NHL Power Rankings: Ranking the Success of All 30 Teams' Ownership Groups
As in every sport, behind a great team, sits a great owner or ownership group.
They are the lifeblood of a team and their dedication and willingness to win is the deciding factor in the success of a team.
The following list ranks the 30 NHL teams ownership groups by my three criteria: record over their tenure, willingness and ability to lure in and sign free agents and the people they surround themselves with.
Enjoy!
30. NHL, Phoenix Coyotes
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The Phoenix Coyotes are owned now by the NHL until the sale with Matthew Hulsizer goes through the courts and is approved.
My idea for the Coyotes would be to do a Green Bay Packers type ownership where the actual community of Glendale, Arizona finances the team.
It may make the community get behind the team more, or just get out of the heat at the Arena.
29. Sports Capital Partners, St. Louis Blues
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The St. Louis Blues are one of the most storied franchises in NHL history, but they haven’t done well in years.
The Blues are owned by Sports Capital Partners and they haven’t shown a dedication to winning at all.
They may have some solid people in the front office, but the team should be a lot better off.
The city of St. Louis deserves better.
28. Charles Wang, New York Islanders
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The New York Islanders organization is a mess.
Charles Wang has surrounded himself with people who don’t know enough about managing a team.
The DIPietro signing, Garth Snow as GM and all the other bad moves the team has made makes me sad for the good fans on the Isle.
27. JMAC Hockey LLC, Columbus Blue Jackets
4 of 30
JMAC Hockey LLC has been the only owner for the Blue Jackets since their inception.
The organization deserves credit for not abandoning the project when times were tough and are being rewarded as the team becomes more successful.
The problem is that the team has never shown real drive and the ownership needs to bring in great hockey people to help the team win now.
26. Atlanta Spirit, LLC, Atlanta Thrashers
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The Thrashers were bought by Atlanta Spirit, LLC in 2004 from Turner Sports.
Since the team was taken over by Atlanta Spirit Company, they have improved year by year and have overcome adversity regularly.
As the team gets better they will certainly rise on this list.
25. Cliff Viner & Stu Siegel, Florida Panthers
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The newest owners of the Panthers are still getting their feet wet in the NHL, but they are already surrounding themselves with good hockey minds.
Cliff Viner and Stu Siegel have pledged to keep the Florida Panthers going and to turn the team around.
Within a few years, we will see if they stick to their word.
24. Rexall Sports, Edmonton Oilers
7 of 30
Rexall Sports, headed by Daryl Katz, has started to rebuild after they took over in 2008.
The previous owners had a fire sale before selling, and the current ownership is cleaning up the mess.
As times goes on, the young players that were brought in will develop and make the city proud again.
23. Predators Holdings LLC, Nashville Predators
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Predators Holdings is the official owner of the Predators, and they have been since the team was sold by Craig Leipold in 2007.
The Predators have been good, but the personal in the management end have been in place since Predator Holdings took over.
The ownership group needs to supply more money for the team to have a chance to succeed.
22. Terrence Pegula, Buffalo Sabres
9 of 30
Terrence Pegula is a billionaire who just recently bought the Buffalo Sabres.
The good news for the Sabres fans is the fact that Pegula isn’t afraid to spend money.
Watch for the Sabres to be in the market for big name free agents as Pegula asserts himself on the NHL.
21. Craig Leipold, Minnesota Wild
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After selling the Predators, Craig Leipold bought the Minnesota Wild.
The team was in trouble before Leipold ever walked through the door but it’s starting to get better.
It will take a few years to rebuild the organization, but Leipold has the experience in building franchises from the ground up during his time owning the Predators.
20. Phillip Anschutz & Edward Roski Jr, Los Angeles Kings
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Phillip Anschutz and Edward Roski Jr. have owned Los Angeles Kings since 1995.
The reason they are still so low is because of their track record of success since the team was bought.
After almost 20 years, the Kings should have been a bigger contender than they have been up until this point.
19. Sharks Entertainment Enterprises, San Jose Sharks
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The Sharks Entertainment Enterprises has done a good job making the San Jose Sharks a contending team.
Since the current ownership group bough the Sharks, they have been building a franchise to win.
They are not afraid to pay but they need to get more hockey people in the front office to bring in better players for the long haul.
18. N. Murray Edwards, Calgary Flames
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N. Murray Edwards is the newest owner of the Calgary Flames and he acquires a team in peril.
The team is older and the keys to the team’s success are all on the downside of their careers.
It will be instrumental that he surrounds himself with good hockey people to help him turn the ship around.
17. Jeff Vinik, Tampa Bay Lightning
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Jeff Vinik has turned the Tampa Bay Lightning around in his short tenure as owner.
He brought in rookie GM Steve Yzerman and rookie head coach Guy Boucher and his educated gambles are paying off.
By surrounding himself with quality people, he can make good decisions for the organization.
16. Molson Family, Montreal Canadiens
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The Molson family has a team on their hands that is quite the enigma.
They have a lot of expensive contracts and it will have to be seen what they will do to free space for free agents and resigning their key young players.
The team will always have the allure of bring the Montreal Canadiens, but the owners need to put a winner on the ice for the people of Montreal.
