Quebec, Vegas submit bids

Prospective ownership groups from Quebec City and Las Vegas submitted expansion application bids to the NHL before the league’s 4 p.m. deadline Monday. The deadline was set as part of the NHL’s first phase of their formal expansion process. Ownership groups had to pay $10 million, $2 million of which is nonrefundable. None of the three known groups interested in bringing a team to Seattle submitted a bid. If the NHL wants to expand by 2017-2018, the league may have only two options. Las Vegas Hockey Vision, the group led by Bill Foley that includes the Maloof family, formally submitted a bid, according to ESPN.com. Quebecor, a Canadian telecommunications company that also owns TVA Sports — the NHL rights holder for French-language TV — among other holdings, also confirmed it has formally submitted a bid. The company also specifically noted that their aim is to bring the Quebec Nordiques back to the city. The Nordique moved to Denver ahead of the 1995-1996 season and are now known as the Colorado Avalanche. A Las Vegas team would play in a new arena currently being built by AEG and MGM Resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. The arena holds about 18,000 for hockey. The Videotron Centre in Quebec City was recently completed and like Las Vegas, will be able to hold 18,000.