Stephen McArdle
Age: 38
League: NHL
Title: Executive vice president, digital media and strategic planning
Where born: Silver Spring, Md.
Education: University of Virginia (B.S.),
Northwestern University Kellogg School of
Management (MBA)
Family: Wife, Erin; sons, Harrison (4) and Brooks (1)
Favorite way to unwind: Hockey in the basement with my 4-year-old; or a fire in the fireplace, a bourbon, and catching up on newspapers/magazines.
Cause supported: Alzheimer’s Association.
Most thrilling/adventurous thing I’ve ever done: Climbing Mount Rainier.
If I could change jobs with anyone for a day, it would be: My godfather, who was a test pilot for the Navy.
2015 will be a good year if: My family stays healthy, and the Orioles continue their recent string of success.
MELYNDA PILON / NHLI
he NHL’s exponential revenue growth during the past half-decade can be chiefly attributed to successful negotiation of broadcast rights, digital media growth and an emphasis on strengthening the league’s tent-pole events. Stephen McArdle has been a driving force behind the scenes for each of these initiatives.
“People outside of sports underestimate how complex the business of sports really is and
{podcast}
SBJ Podcast:
Forty Under 40 editor Mark Mensheha and Executive Editor Abraham Madkour discuss this year's class, some of the more interesting stories in it and how the selection process works.
how complex it is not just to put the game on the ice, but behind the scenes — to really operate and grow, from a business perspective,” McArdle said. “It’s enormously complicated.”
When McArdle joined the league in 2009, he brought with him the ability to analyze broad strategy questions from a financial, analytical and strategic point of view. For the decade prior, he had worked at Salomon Smith Barney and Bain & Co. The position at the NHL was a newly created job and was McArdle’s first in the sports industry. From there, he’s gone on to serve as a right-hand man to league COO John Collins.
Said Collins of McArdle, “He provides the financial analysis that guides the structure of virtually every major deal we do.”
When the league sought new broadcast deals — in the United States in 2011 and in Canada in 2013 — it was McArdle who calculated the return the league would need from its TV partners, determined exactly what assets would be included in the deals and, ultimately, put the terms on paper. The two multibillion-dollar deals have ensured the league a strong foundation for the next decade.
Since taking over digital media for the league in 2013, McArdle has revamped the league’s live streaming service, NHL GameCenter Live. Not only does the product have a larger subscriber base than ever before — it now plays a significant role in the league’s overall asset portfolio — but it also offers the league’s most dedicated fans more in-depth features than ever.
“McArdle is a superstar,” Collins said. “He has had an enormous impact here.”
— Alex Silverman
