- George Gillett Jr., who owned the Canadiens from 2001 to 2009, has died at 87
- He also owned Liverpool FC, the Miami Dolphins and NASCAR’s Evernham Motorsports
- Read below for tributes from Geoff Molson and Gary Bettman
George Gillett Jr. is gone.
The former Montreal Canadiens owner died Tuesday at 87, the team confirmed Wednesday in a news release.
Gillett bought a majority stake in the Canadiens and the Molson Centre in January 2001 for $275 million, financing part of the purchase with $140 million in loans. He ran the franchise for eight years before selling to the Molson family in June 2009.
Canadiens owner Geoff Molson talked about what Gillett meant to the organization and the city.
“On behalf of the entire Canadiens organization, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to George’s family,” Molson said. “George immersed himself in the Montreal community and was appreciated by everyone in the organization. We sincerely appreciate his contributions to the Montreal Canadiens during his time as owner.”
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was asked about Gillett’s tenure as an owner in comments shared with Daily Faceoff, and he didn’t hold back on what the relationship meant to him.
“George was a friend whose company I always enjoyed, whose counsel was wise, and whose energy was contagious,” Bettman said. “His contributions to the hockey world left an enduring mark, and his legacy will continue to be felt throughout the game for years to come.”
Word spread through the hockey world Wednesday. Grant McCagg, who scouted for the Canadiens under Gillett’s ownership, shared a personal memory of working for him:
Gillett was born in Racine, Wisconsin, on Oct. 22, 1938. He built Brook Creek Management Corp. into a business empire that stretched well past hockey. He held ownership stakes in the Miami Dolphins and the Harlem Globetrotters and controlled NASCAR’s Evernham Motorsports at different points in his career.
In February 2007, while he still owned the Canadiens, Gillett bought into Liverpool FC of the English Premier League. He ran the hockey club and the soccer giant at the same time for close to two years.
His time in Montreal covered real franchise history. Saku Koivu’s return from cancer in April 2002 happened under his ownership, and so did the arena’s renaming to the Bell Centre later that year. He was still in charge when the team began planning its 2009-10 centennial season before handing the keys to the Molsons.
The Canadiens open their 2026-27 season on Sept. 29 against Toronto.
