{"id":462143,"date":"2026-02-18T15:38:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T15:38:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/462143\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T15:38:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T15:38:27","slug":"msg-makes-big-announcement-on-knicks-rangers-is-a-sale-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/462143\/","title":{"rendered":"MSG makes big announcement on Knicks, Rangers: Is a sale next?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Social Media is already buzzing with questions about ownership after Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (NYSE: MSGS) announced it is exploring a spin-off that would separate the New York Knicks<\/a> and New York Rangers<\/a> into two distinct publicly traded companies.<\/p>\n

The potential spin-off aims to give shareholders clearer insight into each franchise\u2019s assets and growth potential while offering both teams greater strategic and financial flexibility, the company said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are exploring the opportunity to further create value for our shareholders by separating our two professional sports franchises into distinct companies,\u201d said Jim Dolan, executive chairman and chief executive officer, via Business Wire<\/a>. \u201cBoth the Knicks and Rangers are premier teams in their respective leagues, with storied histories and large and passionate fan bases.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the proposed structure, one company would control the Knicks, an original NBA franchise that has reached the NBA Finals eight times and won two championships. The team made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. <\/p>\n

The Westchester Knicks, the team\u2019s exclusive NBA G League affiliate, would also be included.<\/p>\n

The second company would oversee the Rangers, one of the NHL\u2019s \u201cOriginal Six\u201d franchises with four Stanley Cup championships in its history. The team is celebrating its 100th anniversary this season. <\/p>\n

The Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers\u2019 top affiliate team in the American Hockey League, would be part of this company.<\/p>\n

While MSG Sports framed the move as a value-creation strategy, the announcement quickly sparked speculation among fans on X\/Twitter about what it could ultimately mean for ownership. <\/p>\n

Some wondered<\/a> what the \u201cmotivations are for such a change,\u201d while others asked bluntly<\/a>, \u201cwhat will Dolan still own?\u201d <\/p>\n

Another popular refrain:<\/a> \u201cDoes this mean one is being sold?\u201d<\/p>\n

The company did not indicate that a sale is under consideration, and a spin-off does not inherently require one. Instead, the structure would create two independent public entities, each with its own balance sheet and investor base.<\/p>\n

If MSG Sports proceeds, shareholders would receive a pro-rata distribution of 100% of the common stock in the newly created public company through a tax-free spin-off. Both Class A and Class B common stock holders would receive the distribution.<\/p>\n

Dolan said the transaction would provide each company with \u201cenhanced strategic flexibility, its own defined business focus, and clear characteristics for investors.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company has not set a timetable for completing the transaction. The spin-off would need to clear several hurdles, including league approvals from both the NBA and NHL, a tax opinion from counsel, and final board approval. MSG Sports cautioned that no assurance exists the transaction will be completed as described or at all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Social Media is already buzzing with questions about ownership after Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (NYSE: MSGS) announced…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":462144,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5111],"tags":[5,3328,35,5190,5193,4,36],"class_list":{"0":"post-462143","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-rangers","8":"tag-hockey","9":"tag-new-york","10":"tag-new-york-rangers","11":"tag-newyork","12":"tag-newyorkrangers","13":"tag-nhl","14":"tag-rangers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116092384265027450","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=462143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462143\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/462144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=462143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=462143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=462143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}