from Ed Graney of the Las Vegas Review-Journal,

A sweltering June day that will go down in history in Las Vegas.

A historic moment was added to the timeline Wednesday, the sort of announcement that forever could be etched into those occurrences that most define Las Vegas.

Clark County was created in 1909, the Boulder Canyon project approved almost 20 years later, and it was apparently a big deal around here when the city’s population reached 2,000, although today that would be defined as the number of students in a high school English class.

Sports also have produced such notable memories, but none will be considered more significant than that which officially began on a June afternoon in a studio ballroom at the MGM Grand.

Las Vegas took its next anticipated step toward welcoming its first major league professional sports franchise when the NHL agreed to formally open an expansion process, meaning there is enough interest from 30 owners to pursue those folks with the desire and means and know-how to join their fraternity.

Which means folks with a half billion dollars laying around to cover an expansion fee.

Bill Foley has all that and more, and the chairman of Fidelity National Financial appears more than ever set to become the person who delivers Las Vegas its long-desired major league team.

And that is incredibly historic.

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