8 Richest NHL Team Owners

NHL team owners are among the world’s richest people. They have invested in several business ventures and are worth billions of dollars. Is your favourite team’s owner one of the richest in the National Hockey League (NHL)? Keep reading to find out more.

Wealthiest NHL Team Owners You Should Know About

In this guide, we’ll look at the lives of the richest team owners in the NHL, including their business ventures. The following are the NHL’s wealthiest people, including how they made their fortune and their estimated net worth in ascending order.

1.    Eugene Melnyk of Ottawa Senators – $1.20 Billion

Eugene Melnyk is a Canadian businessman, philanthropist, and the current owner and chairman of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. The billionaire has made most of his fortune in the pharmaceutical and medical publishing industry after founding Biovail Corporation.

Biovail Corporation was a specialty pharmaceutical company that operated globally in all aspects of pharmaceutical products. Melnyk served as Biovail’s chairman and CEO before Valeant Pharmaceuticals acquired the company in 2010.

Eugene Melnyk is also known for his outstanding philanthropic ventures in Canada. He is the co-founder of Rogers’ House, a pediatric palliative care facility based in Ottawa. Melnyk also donated $5 million to Toronto’s St. Joseph Health Centre.

In Melnyk’s tenure at the Senators, since 2003, the team hasn’t won any Stanley Cup. He bought the NHL team at approximately $150 million after it had filed for bankruptcy protection. Visit Eugene Melnyk’s website to learn more about the NHL team owner.

2.    Jeremy Jacobs of Boston Bruins – $4.3 Billion

The 79-year old billionaire owns Delaware North, an international hospitality and food service business working in the sporting, lodging, gaming, airport, and entertainment industries. His father started the company as a theatre concession company in 1915.

Jeremy Jacobs became the CEO of Delaware North after his father’s demise. In 2015, he named his three sons, Charles, Louis Michael, and Jeremy Jr., as the company’s CEOs. Jacobs owns interests in the New England Sports Network (NESN).

Incredibly, Jeremy Jacobs purchased Boston Bruins in 1975 using his own money, making him the second-most tenured NHL team owner. Under his tenure, the Bruins have missed playoffs six times, winning the highly competitive Stanly Cup in 2011.

Not to mention, Jeremy Jacobs has had several philanthropic ventures in the past. His family founded the Boston Bruins Foundation, which has raised more than $28 million.

3.    Joshua Harris of New Jersey Devils – $4.5 Billion

Born in a Jewish family, Joshua Harris is an American businessman who has invested heavily in banking. He started his career back in the 1980s when he began working in the mergers-and-acquisitions department at Drexel Burnham Lambert.

In 1990, he co-founded Apollo Global Management with Marc Rowan and Leon Black. It is a global alternative investment management company headquartered in New York City. Currently, the 54-year old billionaire is one of Apollo’s three managing partners.

In 2013, Harris purchased most stakes in the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. Apart from co-owning the Devils, Harris has shares in the Philadelphia 76ers, the New Jersey Devils, and Crystal Palace, a Premier League football team in England.

Joshua Harris and his wife are known for their philanthropic work. The two co-founded Harris Philanthropies to strengthen communities. Harris also supports After-School All-Stars to help low-income youth combine their love of athletics with academic success.

4.    Henry Samueli of Anaheim Ducks – $4.8 Billion

Samueli is a renowned billionaire who made his fortune when working as a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. He co-founded the communications company Broadcom alongside Henry Nicholas, one of his Ph.D. students.

Broadcom Corporation is an American company producing products for the wireless and broadband communication industry. However, Avago Technologies acquired the company in 2016 and now operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Broadcom Inc.

In 2003, the 66-year old billionaire purchased the Arrowhead Pond’s (now the Honda Center) management contract to supervise all the arena’s operations. After two years, he purchased the Ducks from Walt Disney Company for roughly $75 million.

After two years of Samueli’s tenure, the Anaheim Ducks became the first team to win the Stanley Cup in California. The team has only missed the playoffs three times. According to Forbes, the Ducks’ value was roughly $460 million in 2020.

