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Vegas expansion group mulling ‘Nevada’ moniker (Updated)

Las Vegas

Bill Foley, spearheading the group trying to bring an expansion NHL team to Las Vegas, is contemplating using the “Nevada” name for the organization.

"[Nevada] has a good catch to it. It’s more inclusive,” Foley said, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “It has a lot of merit. I prefer it. We want to include everyone.”

Foley added he would “follow up” on the idea with both his public relations and social media agencies.

Using a state moniker rather than city isn’t all that common, but there are a few NHL teams utilizing it: Colorado, Minnesota, New York Islanders, Florida, New Jersey, Carolina and, most recently, the Arizona Coyotes.

Coyotes CEO Anthony LeBlanc said the name change from Phoenix to Arizona was more representative of the club’s fan base and hoped it would garner more widespread appeal and support.

“Becoming the Arizona Coyotes makes sense for us since we play our games in Glendale and the city is such a great partner of ours,” he explained. “We also want to be recognized as not just the hockey team for Glendale or Phoenix, but the team for the entire state of Arizona and the Southwest.

“We hope that the name ‘Arizona’ will encourage more fans from all over the state, not just the valley, to embrace and support our team.”

Update from Yahoo Sports’ Nick Cotsonika:

So that’s that.