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.

NHL Hockey: Four More Teams by 2017?

#451351884 / gettyimages.com

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

NHL Team in Las Vegas?

(Design courtesy of LVAF)

Apparently, Las Vegas Arena Foundation of Las Vegas is considering building an arena big enough to support an NHL or NBA franchise. In the past Las Vegas has been named as a possible location to relocate the Phoenix Coyotes. One that has prevented any of the major sports from having a team in Las Vegas has been the gambling issue.

Las Vegas Sun --- proposing a 20,000-seat indoor arena to be built on the Strip on land owned by Caesars Entertainment behind Imperial Palace. The facility would be suitable for an NBA or NHL franchise, as well as other events such as concerts or the National Finals Rodeo, which has been at the Thomas & Mack Center since 1985. The LVAF is planning to fund the $500 million project by implementing a 0.9 percent sales tax for specified businesses within a three-mile radius of the proposed location.

Principals behind proposal

The Las Vegas Arena Foundation is a nonprofit organization formed to develop an arena specifically on land donated by Caesars Entertainment. The foundation’s chairman is former County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury. Other foundation leaders include Marybel Batjer, an executive with Caesars Entertainment; Danny Thompson, president of the AFL-CIO of Nevada; and Pat Shalmy, former Clark County manager.

Could be a good potential location for the NCAA Frozen Four and the Final Four in Men's and Women's Division I basket ball.