Las Vegas, Quebec City deliver National Hockey League expansion presentations

Click on the video above to watch live coverage today at 4:30 p.m. ET as commissioner Gary Bettman will give an update on the NHL’s expansion plans.

Hours before the Board of Governors met at a Manhattan hotel Tuesday afternoon, the league’s two expansion hopefuls met face-to-face with the NHL’s executive committee.

It is expected to take at least two years before the National Hockey League would potentially have 32 teams playing.

Bettman said earlier this month the league is “not feeling any timeline pressure” in the expansion process and has proposed an expansion fee of US$500 million – a significant jump from the $80 million fee paid by the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild, when the NHL last expanded to 30 teams in 2000. That does not appear set to slow the bid, however, as Quebecor’s vice chairman and former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney told reporters Tuesday.

In a statement released after presenting, Foley said the the group is thankful for the opportunity. And if a team eventually is placed in the city, there’s a chance that the exchange rate could have a crippling effect on its ability to pay salaries, which are due to players in American funds. “It’s their process. We’re just following process and we’ll be advised at the appropriate time”.

After the Quebec City group was done, Las Vegas did its presentation, led by its lead investor, Bill Foley.

“We got asked a lot of really good questions”, he said.

The Montreal Canadiens “hosted” the Pittsburgh Penguins in an exhibition game on Monday night at the spectacular new Videotron Centre in Quebec City.

Mulroney has become the face of Quebec City’s charge, with Tuesday’s appearance marking his first public acknowledgement of involvement in the deal. It was a complete presentation. So, we feel it went well.

Past attempts to land a professional sports team in Las Vegas were derailed because there were no suitable facilities to host a team in Southern Nevada, and potential owners wanted the public’s help in building stadiums or arenas. “That’s one of the many factors that has to be evaluated, including whether or not ultimately the League wants to expand”. However, Bettman said the league’s Executive Committee will continue to gather information and added that there’s no target date for the completion of this phase, or any phases that might follow.