The National Hockey League announced its 2018 draft will be held in Dallas Saturday night. Hundreds of hockey fans turned out the the Reunion Tower Lawn Party for the much anticipated announcement.
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings spoke to the crowd alongside NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly who called Dallas "an ideal non traditional city" for the sport.
The draft will be in June of next year and Rawlings says it will bring $14 million worth of tourism and business to the city. NHL officials were asked if they would move from Dallas if Texas lawmakers passed a "bathroom bill" targeting transgender men and women.
Daly said the league is "very inclusive" and the bill's status was something hockey officials have been watching.
"I've gotten briefed on it to a certain extent and I've heard from the mayor he doesn't expect it to be a problem so we don't expect it to be a problem," Daly said.
Last year the NBA moved some of its events out of North Carolina because of similar legislation there.