By Rory Carroll
(Reuters) – Stan Kroenke’s winning ways continued on Sunday when the billionaire businessman secured his third championship of 2022 with the Colorado Avalanche’s Stanley Cup triumph.
The “Avs” beat the two-time defending champion Lightning 2-1 in Game Six of the Finals in Tampa to secure the franchise’s third title and second under the ownership of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment.
Kroenke collected his second Super Bowl title when the Los Angeles Rams won February’s Big Game, and the Colorado Mammoth captured the National Lacrosse League championship earlier this month.
“I don’t know if you can compare them,” Kroenke told the Denver Post.
“But the comparable is you had the ultimate year and you’re so happy for the players involved and the people in the organization. That is the commonality. It’s just sort of the ultimate reward for a lot of hard work by a lot of people.”
He will not be adding an NBA championship this year after his Denver Nuggets fell in the first round of the playoffs to the eventual champion Golden State Warriors.
But he can hold out hope for his MLS side the Colorado Rapids (5-4-7), who are in 10th place in the Western Conference with 18 games remaining. Kroenke won the MLS Cup as owner of the Rapids in 2010.
Kroenke’s Premier League side Arsenal finished fifth and failed to qualify for the Champions League this year.
He also received good news earlier this month when his $5.5-billion SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles was selected by FIFA as one of the venues that will host World Cup soccer matches in 2026.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Clare Fallon)
