Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has officially announced that he will recommend the Oak View Group’s KeyArena renovation proposal to the City Council. Coming on the heels of Seattle Partner’s withdrawal from the competition, this comes as no surprise.

In more surprising news, OVG has announced the names of two major investors who will attempt to land an NHL franchise to play in the arena.

For the second time in a decade, television and movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer will team up with investment mogul David Bonderman in an effort to acquire an NHL franchise, most likely through expansion. According to Sports Business Daily, the pair first attempted to pursue NHL expansion to Las Vegas in 2007 but were hindered by the lack of an NHL ready arena.

NBA fans should note that Bonderman, a minority owner of the Boston Celtics, has also expressed interest in becoming the majority owner of an NBA franchise, having attempted to acquire the NBA’s Golden State Warriors in 2010.

DAVID BONDERMAN

David Bonderman is a Los Angeles native, born in 1942, who now lives in Fort Worth, Texas. He is married with five children, and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1966. He does have a significant tie to the Seattle community that can be summarized in four glorious words: “Bow … down … to Washington.” That’s right, Bonderman is a 1963 graduate of the University of Washington. After Harvard, he chose to look beyond the borders of the United States to continue his education, traveling to Cairo, Egypt to become an expert in Islamic law and becoming fluent in modern Arabic in the process. (SuccessStory.com)

This appreciation of travel has translated to his adult life and he now encourages young people to think internationally, sponsoring the Bonderman Fellowship. This fellowship allows up to 14 University of Washington students funding to support travel abroad for the purpose of learning. It is described in the fellowship application as follows:

David Bonderman – the donor – wishes to give students an opportunity to experience learning and growth in new and unexpected ways. Bonderman Fellows will undertake international travel on their own for eight months, to six or more countries in two or more major regions of the world. Through solo travel the Fellows will focus on exploration and discovery, learning about the world and themselves in it. Up to seven graduate and seven undergraduate Bonderman Fellowships will be awarded in spring 2017. Each Fellowship carries a $20,000 award to be used only for extended solo international travel. Fellows may not conduct research, pursue an academic project, or participate in a formal program or organization.

Mr. Bonderman is recognized as a rare Texas democrat, having previously contributed to the campaigns of both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. His philanthropic efforts include social and human services, Boys and Girls Clubs, Wildlife Conservation Society, African Parks Foundation of America, and Eco Activists for Governance and Law Enforcement (WealthX.com)

Mr. Bonderman worked as a lawyer and a professor in his early career, but made his fortune as a world class investor. In 1992, he co-founded TPG Capital, which currently manages more than $70 billion of investments. According to the most recent Forbes.com report, Bonderman has a net worth of approximately $2.5 billion, but sources indicate that this number may have increased substantially since that report.

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER

Bruckheimer is much more widely known and requires far less introduction.

Jerry Bruckheimer was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and graduated from the University of Arizona in 1965. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife Linda, who is a preservation activist focusing on the preservation and restoration of historic buildings and his step-daughter. He also has two sons.

Mr. Bruckheimer is a legendary producer who has amassed six Oscars, five Grammies, 17 Emmies, and four Golden Globes. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has produced for blockbuster movies including Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, American Gigolo, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Black Hawk Down, and the National Treasure franchise. (Empire Online). His most famous television work is with the numerous “CSI” series.

Mr. Bruckheimer is a die-hard fan of hockey and most specifically the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. Various websites list his net worth at approximately $850 million.