Lightning Owner Giving Employees $20 Million In Bonuses After Selling Majority Stake In Team

The Tampa Bay Lightning have been easily the most successful NHL franchise through the first part of the 2020s, and now, those who played a roll in that success off the ice are getting some incredible bonuses courtesy of the team’s owner.

$20 million worth of bonuses.

According to Sports Business Journal, Lightning owner Jeff Vinik sold a majority stake in the team to a group led by Blue Owl Capital co-CEOs Doug Ostrover and Marc Lipschultz.

This sale was approved by the NHL’s Board of Governors on October 1, and considering the franchise is valued at $1.8 billion dollars, it left Vinik — who will retain control of the team and serve as its governor for the next three years, per CNBC — a nice chunk of change.

Lightning owner Jeff Vinik hoists the Stanley Cup overhead after the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Montreal Canadiens in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. (Photo by Scott Audette/NHLI via Getty Images)

Now, he’s using some of that money to shell out a whopping $20 million to the team’s full-time employees.

“In recognition of the hard work and dedication that has made VSG a world-class+ organization, I’m pleased to announce that all full-time staff will be receiving a bonus on behalf of the Vinik Family,” a memo obtained by Sports Business Journal reads. “Thank you for the role you’ve played in making the Vinik Sports Group and the Tampa Bay Lightning an organization of which we can all be proud. Together, we have built something truly special.”

The bonuses are reportedly going to be in the $50,000 to $66,000 per employee.

It’s so cool to see employees rewarded for such a great run. Sure, what happens on the ice is the biggest measuring stick, but the Lightning play in a “non-traditional” (I hate that term) hockey market, and yet they’ve morphed into one of the league’s most successful franchises of the last 25 years.

That’s because of everyone who is part of the machine, so enjoy those bonuses, folks!