Is Las Vegas about to get an NHL team?

The NHL is reportedly expanding to Las Vegas.

(Image credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The NHL is reportedly planning to expand to Las Vegas, according to a person with direct knowledge of the decision who spoke with The Associated Press. Quebec City was also considered for the expansion, but a second source told the AP that Las Vegas is all but a "done deal" thanks to the recommendation of the NHL's executive committee.

An NHL team would bring the nation's gambling capital its first professional sports franchise, but such an expansion won't come until the 2017-18 season at the earliest. Organizers in Vegas would now need to raise the $500 million fee to confirm the expansion to their city, something multi-millionaire businessman Bill Foley has skirted around saying he'll pay. However, he's told CBS that "I am the man that wants to bring hockey to the desert and we're really, really close."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.