnesota Wild). That's ahead of reputable hockey cities such as Boston and Denver. Not bad for a team with one of the highest ticket prices in the NHL.
It isn't just filling T-Mobile Arena that should make Las Vegas a more reputable name. Although the Golden Knights didn't get a true Nielsen rating after switching to an over-the-air station, Comscore reported a 36% increase in viewership, which would rank as the third-largest in the league. Add a Stanley Cup as the cherry on top and you have a team that deserves more recognition.
Nobody's been more successful out of the gate than Vegas
Making the playoffs in six of your first seven seasons is a remarkable accomplishment. Making the Stanley Cup Finals twice in that span is even more awe-inspiring. The Vegas Golden Knights have done this, taking the NHL by storm in the process.
That comes with the territory of having the best playoff-winning percentage of all time (.600). Yes, it's silly to pump up such a statistic when a franchise has only played in less than a decade. However, it's tough to name another team with as much starting success as Vegas. Only Edmonton (.686) and Montreal (.650) can boast about having a better playoff-winning percentage in their first six seasons in the playoffs.
With that success comes fans who will feverishly support the team. That also comes with having the 2022 NHL All-Star Game at T-Mobile Arena and the upcoming NHL Draft at the Sphere. Granted, there could be a stronger social media following, particularly on Facebook and Twitter. However, Las Vegas is off to a red-hot start as a hockey city. The future looks bright for a region that looks to take over the NHL... and the world.