Have you ever wondered about the name origins of a sports team and how they came to be? Numerous franchises have their origin stories about their monikers, each of which tells a unique story. For example, the Anaheim Ducks were originally the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. They were named this after the movie, "The Mighty Ducks," starring Emilio Estevez.
Believe it or not, the Walt Disney Company owned the team back in the day. They used the name for marketing purposes, honing in on merchandise sales and promoting the movies. When you're a big company like Disney, you can do whatever you please with your sports team. Imagine if a company like Comcast Spectacor named their NHL team, the Philadelphia Shreks (they'd be a team full of... All-Stars).
That brings us to the Vegas Golden Knights, a team uniquely named in the NHL landscape. Who would imagine a "Golden Knight" playing hockey and scoring goals? Not many people, which makes the origin much more unique. However, there's more to the story than simply coming up with the moniker.
Bill Foley had other names in mind for the franchise, ultimately choosing the "Golden Knights" choice everyone sees today. The decision laid the groundwork for a team that would become beloved in a city, with the owner responsible for their uprising. With that, here's the origin story of how the name, "Vegas Golden Knights," came to be.
Bill Foley wanted to honor his time with the Army Black Knights
Foley was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He also served in the U.S. Air Force, where he attained the rank of captain. The Golden Knights owner received numerous accolades for his time in the military, including the Distinguished Graduate Award from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He earned the award for his character and distinguished services, representing West Point's values of "Duty, Honor, and Country."
"My whole idea was to create a logo and a name that was powerful, that would epitomize the warrior class. The knights are the epitome of the warrior class, the top of the line in terms of defending the realm, defending the unprotected. This is all part of the culture we want to create with the hockey team. And hockey players are warriors and they're team players, they're not individuals, they're playing together."Bill Foley to ESPN
So what better way to represent these values than naming his new team the "Black Knights?" Las Vegas had a deep military history and it would honor their legacy, too. Sadly, numerous factors prevented him from doing this, including a conflict with the Army. "Vegas Knights" were out of the picture as well because of the OHL's London Knights.
Therefore, the "Golden Knights" were born, honoring the U.S. Army Parachute Team. Of course, this led to a lengthy trademark battle with the Army, where it was eventually settled in 2018 with a co-existence agreement.
The overall impact of the Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights moniker wouldn't exist today without these events happening, making the team who they are. Of course, Bill Foley played a major role in the team's formation, putting in the right people and players.
That includes the team name, which has become a polarizing figure within the NHL community. Either you love Vegas for their successes or you despise them for those same successes. That happens when you make the Stanley Cup Final in your first season and win one in your first six years.
Either way, it created a hockey force that brought the sport to Las Vegas. It galvanized a community through their victories and defeats, making them a beloved figure in Nevada. Here's to many more years of Golden Knights hockey.