McCrimmon, 55, had been with Brandon of the Western Hockey League since 1988, serving as majority owner, GM and coach. He was coach from 2004-11 and 2013-16, and led Brandon to the WHL championship last season.
"Kelly is an outstanding hockey man and we are delighted to have him join us," McPhee, who was named Las Vegas general manager on July 13, told the Brandon website. "His extensive experience and consistently high level of performance in the game will help us build a strong and successful organization and team. His hockey acumen, character and work ethic are perfect for us."
McCrimmon won the WHL championship twice, the Eastern Division 10 times, and the conference championship six times. He led the Wheat Kings to five Memorial Cup appearances (once as a player, twice as GM, and twice as GM and coach); was named WHL Executive of the Year in 1995, 2010 and 2015; and named CHL Executive of the Year in 2010. He was 423-223-36-38 over 10 seasons, the most wins in Brandon history, and served as an assistant for Canada at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship.
"Bringing Kelly on board is another positive step as we build our hockey organization," Foley said. "I remain very excited about our franchise and in the progress we are making to build a winning team."
McCrimmon played two seasons with Brandon from 1978-80. He attended the University of Michigan from 1980-84.
"This is a dream job for any hockey executive and one I feel very fortunate to have been offered," McCrimmon told the Brandon website. "The chance to build a team, an organization from the ground up, the chance to develop an identity and establish a culture will be challenging, invigorating and rewarding."
Las Vegas, which begins play in the 2017-18 season, is hoping to have a nickname, logo, color scheme and uniforms in place sometime in September. The first ice surface at T-Mobile Arena was put down this past weekend.
