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Forbes profiles the NHL’s billionaire owners

Jeremy M. Jacobs

Boston Bruins owner Jeremy M. Jacobs speaks to the media after the NHL hockey team practice in Boston on Monday, Sept. 28, 2009, as the team prepares for it season opener against the Washington Capitals on Thursday. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

AP

Interesting piece here from Tom Van Riper of Forbes Magazine about the 10 billionaire NHL owners.

(That’s 10 NHL owners that are classified as billionaires, of course. Not NHL owners that are worth $10 billion. I don’t think there are many of those.)

According to the piece, the NHL has just one fewer billionaire owner than the NBA, “where the median franchise value is about 67% higher.” The leagues share two billionaires -- Philip Anschutz (Kings/Lakers) and Stan Kroenke (Avalanche/Nuggets) -- which means the NHL has eight other billionaires we haven’t mentioned yet.

How many more times can I write the word billionaire? Keep reading to find out!

[NB: Just to reiterate, this is all from the Forbes list.]

Jeremy Jacobs, Boston Bruins

Jacobs’ net worth is an estimated $1.9 billion, made primarily through his food and hospitality company (Delaware North). He took control of the Bruins in 1975 and later made two key hires that played an integral role in the recent Stanley Cup Championship: GM Peter Chiarelli and President Cam Neely. Getting rid of Harry Sinden as GM was also a shrewd move.

Ronald Burkle, Pittsburgh Penguins

Burkle co-owns the Pens with Mario Lemieux. His estimated net worth is $3.2 billion, made in part from the supermarket game (and we’re not talking about bagging groceries.) That said, Burkle seems to have dabbled in all sorts of business ventures, which you can read about here.

Philip Falcone, Minnesota Wild

Founder of the Harbinger Group, Falcone’s net worth is believed to be at $2.2 billion (putting him at No. 188 on the Forbes 400.) He grew up in Minnesota and played hockey at Harvard. His pet potbellied pig has its own room in his Manhattan town house. Seriously.

Mike Ilitch, Detroit Red Wings

The owner of the Red Wings and Detroit Tigers founded Little Caesars Pizza in 1959, shortly after a knee injury ended his minor-league baseball career. His current net worth is $2 billion. He was inducted into the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003 and the US Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.

Terry Pegula, Buffalo Sabres

Pegula made his fortune ($3.1 billion) in gas drilling, then spent most of it on Christian Ehrhoff.

N. Murray Edwards, Calgary Flames

Edwards is a “self-made oil and gas tycoon” which is also his official title on business cards. It’s a real hit with the ladies. In addition to natural resources, he owns a series of ski resorts and co-owns the hockey team through Calgary Flames, L.P.

Daryl Katz, Edmonton Oilers

Katz (pronounced “Kates”) is Canada’s 16th wealthiest citizen. He’s the chairman and CEO of The Katz Group, Canada’s leading drug store operator -- not coincidentally, the Oilers play at Rexall Place. Katz has been in the news recently as the city of Edmonton recently signed off on funding for a new arena deal.

Henry Samueli, Anaheim Ducks

Samueli is the co-founder, senior VP and CTO of the Broadcom Corporation. He bought the Mighty Ducks from Disney in 2005, dropped the “Mighty” in 2006 and won a Stanley Cup in 2007. Clearly, this is a guy that gets results. He’s worth $1.7 billion.