Thayer R. "Tad" Potter (February 19, 1933 - January 11, 2013) was a Pittsburgh-area businessman and a National Hockey League owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1971 until 1975.
He served as an officer in the United States Navy Reserve and relocated to Newport, Rhode Island, then to Norfolk, Virginia.
He became a "hockey hound" who encouraged fans to buy season tickets when he heard a buyer wanted to move the Penguins out of Pittsburgh.
Penguins were eventually sold for a mere $3.8 million to a group that included Wren Blair and Al Savill, ending Potter and Block's stake in the team.
[2] Potter later forming Kitspaw Fuel, a coal brokerage service and then moving on to site evaluation and development for O'Brien Energy of Philadelphia.
Tad's wife, Jean, later stated that his work on coal bed methane projects was his most satisfying professional achievement.