American businessman George Gillett Jr., who purchased the Canadiens in 2001 at a time when nobody else seemed to want the team, has died at age 87.<\/p>\n
The Canadiens announced Wednesday afternoon that Gillett died on Tuesday. The Vail Daily newspaper reported<\/a> that Gillett died at a memory care facility in Denver after a long battle with Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n \u201cOn behalf of the entire Canadiens organization, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to George\u2019s family,\u201d Canadiens owner, president and CEO Geoff Molson said in a release. \u201cGeorge immersed himself in the Montreal community and was appreciated by everyone in the organization. We sincerely appreciate his contributions to the Montreal Canadiens during his time as owner.\u201d<\/p>\n Gillett purchased 80.1 per cent of the Canadiens and 100 per cent of what was then called the Molson Centre in 2001 from Molson Inc. in a deal valued at $275 million. Gillett paid only $10 million more than what it cost Molson Inc. to build the arena, which opened in 1996, and became the Bell Centre in 2002. No Canadian company or individual made an offer to purchase the Canadiens before Gillett bought the team.<\/p>\n \u201cOur vision is to restore the franchise as the greatest team in hockey,\u201d Gillett said after taking over. \u201cOur vision is a 25th Stanley Cup in Montreal.\u201d<\/p>\n That 25th Stanley Cup never came, but Gillett\u2019s decision to purchase the Canadiens paid off for him. A year after buying the Canadiens he started Gillett Entertainment Group to help fill the Bell Centre with other events on nights when the Canadiens weren\u2019t playing.<\/p>\n In 2009, Gillett sold the Canadiens, the Bell Centre and Gillett Entertainment Group (now Evenko) to the Group CH consortium \u2014 led by Molson \u2014 for a reported $575 million to help finance his takeover of the Liverpool Football Club, along with partner Tom Hicks. Gillett purchased Liverpool in 2007 for a reported US$337 million and ended up selling the team three years later to New England Sports Ventures (now Fenway Sports Group) for US$476 million. <\/p>\n After selling the Canadiens, Gillett said: \u201cWe were able to build a good, solid foundation and now with Geoff Molson and the investment crew they\u2019ve continued to add to that base.\u201d <\/p>\n When Forbes came out with its annual valuation of NHL franchises last December, the Canadiens were valued at US$3.4 billion to rank third in the league behind the Toronto Maple Leafs (US$4.4 billion) and the New York Rangers (US$4 billion).<\/p>\n Gillett was born on Oct. 22, 1938, in Racine, Wisc. During a phone interview in 2018<\/a>, Gillett recalled his first news conference as owner of the Canadiens.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an interesting combination of enormous excitement, great pride because of what the Canadiens represented for the province and the community and so forth, and a substantial degree of fear,\u201d Gillett said from his home in Vail, Col. \u201cI didn\u2019t know how I would be received, so I was scared.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked why he was willing to buy the Canadiens when no Canadians wanted to purchase the team, Gillett said: \u201cI enjoy challenges and the opportunity to be involved in assisting to bring the Canadiens back to hopefully some of their earlier glories. It was a wonderful challenge and a marvellous opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n At the time of the 2018 interview, Gillett was chairman and CEO of Booth Creek Ski Holdings, Inc., a business management company headquartered in Truckee, Calif., that specializes in ski resort operations and administration as well as the advertising and marketing of those resorts. He had also held ownership stakes in the NFL\u2019s Miami Dolphins and basketball\u2019s Harlem Globetrotters. <\/p>\n While owning the Canadiens, the affable Gillett insisted on being called George and not Mr. Gillett. After selling the team he continued to watch Canadiens games on TV with his wife, Rose.<\/p>\n \u201cWe loved Montreal, we loved the fans and we loved the club,\u201d Gillett said in 2018. \u201cWe were disappointed when I had to sell it, so it\u2019s been mixed emotions because we really, really enjoyed it. We loved the community and we loved the pride that we had in the club and being able to say we\u2019re associated with the Montreal Canadiens. There\u2019s nothing really quite like that that I\u2019ve ever experienced before or since. It\u2019s a real sense of pride.\u201d<\/p>\n Canadiens legend Jean B\u00e9liveau became a mentor to Gillett in Montreal, taking the new owner under his wing as he learned more about hockey and the history of the Canadiens. Gillett had high praise in 2018 for hockey people Bob Gainey, Serge Savard, Pierre Boivin, Julien BriseBois, Trevor Timmins and Donald Beauchamp, as well as the heads of his marketing and revenue departments. <\/p>\n \u201cWe had wonderful people,\u201d Gillett said. \u201cThey were bright, they were loyal, they loved Montreal and the club and what it meant. It was a wonderful team that worked well together.\u201d<\/p>\n NHL commissioner Gary Bettman issued the following statement Wednesday following the news of Gillett\u2019s death:<\/p>\n \u201cGeorge Gillett\u2019s passion for the Montreal Canadiens and commitment to the city of Montreal were demonstrated throughout his tenure as owner of the storied franchise from 2001 to 2009. He guided the Canadiens through a significant chapter in their history that included preparations for their Centennial Celebration, which honoured the franchise\u2019s rich legacy and seminal place in our game.<\/p>\n \u201cGeorge was a friend whose company I always enjoyed, whose counsel was wise, and whose energy was contagious. His contributions to the hockey world left an enduring mark, and his legacy will continue to be felt throughout the game for years to come. The National Hockey League sends its heartfelt condolences to his family and many friends.\u201d<\/p>\n