MUNICH (AP) — The NHL is hoping to award an expansion franchise to Texas as soon as the end of this year, deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Athletic this week.
In an interview at the NHL’s European media tour in Munich on Friday, Daly told the publication that he’s expecting the league to get an update from a group working with Houston billionaire Dan Friedkin within the next few weeks. Friedkin's group has already agreed to pay the $2 billion expansion fee to bring a team to Houston or Austin, dependent on the ability to build an arena in one of those cities and get final approval from the NHL’s Board of Governors for the league to add a 33rd team.
“We’re moving forward in Texas,” Daly said. “I expect ultimately we’ll be in a position to bring something to the board to get their view on it. So, that’s proceeding at a pace. We’ll probably get together with the group again in September and kind of see where they are in the process and what they want us to do to help, to the extent they need anything.
“If we finalize that and the board approves it, then (at the) end of this calendar year we’ll have an announcement that we’re expanding to either Houston or Austin,” he continued.
Houston is the most likely location but Austin continues to be explored as an option.
The Texas team could debut within three years and Daly said the NHL is engaged in talks with ownership groups looking to land the league's 34th team.
“They’re projecting the ability to start play in 2029-30,” Daly said. “So, we will have one down and potentially one to go. We have ongoing discussions both with people in the Phoenix marketplace, but also Atlanta, and then we’ll see what comes of those discussions.”
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Bill Daly, deputy commissioner of the NHL, speaks during a joint press conference by FC Bayern Munich and the National Hockey League, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, in Munich. (Matthias Balk/dpa via AP)
HONOLULU (AP) — Tropical Storm Moke advanced toward Hawaii Saturday, likely bringing more heavy rainfall and strong gusts to the Big Island, where residents are still dealing with the aftermath of heavy flooding and damaging winds from Hurricane Lala.
Moke, which formed Friday in the Pacific Ocean, was located about 470 miles (755 kilometers) southeast of Hilo, moving west-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph), as of 5 a.m. on Saturday in Hawaii. Maximum sustained winds were around 50 mph (85 kph), the National Hurricane Center said.
As with Hurricane Lala, the Big Island is expected to bear the brunt of Moke's rain and heavy winds as it passes south of a direct hit late Saturday into early Sunday.
Moke will then continue its westward path near the islands through early Tuesday, said Casey Oswant, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu.
“There will still be impacts, especially to the windward and southeast sides of the Big Island, but it will probably be a little bit more limited than what we saw with Lala,” Oswant said.
Lala downed trees, swept buildings off their foundations, damaged roads and bridges and left roads covered in mud and rocks. One storm-related death was reported.
Rainfall predictions for this weekend for the southeast and windward sides of the Big Island were 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters), with as much as 15 inches (38 centimeters) in isolated areas, Oswant said. Across the rest of the island chain, 1 to 2 inches (2 to 5 centimeters) of rain was expected, though parts of east Maui could see up to 4 inches (10 centimeters), she said.
There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect early Saturday morning, but people were urged to closely monitor the storm's progress. The rainfall has the potential to cause dangerous rip currents, life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in steep areas and places where the ground remains saturated, the center said.
The northeast coast of the Big Island saw the heaviest total rainfall from Lala, at 43.54 inches (1.1 meters), according to the weather service. About 9,000 customers on the Big Island remained without power Saturday, according to poweroutage.us.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green and other state officials held a news conference ahead of Moke, urging people to prepare by restocking food, medicine and other essentials.
“There’s definitely tension in the air” at the thought of more rain in communities that floodwaters turned into rivers, said Tiffany Edwards Hunt, a teacher living in Keaau, on the east side of the Big Island.
Associated Press writer Alexa St. John contributed from Detroit.
This NOAA satellite image taken Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, shows Tropical Storm Moke advancing towards Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. (NOAA via AP)
A teenager wades through a pool of water in a washed-out section of a damaged road in Mountain View, Hawaii, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, after a severe weather system went through the area. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A woman and child walk past a debris-strewn street in Naalehu, Hawaii, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, after a severe weather system went through the area. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
