As expected, the New Jersey Devils, in addition to the rights to operate the Prudential Center arena where they play, have been sold to a group headed by billionaire Josh Harris, who’s also the principal owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers.
“It is with great pride that I stand here today ...and share with you the sense of excitement we have as the new owners of the New Jersey Devils,” Harris said Thursday at a press conference in Newark, per NHL.com. “I can assure everyone here that David [Blitzer, co-owner] and I take the responsibility for being stewards of this great franchise seriously and we look forward to building excitement on and off the ice.”
Also present today was Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello, who said he’s been impressed by the new owners and feels they’re committed to winning.
“Everyone wants to win but not everyone knows how,” he said. “They’re creative, they’re intuitive and they want to get an edge in every way they can. I’m comfortable with that and I’m honored to be here and stay here in New Jersey with the New Jersey Devils.”
Former owner Jeff Vanderbeek will remain with the Devils as a senior adviser and will reportedly retain a partial ownership share in the team.
Scott O’Neil, the former president of Madison Square Garden Sports, has been tapped to run business operations.
All in all, the change in ownership has to be seen as good news for Devils fans who’ve had to hear about the club’s financial struggles for some time now.
Lamoriello said he is comfortable knowing the new owners are committed to giving him the tools to put a winning team on the ice.
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) August 15, 2013
Blitzer on keeping Lamoriello in role: " This team has stood for excellence and we don't want to fiddle with excellence."
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) August 15, 2013