15. James Dolan, New York Rangers
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James Dolan has been one of the most polarizing figures in hockey since he took over the New York Rangers.
The Rangers have been up and down during Dolan’s tenure and he has put the team in bad situations several times.
He has kept the team relevant but it isn’t hard in New York City to get hockey fans to care.
14. M.L.S.E., Toronto Maple Leafs
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Let me start by saying that it kills me to put the Maple Leafs this low on any list, but especially one that is directly correlated to success.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. or M.L.S.E for short, have owned the Toronto Maple Leafs since 1997.
In a community that is amazingly dedicated to its franchise, it’s a crime that the ownership hasn’t done more to surround itself with knowledgeable people who can put the Maple Leafs in the best position to win.
13. Eugene Melnyk, Ottawa Senators
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Since taking over the Ottawa Senators in 2003, Eugene Melnyk has turned the Ottawa Senators organization around.
They have struggled recently but he helped bring them to a Stanley Cup Finals appearance and they have been involved in the playoffs often.
Moving forward, he has to hire better personnel for the front office to run the team and build them for more playoff runs.
12. Tom Hicks, Dallas Stars
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Tom Hicks has been the owner of the Dallas Star since 1995.
Say whatever you want about how the team is performing now or in the past but Hicks has tried to provide a winner.
Some of his selections in the front office and as head coach have been questionable, but a Stanley Cup can solve all the problems.
11. Canucks Sports and Entertainment, Vancouver Canucks
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The Canucks Sports and Entertainment, led by Francesco Aquilini, has really tried to change the culture in Vancouver.
The Vancouver Canucks have been a consistent threat since the CSE group took over, and they have been getting consistently better.
The Canucks are at the top of the NHL and look to be making a serious push for a Stanley Cup.
10. Ted Leonsis, Washington Capitals
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Ted Leonsis has done well since taking over the Washington Capitals in 1999.
After rebuilding the farm system and installing a lot of his own hockey people into the front offices, it is definitely his team now.
They have steadily gotten better and better and he is not afraid to sign people to big deals and make bold moves.
9. Henry & Susan Samueli, Anaheim Ducks
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Henry & Susan Samueli, now that you want to buy the Ducks, who are you buying the team from?
We’re buying the Anaheim Ducks from Disney World!
Hey if Aaron Rodgers can say it, so can the Samueli’s.
After buying the Ducks from the Walt Disney Company in 2005, the Samueli’s did whatever it took to win a championship like the one they earned in 2007.
They are still pushing for more wins and they have been good owners.
8. Jeremy Jacobs, Boston Bruins
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Jeremy Jacobs has owned the Boston Bruins since 1975.
He has been one of the most consistent owners in the NHL and has kept the Bruins going in the right direction for years.
The team hasn’t won a title in a while but it’s not from a lack of effort on the owner’s part.
7. Jeffrey Vanderbeek, New Jersey Devils
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Jeffery Vanderbeek has continued the success of the New Jersey Devils since he took over in 2005.
The Devils have been perennially good but the decline of Martin Brodeur has shown that the team will be rebuilding soon.
Vanderbeek was also a big part of the Ilya Kovalchuk deal and the debacle that surrounded it.
6. Stan Kroenke, Colorado Avalanche
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Stan Kroenke bought the Colorado Avalanche the year they won the Stanley Cup in 2000 and the team has had its ups and downs after that.
The team is playing better but they are very young and have to do a lot of growing.
Kroenke will have to divide the Avalanche ownership up before 2014 because he owns a NFL team (St. Louis Rams).
5. Peter Karmanos, Carolina Hurricanes
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Peter Karmanos bought the Hartford Whalers in 1994 before eventually moving them to Carolina in 1997.
He has helped shape a new franchise in a new community and did it successfully.
Not only did Karmanos help bring a championship to Carolina, he has tried to consistently put his management in the best spots to make the team a winner.
4. Rocky Wirtz, Chicago Blackhawks
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Rocky Wirtz may have been the best thing to happen to the Chicago Blackhawks in the last 20 years.
After taking over for his notoriously tight-fisted father, Rocky Wirtz has not been afraid to pay players.
Bringing a Stanley Cup to Chicago is a huge deal and Wirtz has made his mark in just four years as majority owner.
3. Mario Lemieux & Ron Burkle, Pittsburgh Penguins
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Mario Lemieux saved the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Penguins were bankrupt and in need of a new arena. Lemiuex cut costs at first to keep the ship afloat but knew in all the losing, they would draft young players well.
Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby have helped make Super Mario one of the best owners and one of the most loved.
2. Comcast-Spectacor, Philadelphia Flyers
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The Philadelphia Flyers are owned by Comcast-Spectacor but the real mastermind of the operation from day one has been Ed Snider.
Ed Snider has put his team in the best position to win every year. They are a perennial powerhouse and they are always a threat.
Free agents love coming to Philadelphia and Snider always surrounds himself with the best hockey minds in the league.
1. Mike Ilitch, Detroit Red Wings
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Mike Ilitch bought the Detroit Red Wings in 1982 and has helped make them one of the most successful teams in the league.
Since taking over the “Dead Wings”, the team has won 15 divisional championships, six President’s Trophies and four Stanley Cups in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008.
The Red Wings have become a real force under Ilitch and will remain that way for years to come.
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