John H. McConnell II Q & A: Blue Jackets' future owner on his transition, NHL's rising salary cap

New York Times

08-05-2025

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Blue Jackets are in transition at the ownership level. While John P. McConnell, 71, remains the majority owner, his son, John H. McConnell II, 41, was elevated to alternate governor last fall and is on track to assume majority ownership of the franchise.
He would be the third member of the family to hold a majority ownership stake in the franchise, and early indications suggest John H. McConnell II will be more integrated with Blue Jackets management and the day-to-day operations than his predecessors.
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John H. McConnell, the franchise's founder and majority owner until his death in April 2008, was a beloved figure among Blue Jackets' fans, who often gave him a standing ovation when he waved to the crowd on the scoreboard during games. John P. McConnell has been far less visible to fans, both at games and in public comments, choosing mostly to let club president Mike Priest and others speak on his behalf.
The approach by John H. McConnell II seems most similar to his grandfather and namesake, but perhaps even more engaged. He sat beside general manager Don Waddell during this year's NHL trade deadline, made frequent road trips with the club, and has familiarized himself with management, staff and players along the way.
The Athletic asked to speak with McConnell II several months ago, but he wanted to wait until after the 2024-25 season. We discussed the transition, what he believes should be the role of owners in pro sports, whether the Blue Jackets will be able to keep pace with the NHL salary cap, whether they've had offers to sell the club and more.
Note: Questions and answers have been edited lightly for clarity and length.
How would you describe the transition that's underway?
It's part of family succession planning, similar to what my father and grandfather did when (my father) was around my age. We're right in the middle of that process now. I'm being active in a different way. I've been with the Blue Jackets in multiple full-time roles for about six-plus years.
Is there a timeline in place for when you will become governor?
It's just how it continues forward. There's no set time for this. I'm working with my dad as he slowly steps back with different things as he goes into retirement.
When did this track begin? I saw you around the club quite frequently this season.
I've always been close to it. My dad and I have really always talked through everything. It's never been that I'm not involved in some way, but in an official capacity now of being involved and being in this role, in the process, attending the board of governors' meetings and representing the hockey team.
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What has attending the BOGs been like for you?
It's been great. It's nice to see where the league is headed, where we're at as a league as a whole, the dynamics of team ownership, the way they're viewing the future … it's nice to be able to really see it, and be in those meetings compared to hearing more about where we're at. Being there, and being the representative of the ownership group, has been really enlightening, and I'm enjoying the time.
What has been the most interesting part of this for you? You sat in with GM Don Waddell at the trade deadline, you've traveled fairly extensively with the club this year, gotten to know the coaching staff …
We're very fortunate to have Don Waddell, having somebody in the organization who has the experience that he has. Just being around him and being able to learn from him, with all of his different perspectives. He had a lot of roles and responsibilities in previous organizations (Detroit, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Carolina) … so bouncing ideas off him and getting his thoughts, it's been great to have that experience here.
Waddell has seen all of this from the business side and the hockey side.
Correct. He's managed arenas before, the business side and the hockey side. I'm, in general, a hockey guy, passionate about hockey, and him being a hockey guy as well, we've had some great conversations, just individually, in how we view the team and how we're going to work together moving forward.
What do believe should be the role of an owner in professional sports?
For me, it's really how my grandfather and I, and my dad, have viewed this. Hire the right people, give them resources, support them, and we're not going to be the active player in that. We want to make sure we're giving the people who are here, who are in the roles their in, the resources they need to be successful.
Is that a difficult balance? You're a guy who knows hockey, has played hockey … could it be a challenge to maintain that delineation?
No. Learning from my grandfather in business and with the hockey team, and my father, I represent the ownership group as a whole, I share a deep passion for hockey, and learning how they (the previous two generations) have conducted and carried themselves … I'll do it differently, because I'm a different person, but I will continue in the way they've done it. I attended some road games this year. I plan in the future to attend more road games, but I have a young family as well, so balancing my family time and responsibilities is part of that.
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We have people in place. I want to give them the resources. I can communicate with them directly, figure out what they need. If I have opinions on something, we can bounce ideas at any time. But unless it's a big decision, we're not making a final decision on that. (My role) is really resource allocation at that point.
The draft was a real hit here, now almost 20 years ago. You played a role in preparing for the NHL All-Star Game in 2015. The outdoor game this past season was a big moment. What can you say about the franchise's status and how that's changed through the years.
Man, the fact that the draft here was in 2007, that makes me feel old. Having these events that help put Columbus on the map is huge. That's part of what we wanted to do in bringing professional sports to Columbus. We wanted to elevate Columbus on a national and international stage. The All-Star Game experience for me (as co-chair of the events committee) was fantastic. But, for me, my direct involvement was in 2013, when the All-Star Game was supposed to be coming (before it was canceled due to the lockout). I had taken another role (two years later). The upside of that was, the playbook was established, the new team took it and made some changes to it, which were great, and I got to experience it from a different lens, because I didn't have the responsibility when it actually came. It was exciting for me to watch and be like 'Look how this turned out! Look how that turned out!' It was fantastic.
