The New York Rangers and Islanders were prematurely bounced from the NHL playoffs — but one Staten Islander made it all the way to the finish line.
Matthew Caldwell wasn’t on the ice for Monday night’s Game 7 triumph, but the Tottenville native played a key role in building the Florida Panthers into Stanley Cup champions. The 43-year-old is the franchise’s team president and CEO and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman threw him a nod during the presentation of the Cup.
Bettman acknowledged the roles of Caldwell and other team executives, mentioning each of them by name.
“You did an incredible job to build this organization with great players,” he said.
Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky hoists the Stanley Cup after winning the NHL hockey Stanley Cup over the Edmonton Oilers in Sunrise, Fla., Monday, June 24, 2024. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)AP
Caldwell, a St. Joseph-by-the-Sea alum, became the youngest CEO in all of American sports when he was first hired by Florida in 2016. His duties include marketing and budgeting the organization’s finances, an intricate role in a salary-capped sport.
The Panthers won their first-ever Stanley Cup on Monday night. Florida previously defeated the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
UNLIKELY JOURNEY
“I never imagined I’d be involved in professional sports,” Caldwell told the Advance back in 2020. “Becoming a CEO was a dream, but I never imagined it would happen so quickly, or that it would be in pro sports.”
“The hockey side has been tough, the last three seasons we’ve kind of been a bubble team,” Caldwell told the Advance at the time. “The next phase is trying to be Stanley Cup champions.”
Caldwell didn’t play hockey in his youth, though he admittedly grew up a Rangers fan, but he did excel at the other three major sports — including on the football field, where he served as Sea’s starting QB for three seasons.
His path to the NHL was an unlikely one. After graduating West Point at 22-years-old, he embarked on a five-year military stint, which included a stay in Iraq.
Upon his return, Caldwell received his MBA and law degrees from Northwestern University, before arriving on Wall Street to work for Goldman Sachs.
During his time at Goldman, he crossed paths with Panthers owner Vincent Viola, who was a client at the time. He brought him on board as a team representative and consultant after purchasing the franchise in 2013, before promoting him to CEO in 2016.
