When the NHL decided to award Las Vegas an NHL franchise, I knew that was finally my excuse to make a visit out west and see the spectacle that is Sin City. I had never had any particular inclination to go to Las Vegas before (I’m not much of a partier or gambler), but when the NHL schedule makers blessed the Blue Jackets with a Vegas-Arizona swing in January, my sister and I quickly booked our flights. (Via Southwest Airlines, of course, because we’re both brand-loyal and cheap, and they finally fly out of Cincinnati! Oh, the joy of getting to fly out of your own airport and not driving two…