NHL COO John Collins resigning to pursue ‘a new business opportunity’

In an unexpected development late Tuesday afternoon, the NHL announced that Chief Operating Officer John Collins will resign from the league to pursue “a new business opportunity.”

Collins has been with the league since joining the staff in 2006 and was promoted to the role of COO in August 2008. The NHL owes a lot to Collins in his seven-year term with the league, from the Winter Classic and HBO’s 24/7 program to the Rodgers and NBC television deals in Canada and the United States, and he was instrumental in helping the organization bounce back from the latest lockout in 2011.

The NHL’s more recent partnership with MLB Advanced Media was also down to Collins and his work with the league. It’s certainly a blow for the NHL and its fans, and his contributions to the league as a whole have helped shepherd in one of the most prosperous eras in the history of the organization.

“John leaves a lasting mark,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “His energy, creativity and skill at building strategic partnerships helped drive significant revenue growth for our League. We are grateful for his many contributions and wish him the best in his new endeavors.”

“I’m grateful to Commissioner Bettman for his leadership and friendship over the past nine years,” Collins said in the release. “He had a vision for extending the reach of the NHL and supported us completely as we set out to make the game as big as it deserves to be. The NHL’s future is filled with promise and potential and I will admire and cheer the League’s successes to come on the global stage.”