Execs leading the NHL's big initiatives

Steve McArdle

Executive vice president, strategic planning and chief administrative officer, NHL

McArdle is the league office’s brightest young star among its executive ranks. The former Bain consultant serves as a direct conduit between Commissioner Gary Bettman and all the league’s revenue lines, giving him the ability to apply his strategy and consulting acumen. He also has been a key voice on the league’s digital expansion, having a hand in everything from player tracking at the World Cup of Hockey to the digitization of stat sheets.

David Proper

Photo by: GETTY IMAGES

Executive vice president of media and international strategy, NHL

Photo by: GETTY IMAGES

 Proper oversees two of the most important revenue streams for the NHL: its traditional media relationships, which include the league’s broadcast agreements with NBC and Rogers, and the development and execution of its international strategy. The former Time Warner Cable and NFL executive has spent so much time working on the NHL’s efforts in China, his business cards now feature both English and Chinese.

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Nili Doft

Photo by: NHL

Vice president of digital products and analytics NHL

Photo by: NHL

Doft, who joined the NHL in 2008, is a crucial part of the league’s efforts to expand its digital reach. She manages the day-to-day operations of the league’s partnership with BAMTech, overseeing product and business development, marketing and the relationship between the league’s clubs and the tech company. She helps to supervise the digital aspects of the league’s relationships with Rogers, SAP and Fanatics, and how those interact with BAMTech. She also studies consumer behavior and the content consumption of NHL fans across the league’s digital platforms.

Photo by: NHL


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