A Naples-based businessman is set to become the next owner of one of the NHL\u2019s most iconic franchises.<\/p>\n
David Hoffmann, founder of the Hoffmann Family of Companies, is expected to purchase the Pittsburgh Penguins in a deal valued at $1.7 billion, according to multiple national reports. The sale is still pending final approval from the NHL.<\/p>\n
While the Penguins play more than 1,000 miles away, the deal has strong Southwest Florida ties. Hoffmann already owns the Florida Everblades and Hertz Arena in Estero, giving him an established presence in professional hockey.<\/p>\n
The Penguins have been owned by Fenway Sports Group since 2021, a period that drew mixed reactions from fans in Pittsburgh. Some supporters felt the non-local ownership never fully connected with the city or its fanbase.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re talking about one of the marquee U.S. NHL franchises,\u201d said Jason<\/p>\n
Mackey, a Penguins reporter. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot that would attract him to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pittsburgh sports reporter Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says many fans are optimistic about the change, especially as the team navigates a transition on the ice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t feel like they ever really meshed with the city and its sports fans,\u201d Hiles said of the previous ownership group. \u201cSo some new perspective might do well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fans say the biggest factor moving forward will be winning. Pittsburgh native Emily Kane, who now lives in Southwest Florida, says success on the ice will ultimately determine how the new ownership is received.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like we haven\u2019t been doing well as of late, so hopefully new leadership brings more wins,\u201d Kane said. \u201cWins talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hiles agrees, noting that results will outweigh any concerns about geography.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, winning is everything,\u201d he said. \u201cIf more resources are put into the team and fans feel ownership is doing everything possible to contend, there won\u2019t be many complaints.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Hoffmann family provided this statement:<\/p>\n
Hoffmann Family of Companies Members and Supporters,<\/p>\n
We wanted to bring you behind the scenes of the rumors swirling\u2026again.<\/p>\n
As you may have seen, there\u2019s been another flurry of rumors and speculation in the media regarding the potential acquisition involving the Pittsburgh Penguins. We remain in a tough position of not being able to confirm any specific reports\u2026yet.<\/p>\n
As always, we are laser-focused on strategic growth, long-term partnerships, and opportunities that align with our values and vision. We\u2019re grateful for your continued support and trust as we explore all possibilities that lay before us.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an understatement to say that our family loves hockey, and we look forward to sharing more updates soon.<\/p>\n
Once the deal is finalized, more details are expected to emerge about the direction of the franchise and what this move could mean for professional hockey in Southwest Florida.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Naples-based businessman is set to become the next owner of one of the NHL\u2019s most iconic franchises.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":65021,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[34621,13261,73,75,74],"class_list":{"0":"post-65020","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pittsburgh","8":"tag-collaborator_gen_stories","9":"tag-collier","10":"tag-pittsburgh","11":"tag-pittsburgh-headlines","12":"tag-pittsburgh-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65020"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65020\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}