The Richest NHL Team Owners of 2014

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts Presents The Stanley Cup At Sheraton New York With Former New York Ranger Mike Richter

The National Hockey League (NHL), founded in 1917, has recently become one of the most profitable and successful premier professional sports leagues in the world. The average NHL team is worth more than $400 million, an impressive 46 percent increase from only a year ago. While a number of NBA, MLB, and NFL teams are struggling to fill their respective arenas, ballparks, and stadiums, 15 of the 30 NHL markets have reported 100 percent capacity at home games. Professional hockey is continually rising in popularity due to the NHL’s attempt to engage fans through large-scale events and digital offerings, resulting in a 66 percent rise in the league’s advertising and sponsorship revenue. As more and more money floods into the world of the NHL, team owners are reaping the benefits as well. Here is a list of the top five richest NHL team owners in order of net worth.

5. Michael Ilitch (Detroit Red Wings) – $3.2 billion

Not only does Michael Ilitch own the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, but he also owns the MLB’s Detroit Tigers. After a short-lived professional baseball career, Ilitch opened a pizza business with his wife in 1959, which eventually evolved to become the international fast food franchise Little Caesars Pizza. In 1982, Ilitch purchased the Red Wings for $8 million and quickly turned the team into a Stanley Cup contender.

4. Stan Kroenke (Colorado Avalanche) – $5.3 billion

The owner of Kroenke Sports Enterprises, Stan Kroenke has grown his sports empire to include ownership of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, the NFL’s St. Louis Rams, the MLS’s Colorado Rapids, and Premier League football club Arsenal. Kroenke has since turned over control of the Nuggets and the Avalanche to his son Josh, in order to become full owner of the Rams, and promises to give up his stake in the Avalanche by December.

3. Hasso Plattner (San Jose Sharks) – $8.9 billion

Co-founder of European multinational software corporation SAP SE, German entrepreneur Hasso Plattner began serving as the Sharks’ representative on the National Hockey League’s Board of Governors in 2013 after buying out two partners of San Jose Sports & Entertainment Enterprises. Know for giving back to the academic community, Plattner donated $35 million to Stanford University in 2005 to fund the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design.

2. Philip Anschutz (Los Angeles Kings) – $10.3 billion

Entrepreneur Philip Anschutz co-founded Major League Soccer and a number of MLS teams including the Los Angeles Galaxy, the Chicago Fire, and the Houston Dynamo. Anschutz also has stakes in the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and venues such as the Staples Center in Los Angeles and the O2 Arena in London. In 1995, Anschutz assumed ownership of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. The Kings have won two championships in the past three seasons.

1. David Thomson (Winnipeg Jets) – $22.5 billion

David Thomson is the chairman of Thomson Reuters Corporation, one of the world’s largest media and information firms with a market cap of $30.5 billion. In 2011, True North Sports Entertainment–a partner of Thomson’s Toronto-based Osmington Inc.–purchased the Atlanta Thrashers for $170 million. An additional $60 million was paid to relocate and rename the team, now known as the Winnipeg Jets. Although Winnipeg is the NHL’s smallest market, the team’s revenues have grown by 48 percent.

Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images

Written by Derrick Krom

Derrick is a recent graduate of Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia where he received a B.A. in English and Communication Studies. Throughout his life, Derrick has traveled the country and even got to study abroad in London, England for four amazing months. He's a guitar player, avid music fan and lover of literature, film, and all things entertainment.