Bill Foley and Black Knights Sports & Entertainment, LLC, which was awarded an NHL expansion franchise last month, announced today that it has hired George McPhee as the team’s General Manager.
McPhee joins the new Las Vegas team after spending 17 years as General Manager for the Washington Capitals, where he was responsible for all decisions for hockey operations.
During his time with the Capitals, McPhee transformed it from a non-playoff team, selling just 2,900 season tickets in 1997, to a team that consistently ranked first in its division; won the Presidents’ trophy, which the NHL awards the team that finishes with the best record in the League during the regular season; and sold out every game for the last eight seasons he was with the team.
Most recently, McPhee served as a Special Advisor to the General Manager for the New York Islanders, where he was responsible for advising on complex decisions regarding players, trades, entry draft and other strategic business and legal decisions. Additionally, he was an integral part of this team when they entered the post-season playoffs in 2015 and 2016.
Prior to his time leading hockey operations, McPhee was a professional hockey player for the New Jersey Devils from 1987-1989 and the New York Rangers from 1982-1987.
“I am very excited to announce that George will be the General Manager of our franchise,” said Bill Foley, majority owner of the Las Vegas NHL franchise. “George is well respected around the league. He is a leader who knows every aspect of the game, both as a player and as a hockey operations executive, having been the GM for 17 years with the Capitals, a well-managed and successful franchise. It was important to me that our General Manager be someone that I know I can work well with and someone who is as committed to building a winning franchise for the people of Las Vegas.”
McPhee received his Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers University and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business from Bowling Green State University. He also served as an Adjunct Professor of Sports Leadership and Management at Georgetown University.
“I am honored to have been selected to be General Manager of this historic franchise,” said McPhee. “This is an exciting opportunity to work with Bill Foley, to be involved with this franchise from the beginning, and to leverage my leadership skills and extensive hockey experience as we build a winning team,” said McPhee.
The Las Vegas NHL franchise will begin play in the 2017-2018 season.
