Report: Las Vegas to Get NHL Expansion Team

Las Vegas is finally getting a serious shot at major professional sports.

According to a report by the Associated Press, the National Hockey League is set to announce the city of Las Vegas, Nevada will be home to hockey’s newest expansion team. The report suggests the announcement will be made official on June 22nd, that Las Vegas will be the only market getting an expansion team this time ’round, and their first season would be set for 2017-18.

Quebec City was apparently considered but due to concerns regarding the dipping Canadian dollar, as well as the geographical imbalance which would result, the league has decided to take a pass for now.

Las Vegas would be the 31st team in the NHL and would be the first time the league has expanded since the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets joined in the 2000-01 season. The 17 years between expansions is the largest gap between classes since the “Original Six” era ended with the great expansion of 1967-68.

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Rumours suggest the team will be known as the Las Vegas Black Knights, the prospective owner William Foley is said to be fond of the name as he is a graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (where the athletic teams known as the Black Knights) and has even filed the official expansion bid using a company name of Black Knight Sports and Entertainment, LLC.