Bruce Patrick McNall (born April 17, 1950 in Arcadia, California) is a former American sports executive who once owned the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
McNall claimed to have made his initial fortune as a coin collector, though Metropolitan Museum of Art director Thomas Hoving claimed he smuggled art antiquities. In the 1980s McNall produced several Hollywood movies, including "The Manhattan Project" and "Weekend at Bernie's".
McNall bought a 25 percent stake in the Kings from Jerry Buss in 1986, and bought an additional 24 percent in 1987 to become the team's largest shareholder. He was named team president that September, and purchased Buss' remaining shares in March 1988. He then shocked the sports world on August 9, 1988 when he acquired the NHL's biggest star, Wayne Gretzky, along with Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski, from the Edmonton Oilers for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three first-round draft choices and $15 million US. McNall raised Gretzky's annual salary from less than $1 million to $3 million, which, in turn, triggered a dramatic rise in NHL salaries throughout the 1990s.
In 1991, McNall, Gretzky and actor/comedian John Candy purchased the CFL's Toronto Argonauts. Prior to the 1991 season, McNall enticed Raghib "Rocket" Ismail away from the National Football League by signing him to a four year contract for a then-unheard-of $18.2 million. Although Ismail led the Argonauts to the 1991 Grey Cup championships, he returned to the U.S. after two seasons in Toronto.
At one point, he also owned the finest copy of the most expensive baseball card, Honus Wagner's 1909 T206 card. Bob Pool, blank">Honus Wagner card sells for $2.35 million, Los Angeles Times, February 28, 2007.
McNall also owned Thoroughbred race horses and in 1990 won France's most prestigious race, the _Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, with the colt Saumarez. He was also a partner with Wayne Gretzky in the colt Golden Pheasant who won races in Europe as well as the Arlington Million in the U.S. and the Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse.
