This past off-season, the NHL world was introduced to the Utah Hockey Club, a relocation team from the Arizona Coyotes, but according to all reports, they wouldn't be the league's newest team for long. Since that moment, reports have continued to emerged that the NHL is eyeing not one but two more teams, with Atlanta, Houston, Kansas City, Toronto and Quebec City among others all becoming genuine options for the NHL.
However, Gary Bettman has now shocked the world and shut down all of those rumours in a recent interview, stating that all reports and rumours relating to expansion anytime soon are completely false.
These comments run completely contrary to legitimate reports from some of the sports top insiders, and given the money that the NHL stand to make with expansion (rumours have stated that the new entry fee into the NHL could almost make it to $1 billion), it makes no sense for him to shut it down. With all of the above cities putting together pitches to be the NHL's newest teams, even with these comments, expansion remains a possibility, and given the success of Vegas and Seattle, it's still only a matter of time.
Obviously it's not going to be as soon as many expected after Bettman's recent comments, but with the growing player base and the money involved, this remains a possibility, so keep a close eye on this situation moving forward as the NHL continues to grow as a league and a business.
POLL | ||
23 SEPTEMBRE | 106 ANSWERS Gary Bettman shares his thoughts on the recent expansion rumors Will the NHL eventually rise to 34 teams? | ||
Yes | 90 | 84.9 % |
No | 16 | 15.1 % |
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