Walt Disney Company sells Anaheim Mighty Ducks hockey team to Henry
and Susan Samueli
Sale requires approval from NHL
Dr. Henry Samueli and his wife, Susan, well-known Orange County entrepreneurs
and philanthropists, announced today that they have reached an agreement
with The Walt Disney Company to purchase the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim,
the National Hockey League Club based in Orange County, California.
Purchase price and terms were not disclosed. The sale of the team requires
approval by the National Hockey League Board of Governors.
"We are absolutely delighted that we were able to reach this important
agreement with The Walt Disney Company," said Dr. Samueli. "Since
The Walt Disney Company created the team in 1992, the Mighty Ducks have
become a wonderful asset to this community, with a terrific following,
a history of winning and a strong nucleus of outstanding young prospects
and talented veterans. Our acquisition of the team assures that the
Mighty Ducks will remain in the hands of local ownership committed to
keeping the team in Orange County and putting a consistent winner on
the ice," Samueli said.
"Our primary goal in creating the Mighty Ducks was to make another
major professional sports franchise a large part of the spirit and fabric
of the city of Anaheim and Orange County," said Michael D. Eisner,
CEO of The Walt Disney Company. "We are all proud of the team's
accomplishments, including its Western Conference Championship and its
berth in the Stanley Cup Finals in the 2002-03 season. We are also pleased
with the Ducks' steadfast commitment to the community over the years.
We are confident that Henry and Susan Samueli will bring continued success
to the Ducks and we will remain among the biggest fans of the team going
forward," added Eisner.
Dr. Samueli is co-founder, Chairman of the Board and Chief Technical
Officer of Irvine-based Broadcom Corporation, a global leader in broadband
communications semiconductor chips. Samueli said he will continue to
remain focused on his duties at Broadcom and leave the day-to-day management
of the franchise to a strong leadership team.
"I believe in doing things right, and we fully intend to bring
together the top talent and resources, both on and off the ice, to ensure
that the Mighty Ducks team remains among the best managed, admired and
most successful professional hockey franchises in North America,"
Samueli said.
"Since Susan and I also own the management company that operates
the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, the Mighty Ducks' home ice, acquiring
the team was a natural next step, one that we are convinced will benefit
both entities, especially the fans in Orange County," added Samueli.
"We are absolutely thrilled to be able to grow the team in Anaheim
and contribute to its future success," Susan Samueli said.
