Viva Las Vegas

It looks like this is finally going to be a done deal. Yes, this seems like a great destination to watch and NHL game.

Associated Press -- The NHL has settled on Las Vegas as its choice for expansion, provided organizers can come up with a $500 million fee, a source told ESPN's Scott Burnside.

The league's board of governors is scheduled to hold a formal vote during its meeting on June 22. Quebec City was also considered for expansion.

A person who had been briefed on the decision told the Associated Press, which previously reported the decision, that Las Vegas was a "done deal" after the recommendation of the NHL's executive committee.

Is the NHL to Vegas a Done Deal?

So, is the NHL to Vegas a Done Deal? From reading this Las Vegas Review-Journal, it doesn't sound like it. Dustin Nelson of the Hockey Writers writes that the announcement could come on June 22, 2016.

Steve Carp, Las Vegas Review-Journal --- The NHL’s nine-member executive committee met for just over four hours Tuesday in New York, but would not reveal its decisions on expansion and what recommendations it would make to the league’s Board of Governors when the 30 owners meet June 22 in Las Vegas.

Three options were being considered: expand by one or two teams for 2017-18, delay expansion until 2018 for one or two teams, or put expansion on hold indefinitely. Las Vegas and Quebec City have submitted applications for expansion teams and been involved in a long process since July.

Bill Foley, the billionaire businessman who is the major force behind Las Vegas’ expansion bid, said he did not know the outcome of the meeting.

“I wasn’t there,” he said. “I wasn’t invited to the meeting. Nobody has said anything to me.”

A spokesman for Joe and Gavin Maloof, who are minority investors and were in Las Vegas on Tuesday, said, “We haven’t heard anything.

I guess we will find out if Vegas is getting an NHL team or not.

NHL Hockey: Four More Teams by 2017?

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According to Chris Peters of CBS Sports, the NHL could add as many as four more teams by 2017. The more you look into this deal, the more it looks like a possibility. The NHL in Las Vegas could be a big draw.

Chris Peters, CBS Sports -- Here's why it's not completely outlandish to envision Vegas as a future NHL city. For one, they have two open spots in the Western Conference to even things out and bring some competitive balance. The Eastern Conference currently has 16 teams, while the West has 14. If the NHL expanded to the most long-rumored top candidate of Seattle, that would help even things out. It's definitely not as simple as that, though.

Another barrier for Las Vegas would have been an arena, but that may no longer be an issue. The city has been home to minor-league hockey for years, but now Vegas is in the process of building a new arena however with the aim of bringing either an NHL or NBA team to Vegas.

MGM and AEG, owner of the Los Angeles Kings, are teaming up on the project that broke ground in Las Vegas in May. The new arena is due to open in 2016 and will have 20,000 seats, but a projected capacity of 17,500 for hockey. The company building the arena, ICON, is also building the Edmonton Oilers' new arena. Kings great Luc Robitaille was on hand at the ground-breaking.

The markets listed seem like good choices. I do like adding more teams in Canada. One city that stands out is Toronto. 

NHL expansion – four teams added by 2017, Quebec City, Toronto, Seattle, and Las Vegas $1.4b in expansion fees — Howard Bloom (@SportsBizNews) August 27, 2014