This week, Ira spoke with Richard Gubbe, author (along with Robert Lawson) of Vegas Hockey, Vegas Strong. In this episode of “Talk About Las Vegas With Ira,” Richard talks about the early days (and teams) of hockey in Las Vegas; what happened to the proposed hockey team that was going to be brought in by producer Jerry Bruckheimer in 2008; why promotion can help a team even if it’s poorly managed; how there were 30 failed professional teams in Las Vegas until the Vegas Golden Knights came along; how Bill Foley had the combination of skills and resources to establish a team in Las Vegas; why hockey is a sport that crosses genders; the most surprising thing he found out about hockey while writing the book; why the book is not just historical, but fun; how the VGK is a “fellowship”; and why motivation is the key to hockey success.
Richard Gubbe has had a multi-faceted career that has encompassed writing, public relations and event production. He’s held the positions of lead writer for Caesars Palace, editor-in-chief and lead writer for Las Vegas Magazine and features editor and magazine editor for the Las Vegas SUN. He’s won writing awards for the Rock River Times, as a contributing writer for Elevate Magazine and as Sports Editor for Tazewell Publishing’s stable of five newspapers on Illinois. He has freelance credits with USA Today, The Sporting News and Singapore Women’s Weekly, Showbiz magazine, Nevadan magazine and Nevada Woman magazine. Whether it’s investigative reporting, feature writing, editorial writing or business writing, he has excelled on all platforms, and he’s interviewed some of the biggest names in show business and sports.
Richard was responsible for creating a casino customer magazine for Caesars, as well as the formation of a video library that catalogued movies, television shows and events held on the property. He also has been a public relations and sports marketing specialist for various entities in Nevada and Illinois.
He has helped produce some of the largest events in Las Vegas sports, including the lead coordinator for the outdoor hockey game at Caesars, the first ever pro hockey event in Las Vegas. His ice hockey career included playing in leagues in Illinois and Las Vegas that included a tryout with the New York Rangers in 1983. Other special events he helped promote include the lead coordinator for the Robbie Knievel Jump Over the Fountains at Caesars, worldwide boxing and kickboxing at Caesars, the Miss Universe Pageant, as well as off-road racing and hydroplane races in Nevada and Hawaii. He holds the attendance record for many events, including the Kickboxing Extravaganza for Showtime at the T&M in Las Vegas.
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