Golden Knights owner Bill Foley won’t give Seattle team advice

By Ben Gotz

Las Vegas Review-Journal

6 years ago

Golden Knights owner Bill Foley is all smiles before the start of Vegas’ game four playoff matchup with the Los Angeles Kings during a watch party at the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino on Tuesday, April 17, 2018, in Las Vegas. Benjamin Hager Las Vegas Review-Journal @benjaminhphoto

The NHL’s newest expansion team in Seattle will look to replicate the Golden Knights’ success when it joins the league in 2021, but its ownership group hasn’t asked Bill Foley for advice.

And if it did, the Knights owner wouldn’t give it.

“I wouldn’t volunteer anything,” Foley said Friday on the Review-Journal’s Golden Edge podcast. “It’s none of their business. We’re here to win, and I’m not here to help the other guys win. We’re here to make the Vegas Golden Knights the best team in the league.”

Foley did say adding a 32nd team was “fantastic” for the league and that he thinks Seattle will be successful. He just doesn’t want his new Pacific Division rival’s success to come at the expense of the Knights.

So, no, he won’t give Seattle any expansion draft tips or other advice. But the Knights will be available to assist other teams during the draft, even though they won’t be participating.

“We’ll just be here to help the other teams in case they need some help, in case someone needs to get off their roster or they need someone to meet the expansion draft rules,” Foley said. “We’re the good guys.”

Foley wants a “dynasty”

Foley admitted entering last season that he “really didn’t have a clue” what to expect for the Knights’ first year in the NHL.

Now, coming off an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, things are different.

“My expectations are higher this year because I really felt that (general manager) George (McPhee) did a lot to improve that second line if we could just get everybody healthy,” Foley said. “I have high expectations, and I expect to win. I expect to win every game. I don’t accept defeat, I don’t accept giving up, and our guys don’t, either. I just had an empty feeling after we lost that Stanley Cup.”

Foley’s expectations don’t stop with winning that first Stanley Cup. He wants his team’s name on the trophy multiple times.

“My expectation now is not just to win the Stanley Cup, my expectation is to be a dynasty in the league like many other teams have been,” Foley said. “Like Pittsburgh and like Detroit were years ago, and Boston has been. We expect to be a dynasty and win consistently and be in the playoffs consistently and win multiple Stanley Cups.”

Pirri reflects on “fun” night

Forward Brandon Pirri played in his first game at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday against the New York Islanders and made the most of it. The 27-year-old scored in his season debut, giving him four goals in three career games with the Knights.

“After I scored, it was pretty loud, so it was a lot of fun,” Pirri said after a 4-2 victory. “(Coach Gerard Gallant) put me in a really good position to succeed. If a guy does that for you, you want to repay him.”

No Miller

Defenseman Colin Miller, who missed Thursday’s game with an undisclosed injury, did not practice Friday.

More Golden Knights: Follow at reviewjournal.com/GoldenKnights and @HockeyinVegas on Twitter.

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.