NHL Vegas expansion far from a done deal

National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman spent the better part of Tuesday touring an arena under construction on the Las Vegas Strip, shilling for season ticket sales, and posing for pictures with showgirls and the man who wants to bring the first major professional sports franchise to America's gambling capital. Then he insisted the NHL has barely given the issue of expansion a second thought.

"We're not in the expansion process and I need to keep making that clear," Bettman said, throwing just a bit of cold water on a ceremony kicking off season ticket sales for a team that does not yet exist.

While Bettman was careful not to commit the NHL to Las Vegas, his presence at prospective owner Bill Foley's launch campaign was surely noted far beyond the Las Vegas Strip. And Foley and others seemed confident that once the goal of 10,000 season ticket sales is realized, it won't be long before the NHL comes forward with an expansion franchise for the city.