The Stadium Series (in Ohio Stadium) was an incredible experience. It was one of those events where. you look back … we've been trying for years to try and bring that to Columbus. And it showed. The fans were excited. They showed up. The fan support is unbelievable. One of the things about being in position was talking to all of the stakeholders involved in that. The Columbus Sports Commission, the NHL, Ohio State, the Blue Jackets … everybody in this community worked very well together. It was very collaborative.
It felt like something changed that night. Did it feel that way to you? If nothing else, maybe the relationship between Ohio State and the Blue Jackets.
I don't know if 'changed' is the word that I would use. It was really highlighting what we already do well as the Blue Jackets, as Ohio State. I'm a double-Buckeye (two degrees), so I have my lineage there. It was really highlighting what we do as a community and highlighting it to a larger stage. The way the game went … with (the Blue Jackets) winning, the fan experience .. that was something to highlight what we do.
The NHL salary cap is going up this summer after a long stagnation coming out of COVID. Some estimates suggest it could go up an additional $20 million over the next two seasons. Are there any concerns, as a small-market club, about being able to keep pace?
I don't think it's going to continue as an astronomical climb. It's more pairing to the hold that was taking place during COVID and now matching economically where it needs to match between the players, the NHL players' association and the NHL. But we're in a good place for the market adjustment, and we don't see any issues with that going forward.
Have there been overtures or expressed interest from others in buying the Blue Jackets? There has been speculation that (Cleveland Browns and Columbus Crew owners) Jimmy and Dee Haslam have been interested. Can you confirm if there has been expressed interest by the Haslams or anybody else, and has there ever been any consideration of selling the franchise?
No. I think part of that is the Haslams coming to Columbus with the Crew and expanding their sports network with the Haslam Sports Group in acquiring (a 25 percent stake as co-owners) of the (NBA's Milwaukee) Bucks. We have a good working relationship with the Haslams. We have to, being in a community here, with them down the street with the Crew. It has been a great relationship. But we have no intention of selling the franchise.
Can you say if the Haslams have inquired?
No. We just have a great working relationship. My discussions and meetings with that team and that (ownership) group have been great. They've been collaborative. I'm also a Browns fan, so that's helped me in enjoying some understanding of what their strategies are and helps us, as a team, in different ways.
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How would you describe the current state of the Blue Jackets' franchise and where do you see it going?
We have one of the best prospect pools in the NHL. The young players we're drafted have been in the system and building through it. Some of the changes we made to the roster last season was to get veteran players in here to help get them thinking the way we think, in the way we want to represent our organization and make sure they're getting NHL ready. We've got a great core. We're going to continue to build on that over the next couple of seasons.
Do you anticipate an active summer?
It's going to be interesting to see. We're going to see how we get to the draft timeframe (mid- to late June). We've got seven draft picks. We're going to be able to see what comes to us, in a lot of ways. Two first-round picks this year gives us an opportunity to make some decisions.
And that includes the possibility of not selecting players with those picks.
Correct.
Do you have thoughts on the draft change? This year, for the first time, there won't be a single location where all 32 teams meet to select players. The NHL will have the top 50 players in Los Angeles, but the franchises will set up camp in their own cities and do the drafting from remote.
It makes a lot of sense. It's a big production to put together the draft. Having the league there, and having a war room here, I think it will be conducive to us being able to quickly strategize differently than we would on the floor.
What are the benefits of this year's set-up?
We'll still have the same level of discussion and connectivity (to other NHL GMs) as we go through it, but we can have different, quicker discussions. If you've been to the draft before, you've seen how everybody is moving quietly around the room and people can catch on to what might be happening, and they can counter or make different decisions. This allows us to have better conversations and more quickly.
You're right on, there. There are always a couple of GMs — the ones expected to be active each summer — where everybody has like a GPS read on them as they move about the floor.
Yep. 'Look, he's going over there now. Why's he talking to them? What does that mean?' This will allow us to stay focused on making the decisions we need to make and react quicker.
Any parting comment, something you'd like to put out there?
We're very proud of where we're at as an organization. I've been around it. I've been around 25 years of working my way through all of the companies in our family's business.
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We're going to fight every year to try and win the Stanley Cup. That's the best way to say it. We're going to put the best players, the best coaches and the best management in place to make that happen. The fans have been huge. It has not been an easy season, with the way it started off (the Johnny Gaudreau tragedy). But the fans commitment and everything they've done to make us continue to have success (as a franchise), we're going to continue to try and reward that with success on the ice and hopefully bring a Stanley Cup.
(Top photo of Blue Jackets fans at Ohio Stadium in March: Jeff Dean / Getty Images)