Craig Leipold - Owner
The NHL’s Board of Governors officially approved Craig Leipold’s purchase of Minnesota Sports & Entertainment (MSE) on April 10, 2008. Leipold is the majority owner and principal investor in MSE, a regional sports and entertainment leader that includes the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, its minor league affiliate the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League, the National Lacrosse League’s Minnesota Swarm, Wildside Caterers, 317 on Rice Park and the facility management of Xcel Energy Center and the Saint Paul RiverCentre. He also serves as the team’s Governor at NHL Board of Governors’ meetings.
“I love the sport of hockey and am very excited to continue the tradition of Wild hockey here in Minnesota – the State of Hockey,” Leipold said. “I have admired Bob Naegele and the entire Wild organization since the first puck dropped in 2000. It is a true privilege to become part of the organization and the hockey community in Minnesota. I want to thank Bob for this unique opportunity, and I am pleased that he will continue as my partner in the organization.”
Leipold, a resident of Racine, Wisconsin, completed the sale of the Nashville Predators to a local ownership group on December 7, 2007, a team he owned since the expansion franchise was awarded to Nashville in 1997. Under Leipold’s ownership, the Predators were dedicated to building a long-term winning franchise, playing an important role in the community through service initiatives, providing a fun and entertaining game-night experience and building strong relationships with their fans and corporate partners.
During Leipold’s nine-plus seasons of ownership, Nashville was a model of stability and continuity on the ice. The club is one of a few in professional sports that maintains the same general manager (David Poile) and head coach (Barry Trotz) as it did 10 years ago. In the process, the club transformed from an expansion team into a consistent contender.
During his time as an NHL owner, Leipold has been a tireless advocate for the professional hockey industry. Appointed by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Leipold served on both the League’s Executive committee and Audit committee. Steadfast in his belief that a new collective-bargaining agreement needed to give smaller markets like Nashville a chance to succeed economically and on the ice, he was a member of the League committee that negotiated the CBA with the NHL Players’ Association in 2005. He is also a strong advocate for the new, more “fan-friendly” NHL, including the rule changes to promote a more entertaining competition and increased fan access to the product.
He was named Sports Person of the Year during the Predators’ inaugural season, the 1999 Father of the Year by the Nashville Father’s Day Council and the Easter Seals Nashvillian of the Year in 1999.
Craig and his wife Helen (Chairman and Chief Executive officer of Johnson Outdoors, Inc. and Chairman of Johnson Financial Bank Corp.) have five sons: Chris, Kyle, Connor, Curtis and Bradford.
