ANN ARBOR, MI - JANUARY 01: John Collins, COO for the NHL, looks on during the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on January 1, 2014 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)

ANN ARBOR, MI - JANUARY 01: John Collins, COO for the NHL, looks on during the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on January 1, 2014 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)

NHL COO John Collins has left his position with the league to pursue a new business opportunity.

Bloomberg’s Scott Soshnick initially reported Collins’ departure.

Collins was an instrumental force in many of the NHL’s high-profile ventures and deals since the league hired him in 2006. He became the NHL’s COO in 2008.

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“John leaves a lasting mark,” commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “His energy, creativity and skill at building strategic partnerships helped drive significant revenue growth for our League. We are grateful for his many contributions and wish him the best in his new endeavors.”

Said Collins in a statement:

“I’m grateful to Commissioner Bettman for his leadership and friendship over the past nine years. He had a vision for extending the reach of the NHL and supported us completely as we set out to make the game as big as it deserves to be. The NHL’s future is filled with promise and potential and I will admire and cheer the League’s successes to come on the global stage.”

Collins was a vital part in the NHL’s upward business path since the 2004-05 lockout. He was one of the creative minds behind the Winter Classic and Stadium Series events, that have become a major league initiative in the last several years.

He also helped with the media side of the league, pushing for all-access shows on HBO and EPIX leading up to the Winter Classic and Stadium Series games. Collins helped broker a 10-year, $2 billion deal with NBC Sports for US television rights and a 12-year $5.2 (Canadian) billion deal with Rogers for Canadian TV rights. Last summer the league announced a six-year digital partnership with MLB Advanced Media.

Collins was an important cog in the NHL’s push to restart the World Cup of Hockey as well as the league’s addition of “enhanced” stats to its website.

In 2008, when Forbes announced its NHL team valuations, the Toronto Maple Leafs led the NHL at $448 million. On Tuesday, when Forbes announced its most recent valuations, three teams – the Leafs, New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens – were at $1.15 billion or more.

The league did not immediately name a successor for Collins, but it will likely be an important hire for the NHL to continue the financial and brand growth it exhibited under Collins.

Before joining the NHL, Collins worked for several years in the NFL and was also the CEO of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns directly before jumping to hockey.

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper