Former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Republican Party representative, is about to complete a mega transaction to get his hands on the Nashville Predators.
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If the National Hockey League (NHL) Board of Governors votes positively, Haslam will pay around $880 million to become the majority owner of the Preds, according to Forbes magazine. Rumors were also circulating on this topic in June 2022. He would take the place of Herbert Fritch, a businessman who bought 60% of the Nashville team in 2007. He was among a group of buyers who had paid just $174 million to take over the organization.
Also according to Forbes, if the transaction goes through, Haslam would make four payments ranging from next month to 2025. He would not take the reins of the team until he transferred the full amount to Fritch.
Despite only reaching the Stanley Cup Finals once in their history, the Predators have no trouble attracting fans to Bridgestone Arena. In the past six seasons ー excluding the 2020-2021 campaign where fans were not allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic ー, they have been able to sell more than 17,000 tickets on average for each game.
Haslam served as Governor of Tennessee from 2011 to 2019. He has publicly opposed abortion rights, same-sex marriages and gun laws.