NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will address the media in a “State of the NHL” press conference an hour before the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals. He’ll be in St. Louis, Pittsburgh, or San Jose at the rink to do the presser.
We do NOT expect there to be an official expansion announcement at this press conference. The guys at HockeyBuzz.com seem to disagree.
The timing wouldn’t make a lot of sense as an announcement would take away from the Cup Finals, which is the last thing the commissioner and the league would like to happen.
However, any time the commissioner speaks to the media, the question of expansion always comes up. Therefore, we’ll certainly have a quote or two that should help to key us in on when the official announcement may come.
The NHL Awards Show is scheduled in Las Vegas on June 22nd, and the NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo two days later on the 24th. Both the commissioner and deputy commissioner Bill Daly have referenced the Entry Draft as a date in which GM’s must know prior to, if the league is going to expand for 2017-18.
Bettman’s press conference will be televised live on SportsNet TV in Canada. As for us here in the States, no network has confirmed to be airing the presser live. We’ll keep digging and will update this post with the best way to watch Gary Bettman’s press conference when we have it.
SportsNet.ca is streaming it live. Here’s the link.
Cappy
“St. Louis, Pittsburgh, or San Jose”
Not the possibility of Tampa?
Ken Boehlke
Game 1 cannot be in Tampa as they had the fewest points in the regular season of the four remaining teams.
Cappy
Oh. Duh. Can you tell I didn’t sleep last night, and have been driving all over the DC area today? Brain is asleep.
Forget I asked that stupid question. I was simply focusing on the teams and not the location where they’d be playing.
Ken Boehlke
You aren’t the only one to ask me that. So don’t worry about it.
Kit
I don’t see him making “the announcement” we all want to hear. It would definitely take away from the Stanley Cup finals and why do that. It would be a bigger moment and a bigger stage to wait until after the playoffs. If the playoffs end up being one of the best which it looks like it may be, what a great follow up to the season and announce expansion. I could go with that! Bring on Las Vegas!!