OVG360 has been selected as the new management group of PPG Paints Arena by the Penguins and their majority owners, Fenway Sports Group.
The change was announced Monday and will take effect July 1.
OVG360 is a division of Oak View Group.
The incumbent management agreement with ASM Global is scheduled to expire June 30.
OVG360 already manages two existing NHL facilities, UBS Arena (New York Islanders) and Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle Kraken), and is slated to manage the multi-purpose arena at Arizona State University where the Arizona Coyotes are scheduled to play beginning in the 2022-23 season. It also manages Robert Morris University’s UPMC Events Center.
Under the new agreement, OVG360 will retain the arena’s existing local management team and arena workers, including all union relationships, the team said in a release.
The release touted OVG360’s ability to bring “premium events and major concerts” to its venues and said the company will make “substantial private investments into PPG Paints Arena to improve the fan experience.”
“OVG is a rising, innovative leader in arena management, and we are proud to welcome their partnership at PPG Paints Arena,” Penguins COO Kevin Acklin said in the release.
OVG360’s leadership is dotted with well-known names in hockey management circles. Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke is the former president and CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group, which owns the Los Angeles Kings. OVG360 president Chris Granger oversaw business operations for Ilitch Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Detroit Red Wings. OVG360 executive chairman Peter Luukko oversaw the operations of the Philadelphia Flyers for more than 25 years.
Hank Abate, OVG senior vice president overseeing facilities in the Northeast, was part of the team that opened PPG Paints Arena in 2010.
Fenway Sports Group has been relatively slow in making major changes to the operations of the Penguins since buying the team last year.
The biggest change has been the resignation of CEO David Morehouse in April.
The Penguins are in the midst of a pivotal offseason, with franchise stalwarts Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang about to hit unrestricted free agency.
“We’ve had real good communication with the Fenway group,” general manager Ron Hextall said last month. “They’re on board with the plan moving forward here trying to being as good as we can be and be a contender. So everything is good. They’re totally committed to winning as are we as a management group and a coaching staff. We’re just going to move along with the summer. We’ve got some things that we’re looking at in terms of adding to staff and stuff. We’re moving along and the communication with the Fenway group is good.”
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