Way back in the process The Creator revealed plans to allow for fans of the team, and specifically season ticket holders, the opportunity to vote on their favorite name for the team. As the expansion process began to come to a close and Las Vegas was finally awarded a team that appeared to be less and less likely to be the case.

We can now confirm fans will NOT be given the opportunity to vote on the final name of the new Las Vegas NHL franchise.

Because of our tight timeline, we have submitted several names and potentials logos to the NHL staff for input. -Michelle Kersch, VP of Communications

This was the response we received responding directly to a question asking if the name contest has been cancelled. The team has submitted nine names to the league with a few of them expected to be variations of Knights.

In the end there’s no debating that the man who paid $500 million deserves the right to name his new franchise, however the promise to allow fans to vote was a pretty serious oversight. On the original FAQ’s on the VegasWantsHockey (now VegasIsHockey) website the naming contest was mentioned, it now says “The name of the team will be announced at a later date.”

There’s little doubt the name will eventually announced as Knights or Black Knights with a small chance of Silver Knights.

The Creator has been dropping hints for a while now that they will bypass the contest, and he ramped it up a bit since the announcement of the team.

We need to get this name, get this logo done and start selling some jerseys. -The Creator

Whether it’s timing or fear of a name such as Aces or Rat Pack winning out, they aren’t going to take the chance. The process has started and the fans aren’t involved.

In the end, team name is not even close to the most important decision that’s going to be made over the next 16 months, but this was an error and really the first thing that’s gone wrong from a PR perspective.