The NHL expansion process has reached its final and most crucial phase, in which hopefuls met face to face with the league’s executive committee to make their respective pitches.

Hours before the board of governors meeting in New York, Quebec City, represented by Quebecor president & CEO Pierre Dion and vice chairman Brian Mulroney, and Las Vegas, led by investor Bill Foley, made detailed presentations to NHL’s executive committee, which comprised of NHL executives and several team owners. The pitches boiled down to the specifics of each group’s business plans, from how they will pay the expected $500m expansion fee to the ways they’ll manage and exploit possible revenue streams.

Foley, in his presentation, pointed the fact that Las Vegas has secured almost 14,000 deposits on season tickets; it has a $375 million, state-of-the-art arena that is on target to be completed by mid-April and will seat 17,500 for hockey; and the city’s economy is healthy and ready to support the NHL.

Las Vegas has been shunned by major league sports in the past because of the pervasive presence of gambling in the city and concerns about the local economy, a transient population and an extremely competitive market for the entertainment dollar.