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Imagine this view (but a hometeam other than the LA Kings) at the new T-Mobile Arena in 2017![/one_second][one_second]
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I know I’m speaking on behalf of everyone locally when I say how thrilled I am that Las Vegas is getting a hockey team! As head of the Giroux Glass, Inc. Operations team that worked on the glass in the T-Mobile Arena, we had some advance notice that for once, it wasn’t a huge gamble to say there was a good chance of seeing hockey in our desert city. We were simultaneously so eager and convinced it would happen. We got a call from MGM International in March of 2015 and immediately placed Giroux Glass on the waiting list for season tickets should it be confirmed. We were just one of hundreds asked to support this exciting endeavor. We’re excited that, now that it’s official, Giroux is the proud owner of two season tickets when the first puck hits the ice in the 2017/18 Season. This is a huge deal for Las Vegas — our first professional sports team! The city is scrambling to hire sales people as they were instantly inundated with deposits for tickets within minutes of the announcement. The website has now officially changed from “VegasWantsHockey.com” to www.VegasIsHockey.com.
I am a sports fan — It’s not like I had much of an option with my husband and four sons in the house, it’s what we did while they were growing up. (They played baseball, football, soccer and were on swim teams.) I’ve been watching the LA Kings for years although I must admit I’ve yet to fully grasp the rules! I find it so rewarding when work and personal interests collide like they soon will, and we’ll get to enjoy watching the sport here in town, inside such an impressive venue that we had a hand in buiilding. As one of the subcontractors for the T-Mobile arena, Giroux Glass was invited to the “soft” opening this Spring. It was so exciting to experience it before it opened to the public. Award-winning country artist Martina McBride performed and sounded fantastic.
The T-Mobile Arena interior is very upscale and modern with an amazing sound system. Giroux Glass completed a lot of the interior glass at the Arena including the VIP lobby and suites, sliding doors, glass corridors, and the NHL locker and lobby retail storefronts (explained in more detail in a previous blog post). We also completed curtain wall, glass door, and solar tube installations at The Park, an MGM Resorts International outdoor dining and entertainment area complete with a pedestrian walkway that leads to the new Arena and connects Las Vegas Boulevard to Frank Sinatra Drive.
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Giroux Glass’ view of the Park and the interior of the T-Mobile Arena mid-construction.
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We will have to wait some time until we actually do get to watch a game. Looks like teams won’t even be selected until a year from now, and the process by which they’ll decide who makes the yet-unnamed Las Vegas team is pretty complicated. In concerted efforts to make this the most competitive expansion team yet, and for them to come up to speed quickly, I can see why they’ve got programs to help with putting together potential team scenarios. I do know that having a hockey team here is a sure winner for Las Vegas, with most of the 17,000+ seats already being sold as season tickets. And I know the rush I’ll feel, of not only being in an environment that’s so cool — both in terms of its design and its welcomed low temperatures — but once again in appreciation of my talented Giroux Glass team which has completed yet another impressive project.