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Las Vegas NHL arena installs ice (Photo)

By Dave Stevenson

LAS VEGAS, NV - October 7, 2016: A general view of a Frozen Fury practice puck during a preseason game between the Dallas Stars and the L.A. Kings at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Dallas Stars would defeat the L.A. Kings 6-3. (Photo by Marc Sanchez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.)
LAS VEGAS, NV - October 7, 2016: A general view of a Frozen Fury practice puck during a preseason game between the Dallas Stars and the L.A. Kings at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Dallas Stars would defeat the L.A. Kings 6-3. (Photo by Marc Sanchez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.) /
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T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas got its first taste of NHL hockey as it had its first sheet of ice installed.

Las Vegas will have an NHL team ready for the 2017 season. They have started undergoing preparations, such as selling season tickets and figuring out the logistics of having a hockey team. One of those preparations includes finding an arena. They have already found one in T-Mobile Arena. The arena recently had its first ever sheet of ice installed.

Installing ice is a fairly complicated process. Since T-Mobile Arena hosts a variety of concerts, it should be interesting to see if Vegas can keep up. Las Vegas will be getting an expansion team, so there will be an expansion draft next summer to determine which players the new team will have. The team has already found a general manager in former Washington Capitals general manager George McPhee.

It remains to be seen if Las Vegas will be able to sustain a hockey team. Vegas is not a traditional hockey market, though the same thing could have been said for Tampa Bay when they first got a team and the Tampa Bay Lightning have flourished there. The league has a lot riding on Vegas, so hopefully it will be a success.

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