Prior to the founding of the Golden Knights in 2016, Las Vegas was the third-largest city in the country (by population) that did not have a major professional sports franchise. With a large population made up of transplants from across the country, it was only a matter of time before a major-league team arrived.
Now, with the Golden Knights just months away from hitting the ice for the first time, Reddick says the hype is palpable.
"It's awesome because, I mean, I played in the league, but you've never seen it grow until you actually live it as a fan," he said. "Watching it develop through the community, through TV, and then the product down at T-Mobile, now they have their practice facility. Kind of watching it in the background and stuff like that, but it's kind of awesome to see."
Reddick's children played youth hockey in Las Vegas, and he has been heavily involved in youth hockey in the city. Now, with a major professional team in town, it'll be even easier for kids to get involved in the game, because they'll have idols to look up to that play right in their backyard.
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"I think now, with the newer kids and the more exposure, you actually have somebody that you turn the TV on and you see that person, that makes a big difference," he said. "Minor league teams are minor league teams, but when you become national, it's totally different."
And as for simply growing the game itself and growing a hockey fan base, Reddick thinks the game will sell itself, much like it did back in the 1990s with the Thunder.
"Hockey is one of those games where once you go see it live, you're normally hooked, so to speak," he said. "I think it'll be huge with the exposure that the Knights bring to the community that some of these other kids that might grab basketball shoes or a football or a baseball, they'll start grabbing sticks and skates and hopefully with more rinks coming in, it'll be a lot easier for these kids to get access to the ice."
