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Poker face: Vegas NHL expansion team has a name, but it’s a secret

2016 NHL Awards - Board Of Governors Press Conference

LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 22: New Las Vegas NHL franchise owner Bill Foley and commissioner Gary Bettman of the National Hockey League pose for a photo during the Board of Governors Press Conference prior to the 2016 NHL Awards at Encore Las Vegas on June 22, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The NHL’s board of governors approved expanding to Las Vegas, making the franchise the 31st team in the league. The team will start play during the 2017-18 season and play at the newly built T-Mobile Arena. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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In a move that’s just begging for gambling references, Las Vegas expansion team owner Bill Foley is really keeping a card up his sleeve.

(See, it’s tough to avoid doing that.)

It turns out that Foley knows what he’ll call the squad, but he’s keeping it a secret, as he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

“The name is definitely set,” Foley said Monday. “But I can’t tell you exactly what it is. That’s a secret.”

Foley indicates that announcement will be made sometime in mid-October.

Plenty of speculation

The Vegas team’s owner admits that he’s been very happy that all of the speculation regarding the team name is keeping his franchise in the news.

First, it seemed like the team would involve “Hawks” in some way. Lately, reports indicate that the team name will include “Knights” instead. The latter Knights seems like it will be in play, barring a swerve by Foley.

Many of us always imagined a Vegas expansion team with some fun gambling reference, but it’s easy to see why Foley and the NHL would resist such a temptation. Here’s hoping they choose the right Knights.

For what it’s worth: