Two New Cities Reportedly Enter the Sweepstakes for NHL Expansion

NHL expansion has been a huge topic recently, and while the regular cities are still interested, two shocking new small markets have reportedly entered the race as the NHL appears destined to have at least 33 teams in the league in the near future.

Ever since the Utah Hockey Club became the NHL's 32nd team after relocating from Arizona, expansion has been a hot button topic in the NHL, with suggestions that it's a matter of when, not if we see team's No. 33 and beyond.

Unsurprisingly, new reports have revealed that Arizona, Houston and Atlanta still represent possible landing spots for a new team, two surprising small markets have entered the race as possible new cities for an NHL team.

That comes from TSN's Chris Johnston, who notes that Cincinnati and Nebraska are both cities showing interest in acquiring an NHL team, adding to a red-hot race to land the next NHL franchise.

However, the biggest news out of all of this is that Quebec City, former home of the Quebec Nordiques are still out of the running, as it appears Gary Bettman's perceived bias towards Canada and the market in Quebec continues.

While Bettman has recently shot down potential expansion for the upcoming few years, it's a story that simply won't go away, and given that the fee to enter the NHL is now well over $750 million, it's safe to say that the league would be stupid not to pursue another opportunity from a business perspective.

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