Golden Knights preparing for grand opening of The Armory

LAS VEGAS -- The Vegas Golden Knights unveiled their team store The Armory in a special media event Monday.
Members of the media got a tour of the 2,600 square-foot store, with Vegas officials preparing for what they expect to be a strong demand for merchandise as the NHL's newest team takes up residence in the tourist hotspot. The Armory will be open to the public Tuesday.
"You want a souvenir to take home," Golden Knights chief marketing officer Nehme Abouzeid said. "You're not going to buy an 'I love Vegas' shirt. You're not going to buy fuzzy dice. You're going to get Golden Knights gear to take home to your loved ones."

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As 2012 BMX Olympic gold medalist and Las Vegas resident Connor Fields looked on, coach Gerard Gallant used a pair of giant scissors in the ceremonial ribbon cutting. The Golden Knights then showed off the store, which will have entrances from both inside and outside the arena.
The first thing you see is a large knight statue that's based on owner Bill Foley's original vision for the team mascot. Then there are banners reading "Allegiance, Valor, Strength," to reflect Foley's core values for the Golden Knights.
The store was stocked with a variety of items ranging from shirts and sweatshirts to hats, coffee mugs, pennants and license plate holders.

"There's a lot going on with the team and it's a lot of fun," Gallant said.
One obvious omission was team jerseys; new uniform provider adidas will unveil the jerseys for all 31 teams at the Wynn Las Vegas on Tuesday.
"As soon as they're unveiled to the world, they'll be immediately available to preorder in the store," Abouzeid said.
Expecting a large crowd Tuesday night, lines will be set up inside the arena so fans can get out of the intense heat to secure the $200 jerseys, which are expected to be available in September. The Golden Knights will have 3,500 home jerseys and 1,500 away jerseys available for preorder.
As workers were being trained on how to use the registers in the store before the 10 a.m. opening Tuesday, general manager George McPhee and his staff were crosstown talking to teams about trades.

The Golden Knights roster will be announced during the 2017 NHL Awards and NHL Expansion Draft presented by T-Mobile on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN).
"The management staff is working 12, 13 hours a day, working hard to get the best team and get the most assets that they can get," Gallant said. "I've stayed out of the way, but I'm excited to see the team we'll have."