Evidently, Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik became so accustomed to the icy conditions in his home arena that he decided to translate it into a home purchase.
Vinik and his wife, Penny, purchased a home in Aspen, Colorado for $63.8 million in an off-market deal this month, the Wall Street Journal reported. The sellers were Texas oil heiress Christy Thompson and her husband, Stephen Hill, who purchased the home for $51 million last year.
Accounting solely for the 15,000-square-foot main home, the purchase breaks down to $4,250 per square foot. It’s a lofty price to pay for a property the Viniks plan to use as a vacation home, keeping their primary residence in Tampa.
The property spans nearly six acres, which a vacant lot takes up more than half. Features of the home include glass elevators where riders can see the mountain views, a Golden Age-style movie theater and a system that pumps oxygen into the main bedroom to mitigate the state’s pronounced altitude.
Aspen Luxury Sales’ Lance Hughes and Nancy Patton held the listing.
Vinik was a successful hedge fund manager prior to taking ownership of the Lightning. He has also played a significant role in the redevelopment of downtown Tampa. Vinik, who is also a minority owner of the Boston Red Sox, purchased the hockey team in 2010 for $170 million.
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During his decade-plus tenure as the Lightning’s owner, Tampa Bay has won two Stanley Cup titles. In 2022, however, the team’s quest for three consecutive championships ended in the finals at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche, who will have a rival owner living in its midst going forward.
Thompson is the daughter of late Texas oil executive J. Cleo Thompson. She and her husband are real estate investors who sold another mansion in Aspen last year for $60 million.
In proximity to some of the country’s most famous skiing slopes, house hunters in Aspen are forced to contend with high demand and low inventory, sending prices skyrocketing up the ski lifts. In another off-market deal this month, a two-floor condo downtown sold for $48 million. Another home in Aspen sold for $65 million in the spring, somehow $35 million below what was being asked.
— Holden Walter-Warner