Group pushing NHL in Vegas advertises during Super Bowl

The group pushing for a National Hockey League team in Las Vegas used a TV ad during Sunday’s Super Bowl telecast to create more buzz around a season-ticket deposit campaign set to launch Feb. 10.

The team of Bill Foley of Jacksonville, Fla., and the Maloofs of Las Vegas bought two local 15-second spots as a bookend before and after another TV commercial in the first half of the NFL title game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Sea-hawks.

The Foley-Maloof partnership got the green light from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in December to pursue a ticket-deposit drive in hopes of drawing at least 10,000 commitments in the Las Vegas market to show the NHL that Southern Nevada is a viable big-league hockey market.

Foley-Maloof declined to say how much the local ad cost, but it was much less than the $4.5 million for a 30-second network Super Bowl commercial. Foley-Maloof’s public relations firm, R&R Partners in Las Vegas, made the media buy. The spot was broadcast only in the Las Vegas market.

The TV ad opens with a nighttime aerial view of the Strip, then shows generic hockey game scenes.

“Our city is where the world comes to play, and now it’s time for a brand new game. The NHL is coming to Las Vegas with your help,” a male voice said during the ad.

He then advises people to log onto www.vegaswantshockey.com.

The ad, which will continue to run in the Las Vegas TV market, created chatter Sunday on Twitter. Foley-Maloof is using the @LVWantsHockey handle on Twitter to stir social media conversations, and the hashtag is #vegaswantshockey.

The Foley-Maloof group said the NHL was aware of the art and messaging in the TV spot, which has been posted on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF1Tm1d2Rgo&list=UUVU5L-hfKzJE9_FoQcgqrFQ

Foley-Maloof has created a core group of 75 business leaders to recruit 60 season ticket commitments apiece, hired a ticket director and opened a sales office in the Henderson area as part of the ticket drive.

The minimum deposit is $150, which will be refunded if Las Vegas does not get a team and kept if the NHL awards a team.

Although the NHL has not officially approved a team for Las Vegas, Foley said he would be “shocked” if a team is not awarded a franchise if the 10,000-ticket deposit threshold is met.

Contact reporter Alan Snel at asnel@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5273. Find him on Twitter: @BicycleManSnel