The NHL had its annual Board of Governors meeting this week in Florida. Numerous items were on the agenda, including a salary cap increase to at least $92.4 million (Kelly McCrimmon just stiffened up hearing that news) and a new schedule format. While these meetings don't have much impact on the average fan, they offer deeper insight into the league's operations.
For example, how will the Vegas Golden Knights make people's heads explode with another LTIR move? Or when will the next CBA agreement expire? Remember, you can't have a hockey league without a bargaining agreement, as Bettman and company learned in 2004-05.
Speaking of which, the current CBA agreement expires in September 2026. Bettman and the Board of Governors are working like elves on Christmas Eve to deliver hockey to the masses for the future. Everyone wants to see their favorite NHL player in the Winter Olympics, after all (yes, that has been a topic of discussion as well). The good news is Bill Daly says we're getting close to a deal for the Olympics.
"We're getting close. We exchanged some documents with the IOC and IIHF on Friday. I remain confident we'll get there soon."Bill Day on a IOC/NHL collaboration
Who's on the NHL Board of Governors?
So who comprises this elite group of decision-makers? Is Bill Foley one of them? To start, the Chairman of the Board is Boston Bruins owner, Jeremy Jacobs. And yes, Foley is one of the league's Governors. His alternate Governors (i.e. alternate decision-makers) are John Breslow, Kerry Bubolz, Robert Foley, and George McPhee.
Here's an entire list of people on the NHL's Board of Governors:
Anaheim Ducks: Henry Samueli
Boston Bruins: Jeremy Jacobs
Buffalo Sabres: Terry Pegula
Calgary Flames: Murray Edwards
Carolina Hurricanes: Thomas Dundon
Chicago Blackhawks: Danny Wirtz
Colorado Avalanche: Josh Kroenke
Columbus Blue Jackets: John P. McConnell
Dallas Stars: Tom Gaglardi
Detroit Red Wings: Christopher Ilitch
Edmonton Oilers: Daryl Katz
Florida Panthers: Vinnie Viola
Los Angeles Kings: Philip Anschutz
Minnesota Wild: Craig Leopold
Montreal Canadiens: Geoff Molson
Nashville Predators: Bill Haslam
New Jersey Devils: David Blitzer
New York Islanders: Scott Malkin
New York Rangers: James Dolan
Ottawa Senators: Michael Andlauer
Philadelphia Flyers: Dan Hilferty
Pittsburgh Penguins: John Henry
San Jose Sharks: Hasso Plattner
Seattle Kraken: David Bonderman
St. Louis Blues: Thomas Stillman
Tampa Bay Lightning: Jeff Vinik
Toronto Maple Leafs: Larry Tanenbaum
Utah Hockey Club: Ryan Smith
Vancouver Canucks: Francesco Aquilini
Vegas Golden Knights: Bill Foley
Washington Capitals: Ted Leonsis
Winnipeg Jets: Mark Chipman
If you couldn't tell, it's essentially the team owners that consist of the NHL's Board of Governors. They make major decisions concerning league operations alongside Gary Bettman. That includes the upcoming CBA agreement, which will dictate whether we have an NHL season in September 2026.
Many fans don't know that Foley has a role beyond the Vegas Golden Knights. He also makes key decisions for the NHL, including the salary cap, scheduling format, and whether the league will send its players back to the Winter Olympics. Therefore, hockey fans should appreciate the NHL owners as a group (unless you're from Buffalo, which in this case, you should tell Terry Pegula to stick with building a team around Josh Allen).