Last week's nickname reveal for the Vegas Golden Knights, the NHL's expansion franchise, saw mostly positive reviews — just not from the U.S. Army.
It appears the hockey team has something in common with the U.S. Army Parachute Team, which has called itself the Golden Knights since 1960. That is cause for concern for some at the Army, and it expressed displeasure over finding out about the name at the same time as the public.
"We’re reviewing the situation and figuring out what the way ahead would be," Army spokeswoman Alison Bettencourt told the Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer this week.
"We understand that one of the Las Vegas team owners (Bill Foley) 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."
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Foley, a 1968 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, unveiled the name of his Las Vegas-based franchise Nov. 22 during a splashy ceremony at the T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip, where the team will begin play in the 2017-18 season. He originally sought to name the team the Black Knights as an ode to his alma matter, but backed off after resistance from West Point, which owns the trademark rights for its Division I athletic teams.
Legally, it would seem Foley is in the clear.
Along the months long process of creating an identity for his franchise, Foley in August obtained trademark licenses for the Golden Knights as well as the Silver Knights and Desert Knights, potential fall-back options. He said he opted for "Golden" in part to pay homage to Nevada’s gold mining industry.
"We didn’t check with the Army on the name Golden Knights because once we copyrighted and trademarked it, our lawyers and the NHL’s lawyers didn’t feel we needed to," Foley told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Tuesday . "I have great respect for the Golden Knights parachute team.
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"In fact, I tried to incorporate them into the ceremony last week but we couldn’t make it work."
Foley added that he sought and received permission from Clarkson College and the University of Central Florida to use the name shared by the schools.
It's worth noting the NHL's New York Rangers franchise, established in 1926, has shared a name with another Army division for decades.
"If the Army has an issue," Foley said, "I’ll be glad to talk to them."
