There’s a problem with the National Hockey League’s newest team: Its name.
The Las Vegas Golden Knights will be the NHL’s 31st team. It’s also been the name of a U.S. Army parachute team based in Fort Bragg since the 1960s, according to the Fayetteville Observer.
The moniker caught the attention of Army officials after it was announced earlier in November, Alison Bettencourt, a spokeswoman for the Army Marketing and Research Group in Arlington, Va., first told the Observer. She added that the Army is “reviewing the situation and figuring out what the way ahead would be.”
The NHL team’s owner, billionaire businessman Bill Foley, originally wanted to call the franchise the Black Knights, according to the Observer. But due to “a number of factors” and a “concern from Army officials,” that name was not chosen. Foley, who is a graduate from the renowned military academy West Point, was aware that the parachute team uses the same name, notes the Observer.
“We understand that one of the Las Vegas team owners has Army connections, and will likely understand our interest in this announcement is meant to protect the proud history of the Army’s Golden Knights and their vital role in telling the Army story and connecting America with their Army,” Bettencourt said.
The Las Vegas Golden Knights will debut in the NHL’s 2017-2018 season.
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