NY Islanders minority owner rumored to be dating Hollywood star

Who says the New York Islanders don't have any star power?

While Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Rangers, regularly welcomes athletes, movie stars, and musicians, UBS Arena is increasingly becoming a place for celebrities from Carson Daly to Shakira to congregate. You may soon see Reese Witherspoon in Elmont, too. According to PEOPLE Magazine, the Legally Blonde star is dating minority owner Oliver Haarmann.

Haarman and the Morning Show star were seen having dinner together on Jul. 30 in New York City. According to a source, the two are just “friends," and Witherspoon "is taking things slow when it comes to dating" following his recent divorce from Jim Toth. The potential power couple reportedly flew into the city on a helicopter before eating at L'Artusi.

"She enjoys it but doesn't want it to be a big focus. She's busy with work and her son," a source told PEOPLE. "These are her biggest priorities."

So, who is Oliver Haarmann? He is a financier who reportedly owns as much as 10% of the team, which was confirmed by the New York Post earlier this year. Last December, there were reports of a mystery buyer for a portion of Scott Malkin's stake at a reported valuation of $1.75 Billion.

That buyer ended up being Haarman, who founded Searchlight Capital Partners, a private equity firm, in 2010. Haarmann became the second new minority owner of the team last year, following John Collins, the former NHL chief operating officer, who runs the team's business operations.

The Islanders' valuation has exploded following the move to UBS Arena, which opened in November 2022 and was partially financed by Oak View Partners and former New York Mets owner Jeff Wilpon. Last year, the organization opened up "The Park" at UBS Arena and it was announced at the Stadium Series game at MetLife Stadium that the team will host the 2026 All-Star Game.