No NHL expansion vote yet, commissioner says

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league’s owners will not vote on expansion next month at the board of governors meeting in Boca Raton, Fla.

Seattle and Las Vegas are among the cities trying to acquire NHL teams.

“I know it’s been widely reported that there’s a deal and there’s going to be a vote. There won’t be any votes,” Bettman said Monday in Toronto, according to ESPN.com. “All I’ll do is continue to report on the levels of interest being expressed.”

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly last week revealed that he had met with a potential ownership group from Las Vegas and has toured a $350 million arena being built in the city.

“Even if we decided tomorrow, it wouldn’t happen for two or three more years,” Bettman said. “We’re focusing on things like the World Cup, international (play). There’s no effort crying out for immediate expansion, but we are getting expressions of interest.”