LAS VEGAS – With the drama taken away last week when a trial balloon of sorts was floated about Las Vegas being awarded an expansion franchise, the other shoe dropped today and the
National Hockey League announced that it has granted an expansion franchise to Las Vegas.
The franchise will begin play in 2017-18 and received a unanimous approval from the League’s Board of Governors. Ownership of the Las Vegas franchise will principally reside with Bill Foley. The franchise will play its home games in the recently opened, state-of-the-art T-Mobile Arena, which has a hockey capacity of 17,368.
The expansion fee for the Las Vegas franchise will be $500-million. That fee then will be distributed in equal shares to each of the NHL’s 30 presently existing clubs.
This is the first League expansion since 1997, when the NHL added four franchises – Nashville (1998-99), Atlanta (1999-00), Columbus and Minnesota (2000-01) – at a franchise fee of $80 million.
“In the fall of 2017, when we celebrate the 100th birthday of the NHL, we will do so as a League of 31 teams,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “We are pleased to welcome Bill Foley and the city of Las Vegas to the League and are truly excited that an NHL franchise will be the first major professional sports team in this vibrant, growing, global destination city.”
“On behalf of the Las Vegas Founding 75, our 14,000 season-ticket holders and the entire Las Vegas community, I would like to thank Commissioner Bettman, the NHL staff and the team owners for their support during this process and the confidence they have placed in Las Vegas by awarding this franchise,” said Foley. “I also would like to thank everyone who supported us through this incredible journey. As I’ve said many times over the past year, Las Vegas is a hockey town and we look forward to cheering on our home team.”
The NHL also announced that is has deferred the expansion application by Quebecor and its ownership group in Quebec City. Although the League sees Quebec City as a prime opportunity for future expansion, the Board of Governors concluded that the NHL’s lack of geographic balance, the belief that it would be best not to assimilate multiple teams into the League at this time, as well as the recent and significant devaluation of the Canadian dollar made it prudent to defer Quebecor’s application. Alignment The Las Vegas franchise will begin play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in 2017-18. There will be no other changes to the NHL’s alignment.
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