NHL Approves Las Vegas Expansion

NHL approves expansion to Las Vegas with team to begin in 2017-18.

Craig Custance
ESPN Senior Writer

LAS VEGAS -- The NHL is now officially the first major professional sports league to gamble on Las Vegas.

On Wednesday, the NHL's board of governors approved expanding to this city, making the franchise the 31st team in the league.

The team will start play during the 2017-18 season.

Businessman Bill Foley, a West Point graduate, paid the $500 million expansion fee to bring NHL hockey to Las Vegas and the announcement is the culmination of two years of hard work for him that included a successful season ticket drive to prove local interest.

"I know there's a lot of work to do now," Foley told ESPN's Scott Burnside in an interview shortly before the board of governors agreed to expand to Las Vegas.

"It's taken a long time. It's been a long process. And I say that as a compliment to Gary Bettman and the league and other owners. They've all been great. But it has been a process."

The T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip will be the home of the NHL's newest expansion team in 2017-18. Ethan Miller/Getty Images for MGM Resorts International
Las Vegas will play its home games on the Vegas strip at T-Mobile Arena, an arena with a hockey capacity of 17,500 and compete in the Western Conference, which now has 15 teams compared to 16 in the East.

It's the first expansion in the NHL since the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild started play during the 2000-01 season.

The move to Las Vegas completes a longtime relationship with the city and the NHL. The NHL's postseason awards show, which will be held on Wednesday evening, have been hosted in Las Vegas since 2009. The Los Angeles Kings have played in several exhibition games in Las Vegas, including a 1991 outdoor game against the New York Rangers in the Caesars Palace parking lot.

The approval of Las Vegas temporarily puts Quebec City's hopes of landing an NHL team on hold. Quebec City was the other city to go through the NHL's formal expansion process but ultimately the league decided to settle on just one franchise for now, keeping open the option of Quebec as a relocation destination for a current NHL team.

Penguins To Celebrate Cup Championship at Home Opener.

Pittsburgh plays Washington on Oct. 13; League announces first 2016-17 home game for all 30 teams
NHL.com @NHL
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The Pittsburgh Penguins will celebrate their Stanley Cup championship at their first home game of the 2016-17 season on Oct. 13 against the Washington Capitals. 

The League released the home openers for all 30 teams Monday. The full 2016-17 schedule will be released Tuesday.

The Penguins defeated the Presidents' Trophy-winning Capitals in the Eastern Conference Second Round in six games en route to beating the San Jose Sharks in six games to win the Cup for the fourth time.

The Sharks, who played in the Cup Final for the first time in franchise history, play their home opener against the Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center on Oct. 12. The Sharks defeated the Kings in the Western Conference First Round in five games.

The 2016-17 season also marks the 50th anniversary season for the Penguins, Kings, Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues.

The Kings' home opener is Oct. 14 against the Flyers; Philadelphia plays its first home game Oct. 20 against the Anaheim Ducks; the Blues' home opener is against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 13.

The Detroit Red Wings have their final home opener at Joe Louis Arena on Oct. 17 against the Ottawa Senators. The Red Wings move into Little Caesars Arena for the 2017-18 season.

The Edmonton Oilers play their first game at Rogers Place against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 12. The 2015-16 season was the Oilers final season at Rexall Place.