William Foley, the billionaire who aims to park an NHL franchise right on the Las Vegas Strip, will meet with the NHL this week to begin setting up the parameters for an enormous gamble — a season-ticket drive to gauge whether Sin City’s locals crave a major pro sports league.

Foley won’t have to work hard for his first season-ticket holder.

“If they came here, I guarantee I’ll be a season-ticket holder of 41 games. Guaranteed,” said Evan Zucker, the 27-year-old older brother of the first-ever Nevada-raised and trained NHLer, the Wild’s Jason Zucker.

Hockey in Vegas is not big, but the Zucker family, especially Evan, is entrenched. When Evan’s not doing his day job working for an electrical company that helps keep Vegas casinos lit, you’ll find him at one of the city’s two ice rinks.

He’s assistant coach of the Las Vegas Storm, a Tier-3, Junior A team that plays in the 28-team Western States Hockey League. He’s head coach of the Nevada Storm, Las Vegas’ midget AA team. And he assists virtually every other Las Vegas youth team.

When Jason Zucker was 2 months old and Evan 5 years old, the Zucker family moved from California. Somehow, Evan got the hockey bug, especially roller hockey (he played in some pro leagues and for Team USA) and finally ice hockey (Junior B in Canada). That passion continued with brothers Adam, 24, and Jason, 22, sister Kimmie, 16, and kid brother Cameron, 13, whom Zucker coaches.

Evan feels the moment locals get inside the $350 million arena MGM is building next to New York New York, “they’ll fall in love with hockey like us. We have UNLV sports, a AAA baseball team, but there’s nothing else. You have 2 million people here with nothing to do, and that doesn’t include the 1 or 2 million people who come in every month for tourism.

“I know teams make their living off season-ticket holders, but the casinos will get involved and with the amount of tourists that come here, I think it’ll work.”

The NHL wants to find out. Commissioner Gary Bettman wants this to happen. That was confirmed when Bettman got permission from the owners for Foley to conduct this unique experiment.

Last month, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said he toured the Vegas arena and dined a few days before with potential ownership. NHL owners want it for the $450 or $500 million expansion fee they’ll split 30 ways.

Players would love it, too, and so would beat writers.

“I bet there’d be a serious home-ice advantage, and some very low-quality articles written,” joked Wild GM Chuck Fletcher, well aware of my infatuation with Vegas (I half considered not leaving the poker table one June afternoon when the Wild traded for Brad Staubitz).

In all seriousness, the NHL has to be right on this. With revenues soaring, the last thing the NHL needs is another Glendale or South Florida.

My gut? Vegas can thrive as long as we all understand the formula to make Vegas succeed will be different from every place else.

For instance, Vegas is an industry town where most locals work Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays, so there will need to be more afternoon games and lots of Monday/Tuesday night games. And we’ll all need to accept a large chunk of tickets will go to out-of-town gamblers willing to leave the casino for 140 minutes to shell out $80 for a ticket.

Heck, that’s a measly pass-line and odds bet on the craps table and less than it costs to see Celine Dion.

No show is better than a Vegas show. So to make it work, the behind-the-scenes flair that comes with a Vegas hockey game will look very different from, say, Minnesota.

Hockey is fast. Hockey is electrifying. Hockey is incredible live. That lends itself perfectly with the 24/7 pace of Vegas.

“Go down to the strip on a Tuesday night at midnight, it’s packed,” Evan Zucker said. “Tourists will go, and get people out here to just one game, it’ll be a hit.”

NHL Short Takes

Stadium Series update

In my sit-down last month with Bill Daly, the NHL’s deputy commissioner said “there’s an outdoor game in Minnesota’s future. I think the chances are good for a Stadium Series game next year.”

There is only one Stadium Series game this season — San Jose hosting Los Angeles in Santa Clara, Calif. — after four last year.

There are many factors why there is only one game this season, but one reason is because of a lawsuit against the Philadelphia Flyers last year.

“I mean, it’s crazy when you think about it, but basically they got sued because they removed a regular-season game from the season-ticket package and didn’t make it available to the fans on the basis that they’d be able to buy it at [Wells Fargo Center],” Daly said. “There was no judgment, but there was a settlement.”

So to protect itself, the league sent new language for teams to include in their season-ticket packages in the event they got an outdoor game. However, a number of teams had already sent their renewal notices out, including the Wild. Apparently, the Sharks had not.

Perspective lost

Not often is a coach sacked the day after his team rallies from a 3-0 deficit to win, but that’s just what happened to Ottawa’s Paul MacLean last week.

The final nail in his coffin was when he told reporters, “All I know is I’m scared to death no matter who we’re playing. And sometimes I’m scared to death of who I’m playing.”

GM Bryan Murray was irked by the comment.

“I thought we lost four games in a row. I didn’t think we lost our sense of humor,” MacLean said after being fired.

For hire

The Buffalo Sabres are looking to trade Chris Stewart, who was scratched one game last week.

“I don’t agree with being a healthy scratch, but I’m going to take it on the chin like a man,” said Stewart, who has three goals and is minus-11.

Wild's week ahead

Tuesday: at Chicago, 7:30 p.m. (FSN)

Wednesday: vs. Boston, 7 p.m. (NBCSN)

Saturday: vs. Nashville, 7 p.m. (FSN)



Player to watch: Filip Forsberg

The talented, very dangerous Predators forward is having a breakout season after being heisted from the Washington Capitals for Martin Erat.



VOICES

"I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone on the ice in that condition."

Kyle Brodziak on seeing teammate Keith Ballard in dire straits after being hit Tuesday.