Bill Foley’s team-naming headache might not be over just yet.
U.S. Army officials are reportedly looking into the Las Vegas NHL franchise’s use of “Golden Knights,” because that nickname belongs to the army’s parachute team.
“We’re reviewing the situation and figuring out what the way ahead would be,” army Marketing and Research Group spokeswoman Alison Bettencourt told Steve DeVane of the Fayetteville Observer, a publication based near Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina.
Foley, the billionaire West Point graduate who owns the expansion club, announced the Golden Knights’ team name and logo last Tuesday. He is apparently aware of the parachute team’s name, but that isn’t stopping the army from taking a closer look.
“We understand that one of the Las Vegas team owners has army connections, and will likely understand our interest in this announcement is meant to protect the proud history of the army’s Golden Knights and their vital role in telling the army story and connecting America with their army,” Bettencourt said.
Foley’s search for a name was held up by copyright hurdles and the NHL’s reluctance to condone references to gambling.
After the Golden Knights’ ill-fated unveiling last week, the owner told Ed Graney of the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he originally wanted the army’s Golden Knights to parachute in on the ceremony, but it got “kind of complicated.”
Foley’s interest in using “Black Knights” dates back nearly two years, but that moniker was nixed because it belongs to army’s athletic program.
The ownership group also considered “Silver Knights” and “Desert Knights”before settling on the golden variation.
Smirfitts Speech 