As President and Chief Operating Officer, David Hopkinson is responsible for setting the business strategy and overseeing all aspects of business operations across Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (MSG Sports)’s portfolio of assets, which includes: the New York Knicks (NBA) and New York Rangers (NHL); two development league teams – the Westchester Knicks (NBAGL) and Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL); and esports teams through Counter Logic Gaming, a North American esports organization, and Knicks Gaming, an NBA 2K League franchise.
In this role, Mr. Hopkinson works closely with executive management to set MSG Sports’ overall strategic vision across the Company’s franchises. Prior to being named President and Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Hopkinson served as Executive Vice President, Team Business Operations, where he helped to drive new innovations while optimizing business operations, including marketing, ticketing, and the in-game experience, as well as community and fan development.
An accomplished executive with more than 25 years of diverse sports and entertainment industry experience, Mr. Hopkinson joined MSG Sports in 2020. Prior to MSG Sports, he served as Global Head of Partnerships for Real Madrid Club de Futbol, one of the world’s top revenue-generating football clubs, where he was responsible for all aspects of global partnerships. Before joining Real Madrid in 2018, Mr. Hopkinson spent over 20 years with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) in roles of increasing responsibility. In his last role with the Company, Mr. Hopkinson served as Chief Commercial Officer, where he was responsible for all revenue generation across MLSE’s portfolio of teams, which includes the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL), Toronto Raptors (NBA) and Toronto FC (MLS), as well as ticket sales and services, global partnerships, food and beverage and retail operations. Mr. Hopkinson began his career in ticket sales, first with the Toronto Argonauts Football Club (CFL), followed by the Toronto Raptors.
A native of Toronto, Canada, Mr. Hopkinson has served on the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee at McGill University in Montreal, in addition to the Boards of Canada Basketball, Canada’s Walk of Fame, and Women’s College Hospital Foundation in Toronto. In 2013, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of Service to Canada.