John Collins Resigns as NHL COO: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction

NHL Chief Operating Officer John Collins resigned Tuesday after more than seven years with the league, according to Bloomberg's Scott Soshnick. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet confirmed the news. 

TSN's Frank Seravalli relayed the NHL's confirmation, which added Collins has left the NHL to "pursue a new business opportunity."    

"John leaves a lasting mark," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement, according to TheHockeyWriters.com's Michael Straw. "His energy, creativity and skill at building strategic partnerships helped drive significant revenue growth for our League. We are grateful for his many contributions and wish him the best in his new endeavors."

Collins added a quote of his own on his resignation, per NHL.com:

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"I'm grateful to Commissioner Bettman for his leadership and friendship over the past nine years. He had a vision for extending the reach of the NHL and supported us completely as we set out to make the game as big as it deserves to be. The NHL's future is filled with promise and potential and I will admire and cheer the League's successes to come on the global stage."

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ESPN.com's Scott Burnside posed several questions facing the league following Collins' out-of-the-blue exit: 

Nick Cotsonika of the Detroit Free Press indicated Collins' resignation could be a blow to the NHL as it searches for a new replacement: 

Collins has been a staple of the business side of the sporting world in a variety of capacities over the past two decades and is credited for expanding the NHL's digital presence. According to Straw, Collins helped facilitate the creation of the NHL's Winter Classic and several key television-rights deals.