Notably, Samueli is also a renowned philanthropist. His family has donated over $500 million to many charitable causes. Among them is the $100 million donated to the University of California to expand its engineering school.

5.    Terrence Pegula of Buffalo Sabres – $4.9 billion

Terrence Pegula, the owner of Buffalo Sabres, is a multi-billionaire holding interests in real estate, entertainment, professional sports, and natural gas development. He is the sole founder of East Resources, a natural gas drilling company, Florida, United States.

In real estate ventures, Pegula owns many investments in Buffalo, including the Webster Block, which won the developing rights in 2012. The billionaire also owns Black River Entertainment, an independent country music label.

Pegula purchased Buffalo Sabres in 2011 and the National Lacrosse League’s Buffalo Bandits. According to him, Buffalo Sabres’ reason for existence is to win the Stanley Cup. However, the team has not won the cup under Melnyk’s tenure.

Besides owning Buffalo Sabres, Pegula has purchased many other teams, including the National Football League’s (NFL’s) Buffalo Bills and NWHL’s Buffalo Beauts. However, he gave up control of the Beauts after the 2019 CWHL season.

6.    Philip Anschutz of Los Angeles Kings – $11.4 Billion

Renowned as a master of trades, this American billionaire has made his fortune in a vast range of fields, including real estate, oil, and telecoms. In 1961, Anschutz bought Circle A Drilling, his father’s drilling company. He has also invested in stocks.

Philip Anschutz is a co-founder of the Major League Soccer (MLS) and five different teams in the league. He owns stakes in the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers. Also, Anschutz owns the O2 Arena and the Staples Centre.

Note that Anschutz co-owns the Lakers and Kings with Edward P. Roski. They bought the Kings in 1995 for roughly $113.25 million. Under their tenure, the NHL team has won the Stanley Cup twice, in the 2011-12 and 2013-14 NHL seasons.

The Los Angeles Kings have been scaling up and down during their tenure. They have been moving forth and back, making the playoffs and not making it to the playoffs. As of 2020, the NHL team was worth $825 million.

7.    Hasso Plattner of San Jose Sharks – $15.8 Billion

Plattner, a German-born billionaire, is a co-founder of SAP SE, a software company created by Plattner and IBM engineers in 1972. He also owns the Hasso Plattner Institute that offers degree programs and free online IT systems engineering courses.

Hasso Plattner is also a renowned philanthropist who has used part of his money for a good cause. He’s a signee of the Giving Pledge, a foundation that supports HIV/AIDS research and promotes healthcare and health education in South Africa.

The 76-year old billionaire first invested in the NHL’s San Jose Sharks in 2002 and later became the majority owner in 2010. In 2013, he bought out the other investors of the NHL team. By 2020, San Jose Shark was worth $515 million.

Under Plattner’s tenure, San Jose Sharks has been striving to reach the playoffs but has not been able to do it. The Sharks has only collected five division titles and one Presidents’ Trophy. Notably, the team has only reached the Stanley Cup Final once.

8.    David Thomson of Winnipeg Jets – $39.4 Billion

David Thomson, a British Canadian, is the third Baron of Thomson Fleet. He founded Osmington Incorporated, a real estate company he owns separate from his family’s wealth. The firm deals in purchasing and managing commercial real estate.

The 63-year old billionaire is also a top investor in FarmersEdge, a company that offers digital solutions in agriculture. He is also an ardent art collector, with a gallery full of pieces from William Turner, Egon Schiele, and Rembrandt, among many others.

Renowned for his excellent leadership skills, Thomson serves as the chairman of Canadian conglomerate Thomson Reuters. He became the chairman after his father passed away in 2006. Thomson is also a co-owner of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets.

The Jets’ owners, Thomson and Chipman, have significantly impacted the NHL. The team has only missed the playoffs five times in their first six seasons. With young NHL players like Patrik Laine, the team is doing everything possible to win a division title.

Final Words

It’s no doubt that the richest NHL team owners have invested a lot in their teams to take them to the next level. Most of them have also had numerous philanthropic activities to foster community development. Notably, many other wealthy NHL team owners are not mentioned in the list, including Daryl Katz of Edmonton Oilers.