TSN senior correspondent Rick Westhead reports that Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), the organization that owns the Maple Leafs, Raptors, TFC, and Argonauts, has decided to appoint Keith Pelley as president and chief executive.
Westhead claims that the transaction might be revealed on Thursday. Michael Friisdahl, the CEO and president of MLSE from 2015 until 2022, will be succeeded by Pelley. Since Friisdahl left, MLSE’s CFO Cynthia Devine has taken on the role of acting CEO.
Pelley has served as the CEO of the Surrey, England-based European Tour of golf, which is currently referred to as the DP World Tour. He was president of Rogers Media, a division of Rogers Communications, prior to that.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment – the parent company of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Raptors, TFC, and Argonauts – has reached an agreement to hire Keith Pelley as president and chief executive.
Breaking story from @rwesthead: https://t.co/BCqSqi9i2O
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) January 10, 2024
He was successful in negotiating a $5.3 billion deal with the NHL during his time there, which grants Rogers the right to broadcast all games in Canada, including playoff games, until 2026.
Prior to that, he worked as vice president of strategic planning at CTV Television Network and presided over Canada’s Olympic broadcast media consortium for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
He was the CEO and team president of the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL in the early 2000s; the team won the Grey Cup in 2004.
Based in Toronto, Ontario, MLSE is a professional sports and commercial real estate firm. They are one of the biggest sports and entertainment businesses in the world, owning teams like the Argonauts, the Toronto Maple Leafs and its AHL club, the Toronto Marlies; they also own the NBA’s Toronto Raptors and the MLS’s Toronto FC.
The Maple Leafs and Raptors play their home games at Scotiabank Arena, which is owned by MLSE.