Recently, I posted an article touching upon retired football coach Nick Saban’s minority ownership acquisition of the NHL’s Nashville Predators. He is not the only person with a football background owning a professional hockey franchise. Lamar Hunt, Jr., who along with his siblings is the owner of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, also owns the Kansas City Mavericks. The Mavericks are the East Coast Hockey League affiliate of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken, and are very complimentary of the Kraken for the support it provides.
The combination of bringing in quality players – by virtue of their partnership with the Kraken – and focusing on premier game-day fan experiences has led to success both on and ice for the organization. Also, the Mavericks have been able to retain those players by providing a fun atmosphere where fans come out in droves to support the team. This led to them being named the league’s Game Operations Team of the Year a season ago.