The largest expansion plan since the National Hockey League doubled in size three decades ago was approved by the Board of Governors, bringing big league hockey to four more cities.

Joining the league were Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, Tenn., and Columbus, Ohio. They were approved unanimously by the board.

“We looked at ownership, market and arena,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. “If it was two out of three, we turned down the application.”

Nashville will be the first of the four cities to join the league, coming aboard for the 1998-99 season. Atlanta will skate the following season, and the Twin Cities and Ohio’s capital complete the round in 2000.

Forward Sheldon Kennedy, 28, who played for the Boston Bruins last season, was injured in a car accident Monday in Sylvan Lake, Alberta, and was listed as stable after being transferred to a Calgary hospital.

Kennedy, 28, rocked the hockey world late last year with allegations of sexual abuse at the hands of junior hockey coach Graham James when they were both with the Swift Current Broncos. James is serving a 3-1/2-year sentence after pleading guilty to assaulting Kennedy and another player, who has never been publicly identified.