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LAS VEGAS — Jason Zucker said he learned how to play hockey in a casino.

Growing up in Las Vegas, the Minnesota Wild forward would drive to a rink located about 20 minutes off the Strip; you had to walk past blackjack and poker tables and row upon row of slot machines just to get to the dressing room. But the poster boy for the NHL’s expansion to Sin City said he doesn’t play cards for money.

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In fact, he’s never even gambled.

It is one of the many misconceptions about living in Vegas.

“I’ve had numerous people ask me which casino I live in and questions like that, which makes no sense,” said Zucker, who was the first Nevada native to be drafted (59th overall in 2010) in the NHL. “But when you come here and only see the Strip, you don’t realize that there’s a suburban life as well.”

This is the part of Las Vegas that people rarely see.

With more than 220 direct flights landing per week, 70 casinos and some of the best restaurants and live shows in the world, Las Vegas attracts 40 million visitors a year according to various estimates. Beginning in 2017-18, the NHL will also be part of that all-you-can consume entertainment buffet when an expansion team is formally announced on Wednesday.