Thu Apr 10 22:16:06 2008

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Wild sold to Leipold

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St. Paul, MN (Sports Network) - Minnesota Sports & Entertainment (MSE) and the National Hockey League's Board of Governors have approved the sale of the Minnesota Wild and its related entities to Craig Leipold.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though Leipold announced Thursday that Philip Falcone has agreed to join him as a general partner in the overall franchise.

"I am excited to have Philip Falcone join our MSE and Wild ownership group," said Leipold. "He shares a strong passion for the game of hockey. Philip will be a great addition to our group. I am also very pleased that Bob Naegele Jr. has agreed to continue with my ownership group. A complete list of MSE's new ownership group will be announced at a future date."

Naegele had been the majority owner of the Wild since the NHL granted an expansion franchise to the City of St. Paul in 1997. The Wild played their first full season in 2000-01 and have made three postseason trips, including an appearance in the 2003 Western Conference Finals.

"I am very excited this purchase has been approved by the NHL," Leipold added. "I look forward to the opportunity to continue the overall success of the Northwest Division Champion Minnesota Wild and the start of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs."

Leipold, a Wisconsin native, recently sold the Nashville Predators for $193 million.