The Tampa Bay Lightning have officially been sold
Photo credit: Screenshot
The Tampa Bay Lightning organization has officially been sold for $1.8 billion, according to a new report.
Winning back-to-back Stanley Cups can't be bad for the value of a franchise. In the past years, the organization's popularity hasn't ceased to grow, and it seems the Lightning Chairman & Governor Jeff Vinik and the Vinik Sports Group decided to capitalize on the opportunity to sell. During the summer, rumblings of a deal started to emerge.
On October 1st, the NHL's Board of Governors approved the sale to a group of investors led by Doug Ostrover and Marc Lipschultz, but the announcement wasn't made until today.
Full details of the deal weren't revealed, but Sportico revealed that Lipschultz and Ostrover bought over 50% of the team for $1.8 billion.
Changes won't be observed just yet, as Vinik will still be in full control of the team for the next three years before stepping down as Alternate Governor and board member.
He made the following declaration in the team's press release:
"Since 2010, we have focused on building the Lightning into a world-class organization, and now we've found world-class partners who share in our mission of being a community-first organization,» said Vinik, who bought the Lightning in 2010 for $93 million. «Doug and Marc share my commitment to providing the Lightning with all the resources they need to excel and are excited to become part of the Tampa Bay community. I'm confident that together, with the ongoing leadership of Steve Griggs and Julien BriseBois, this organization will continue to find success.»
The new owners also commented:
"The Tampa Bay Lightning is one of the most respected and well-managed franchises across all of sports and that's thanks to Jeff Vinik and his incredible team. Their commitment to excellence on-and-off the ice is one that we share. We look forward to embracing the Tampa Bay community and partnering with Jeff to build on the team's success and championship legacy. We are excited to be a part of a League with such incredible growth and momentum."
The Bolts are set to hit the ice tonight against the Minnesota Wild. The sale won't change anything for the day-to-day operations of the team, but fans are eager to see what will eventually change in the organization.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 24 | 47 ANSWERS The Tampa Bay Lightning have officially been sold Do you think the Tampa Bay Lightning will win another Stanley Cup in the next five years? | ||
| Yes | 9 | 19.1 % |
| No | 38 | 80.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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