Seattle's mayor admits to meeting with NHL commissioner Bettman

Talk of hockey in Seattle is heating up once again.

Mayor Ed Murray has admitted to meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in New York this past Monday.

From an official statement released at the website for the Seattle Mayor's office:

On Monday in New York City, on my way to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, I met for the first time with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver regarding the status of an NBA team returning to Seattle. While Commissioner Silver said Seattle remains a very attractive city for an NBA franchise with our NBA championship heritage and enthusiastic fan base, the league has no plans to expand at this time. The city will continue to do our part to bring NBA basketball back to Seattle.

While in New York, I also met with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman about the future of NHL hockey in Seattle. We are very keen on bringing an NHL team here, and the commissioner recognizes the value we would bring as home to a future franchise. We will continue to work toward that shared vision.

Las Vegas is also exploring the idea of adding an NHL franchise, and while no announcement is imminent, this appears to be a matter of smoke equaling fire.