Ted Leonsis, owner of the Washington Capitals, was unanimously elected chairman of the NHL’s Board of Governors on Tuesday, succeeding longtime Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, the league announced on NHL.com.
Jacobs, who bought the Bruins and Boston Garden in 1975 at age 35 and is the longest-tenured owner among North America’s four major professional sports leagues, had held the chairmanship since 2007. He later built TD Garden, the arena the Bruins now share with the NBA’s Boston Celtics, and led Boston to three Stanley Cup Final appearances in a decade, including a championship in 2011. “Serving as chairman of the NHL’s Board of Governors has been one of the greatest honours of my life,” Jacobs said in a statement carried by NHL.com, adding “nearly 20 years later, it’s well past time for me to pass the torch.” Commissioner Gary Bettman credited Jacobs’ “wisdom and unwavering commitment to this League” for helping guide the NHL “through a period of unprecedented growth.”
Calgary Flames governor Murray Edwards was named vice-chair. Edwards said the appointment reflected the importance of keeping “the Canadian perspective” represented at the board level, calling it “important to have balance.” Leonsis, who chairs Monumental Sports and Entertainment and governs the Capitals, described the new pairing as complementary: “I’m more strategy, big picture, vision, new media; Murray is operations, finance.”
The same meeting produced an update on the league’s expansion plans. Bettman said the NHL has received expressions of interest from the Friedkin Group, led by Dan Friedkin, in bringing a team to Houston or Austin, Tex., along with strong interest from Atlanta and Arizona and unspecified other markets. The next formal board update on expansion is expected in December.
“We’re not under any time constraint,” Bettman said, per NHL.com. “This isn’t a situation where we said we’re going to expand by X date.” He added that any expansion would need wide support among owners: “A lot of i’s have to be dotted and t’s have to be crossed, and if there is going to be expansion three-quarters of the governors are going to be comfortable.”
Bettman also told the board the league is projecting local-currency revenue of $8.1 billion US for the season, NHL.com reported.
The leadership change and expansion update land as all 32 NHL clubs work through the final stretch of training camp and the preseason schedule. The Edmonton Oilers open the 2026-27 season Sept. 29 and Oct. 1 in a home-and-home against the Vancouver Canucks.
