A big return is in the works for the Las Vegas Golden Knights, the NHL books the Las Vegas sphere for the draft, and the search for the Raiders' head coach continues. Let's talk last week in Las Vegas sports (Jan 1 - 7).
#5 The Las Vegas Golden Knights get good news about Adin Hill
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Las Vegas Golden Knights goalie Adin Hill is close to a return after participating in practice last Friday. The news comes after Hill left a December 17 game against the Ottawa Senators due to what was later described as a lower-body injury. Hill then went on to miss the last seven games on the schedule.
This resulted in a 1-6 slide for Las Vegas, removing them from the top spot in the Pacific division. Hill practicing again is a great sign and could help them get back on track. Coach Cassidy even claims they might see Hill back on the ice as soon as next week.
“He’s back skating with the group, so that’s another step,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said during an interview. “I anticipate we’ll see Adin at some point next week if he keeps making those steps in practice.”
#4 Businesses asking Clark County, Formula 1 for compensation
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Sin City hosted Formula One for the Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2023, but not everyone is happy. Several businesses along the Strip portion claim to have lost a significant amount of money due to the race. They are now banding together to ask the Clark County Government, the LVCVA, and Formula One for compensation.
One owner claims his business lost millions because customers couldn't access his store during the race weekend.
“We believe the county is responsible. They’re using taxpayer dollars to bring F1 into town. When F1 went before the county, they promised they would not be a hindrance, that they would be a part of the community,” the owner said. “What they did was they came in, tore everything up, ran the race, and got the hell out of dodge. . . If this (the business loss) happens again next year, I will be out of business one hundred percent.”
#3 NHL draft beats UFC Fight to become first sporting event at the Sphere
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The NHL is reportedly finalizing contracts with the Las Vegas Sphere to host the NHL draft from June 28 to 29. This will happen three months before the UFC’s Noche card, which was initially supposed to be the first sporting event in the Sphere. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has this to say about the announcement.
“I think it’ll be pretty dramatic... It will be the first sporting event in the Sphere, and I think it’ll be a pretty well-viewed event both in terms of the draft itself and the viral use of the Sphere inside and outside the globe. We think it’ll be fun. We think it’ll be dramatic and compelling.”
The Sphere is a $2.3 billion arena that utilizes a 16k resolution wrap-around LED screen that takes immersion to the next level.
More:
sporting events coming to Las Vegas in 2024
#2 Speculation on next Las Vegas Raiders head coach
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There's no chance of the Las Vegas Raiders making the NFL playoffs. Instead, they face many looming decisions that will affect their future. The biggest is the ongoing head coach search, which has several remarkable candidates.
Guys like Jon Gruden, Rich Bisaccia, Jim Harbough, and Antonio Pierce. Raiders owner Mark Davis has to make the tough decision, and some reports claim he may go with Pierce. This is supposedly due to his regret of not picking Rich Bisaccia when Bisaccia rallied the team in 2021.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated: "One thing I’ve heard is that Davis may have a big swing in him and that he’d go with Pierce if that swing weren’t to work out. A couple of things should help Antonio Pierce with Mark Davis. the first is that Davis still harbors some regret over not giving Rich Bisaccia another year after Bisaccia united a team that was going through a lot—the Jon Gruden fiasco, and Henry Ruggs and Damon Arnette’s off-field problems—and got the Raiders to the playoffs. The second is that Davis does listen to his players.”
#1 Las Vegas Raiders win season finale against Denver Broncos 27-14
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Las Vegas Raiders[/caption]
On Sunday, the
Las Vegas Raiders defeated the Denver Broncos 24-17 at Allegiant Stadium to close out their 2023-2024 season. Aidan O'Connell captained the ship and completed 20 of 31 passes for 244 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Zamir White took 22 carries for 125 yards to lead the Raiders rushing game. Jakobi Meyers even punched in a five-yard touchdown to put them up by seven. The Broncos responded with a 24-yard touchdown from Jarrett Stidham to Jerry Jeudy to tie the game and put Las Vegas on notice.
However, Daniel Carlson didn't let that stand and knocked in a field goal to give them a three-point lead. O'Connel later connected with Davantae Adams to give them a ten-point lead at halftime. Las Vegas then hit the Broncos with another gut punch after O'Connell connected with Jakobi Meyers for a 33-yard touchdown. This pretty much ended the game and left the Broncos with no chance of a comeback.
Another big highlight for the Las Vegas Raiders was their defense, which sacked Stidham five times throughout the game. The defense also nabbed one interception and kept the Broncos out of the endzone for the most part. This is one of their best games to date and sets expectations high for the upcoming 2024 season.
Antonio Pierce deserves special consideration for ending the season with a victory, which is a big plus in the ongoing coaching search. O'Connell also has done everything possible to prove he deserves the starting job, but he will face a lot of competition next year, too.
Next:
Everything you need to know about TNA Hard to kill coming to Las Vegas