Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz watches the much-maligned owner of the New York Knicks, James Dolan, win an NBA championship on Saturday night. Perhaps even with tears in his eyes.

The former “worst owner in all of sports” was handed the Larry O’Brien Trophy — the worst tradition in American sports, the owners receiving the trophy first — and was overwhelmed with emotion.

His franchise had finally won a title despite him.

But to Dolan’s credit, there is something within his control that led to their success, something uncharacteristic for one of the most hated men in New York since taking over the MSG empire in 1999: He limited his impact on basketball operations.

He found a competent person to mastermind the franchise in Leon Rose and allowed him to build the team in his vision. In a soft conference, the Knicks mustered one of the most bizarre elite runs in NBA playoff history, going 16-3 and ending a 56-year drought. (Don’t get any ideas, Toronto).

This championship helps Febreze the generational stink off of Dolan’s blazer, although New York Rangers fans might not be so forgiving yet.

Winning in professional sports with poor ownership is nearly impossible to overcome. In the first twenty-year period of Dolan’s reign, the Knicks toiled with the worst record in the NBA. You can’t fire the owner, but you can hope he takes his hand off the wheel.

And wouldn’t you know it, it worked. Dolan grew up, maybe not a Harrison Katz-like growth spurt between first overall draft picks, but enough. He may have learned which conversations are best to stay out of.

Jun 13, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; New York Knicks owner James Dolan and the players celebrate after defeating the San Antonio Spurs during game five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Katz is driving decisions

Amongst the billionaire class, owning a sports franchise is like a six-year-old receiving a motorized Cadillac. It’s the best toy going, and many owners have stakes in franchises across several leagues.  

Daryl Katz can run the Edmonton Oilers however he likes, but his level of involvement is concerning to fans who just want to see their team look competent. Reports are that he was vocal in firing coach Kris Knoblauch. Reports are that he was the initial driver of the Mike Babcock pursuit.

Reports are that it’s the Summer of Daryl. Serenity now!

He is the focal point of the off-season, as I pondered he would be a month ago. He will not stand idly by with the high-stakes future of his franchise hanging in the balance, a multi-billion dollar commodity, that has only one measure of success left to accomplish at this moment – win the Stanley Cup.

That’s his prerogative, and it doesn’t matter what a guy in a basement suite writes about him.

My comment here is not about whether firing Knoblauch was a good idea, whether it was a good idea to leak the Bruce Cassidy information (believed by Elliotte Friedman that it did stem from Edmonton, but not from the front office), or whether the juice is worth the squeeze with Mike Babcock. Fortune could favour the bold, but rarely on a whim. 

But there is a clumsiness to the Oilers’ business........

© Oilers Nation