Nicolaus Sakiewicz (/səˈkævɪtʃ/ sə-KAV-itch;[2][3] born January 14, 1961) is the former chief business officer of the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League.
[citation needed] Until October 2015, Sakiewicz was the CEO and Operating Partner of Keystone Sports & Entertainment, LLC, the ownership group of the Philadelphia Union.
Sakiewicz, the son of a Polish immigrant father and mother, attended the University of New Haven where he played on the school's NCAA Division II soccer team from 1979 to 1982.
[citation needed] Sakiewicz helped engineer the deal the build a soccer-specific stadium, Red Bull Arena.
[citation needed] During the 2005 season, Sakiewicz was promoted to President of AEG New York, LLC, where he oversaw the record-breaking $100 million sale of the MetroStars to Red Bull Energy Drink Company in 2006.
In November 2007 he left AEG to become the co-founder and CEO of the Philadelphia Union, which were announced as the 16th MLS franchise in February 2008 and began play in 2010.
Sakiewicz led all efforts in planning and construction of the Union's soccer-specific stadium PPL Park, including securing naming rights and other key sponsorships.
Following his dismissal, allegations arose that Sakiewicz had threatened members of the local media with libel suits for their reporting on the franchise.
Since taking over as commissioner, Sakiewicz has partnered with Twitter to live stream select games, increased ticket sales and led the way in launching NLL TV.
Sakiewicz's biggest initiative for expansion franchises is to get what he calls "blue-chip owners" in the league, with teams who have favorable arena deals and to be in a good sports and entertainment market.