Who is John Collins? The NY Islanders' newest investor running business operations

The New York Islanders made a key addition on Thursday - to their business operations.

Former NHL Chief Operating Officer John Collins is investing in the team and will run the team's business operations. In an e-mail that was reviewed by Sportico, the announcement of the former league executive came from Islanders' owner Scott Malkin. The expectation is that Jon Ledecky, who purchased a minority stake in the team along with Makin back in 2014, will continue to be out front, leading community efforts.

Collins became the NHL's COO in 2008 and held the role through 2015, crafting a vision to create a broader national scale for the league. The league's growth doubled in size from $2B to $4B during his tenure, averaging nearly 30% annual operating profit growth. The NHL was named "Sports League of the Year" by the SportsBusiness Journal in 2014 and SportsBusiness Daily in 2011 while Collins was in that role.

Prior to the NHL, Collins was president and chief operating officer of the Cleveland Browns from 2004 to 2006. He began his career with NFL Films and helped user in reality based programs such as Hard Knocks for HBO. He was also helped develop 24/7 Penguins/Capitals: Road to the NHL Winter Classic. In addition, Collins has big-game and big talent experience, as he oversaw U2's Super Bowl XXXVI halftime performance.

After leaving the NHL, he ran On Location Experiences, a league-backed hospitality company that has rights holders across several leagues including the NFL, NCAA, PGA and USTA.

Back in November 2022, Sportico released their team valuations, with the Isles ranked 13th amongst NHL franchises with a team value of $920M. Following their first season at UBS Arena, 2021-22 revenue was at $205M, up drastically from $66M generated during the 56-game 2021 season played at the Nassau Coliseum and from $94M in 2019-20 when the team played games at both the Coliseum and Barclays Center in Brooklyn.