NHL Executive Suite

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S2: Doug Armstrong, St. Louis Blues General Manager Oct 01, 2019

Show notes

Deb Placey sits down with Doug Armstrong, St. Louis Blues General Manager. Doug discusses how his father’s time as an NHL linesman influenced his life (1:27) and why he owes his career as a general manager to Bob Clarke and Bob Gainey (9:27). He explains the challenges he faced when first taking the GM job with the St. Louis Blues (13:21) and the magnitude of winning the Stanley Cup for the city of St. Louis in 2018-19 (14:46). He discusses his relationship with Craig Berube (19:07), what the key was to turning around their season to win the Stanley Cup (23:00), why it made sense for the Blues to trade for eventual Conn Smythe winner Ryan O’Reilly (24:40) and how much he cried after winning the Stanley Cup (32:26). He wonders if there will be a Cup “hangover” in 2019-20 and what steps his players and staff has taken to avoid one (35:05).

S1: Dale Tallon, Florida Panthers General Manager May 15, 2019

Show notes

Deb Placey is joined by Dale Tallon, Florida Panthers General Manager. Dale reminisces about the days when NHL players had roommates on the road (1:55) and reveals why his staff drafted Patrick Kane in Chicago (4:30). He explains the similarities between a hockey shot and a golf swing, and mentions some of the top players he hit the course with during in his golf days (15:20). He shares how the Florida Panthers ownership under Vincent Viola has spawned a wonderful culture change (18:10) and why the game on the ice has never been better (21:50).

S1: Steve Mayer, NHL Chief Content Officer May 08, 2019

Show notes

Steve Mayer, NHL Chief Content Officer, joins Deb Placey. Mayer explains why he has always been known as the “idea guy” (2:43) and discusses how his desire to be a sports broadcaster led to working at IMG for 20 years (8:12). He shares who his biggest mentor was (12:23), recalls the 8 years he worked as a sports broadcaster (18:13) and explains how his experience working as an announcer helped him seamlessly make the transition to production (21:40). Mayer discusses his interactions with NHL Clubs (26:20), the approach he takes when planning memorable NHL events (29:56) and the future of in-arena game presentation (40:22). He explains why working with Snoop Dog was appealing to the NHL (43:03) and tells us what EXACTLY happened when Steve Harvey made his infamous mistake during the 2015 Miss Universe show (55:12).

S1: Heidi Browning, NHL Chief Marketing Officer May 01, 2019

Show notes

Heidi Browning, NHL Chief Marketing Officer, sits down with Deb Placey. Browning discusses why she’s a “digital passionista” (1:00), her key responsibilities as the NHL’s CMO and how her first hockey game led to a lasting friendship (4:09). She explains the challenges of marketing hockey and players to casual fans (8:02) and why she became interested in a career in marketing (15:17). Browning recalls her time working in Silicon Valley at MySpace and Pandora (18:44) and tells us why she couldn’t turn down an opportunity at the NHL (16:15). She passes along a key piece of advice to young professionals (32:48) and discusses the NHL’s cultural content initiatives (35:44).

S1: Jim Rutherford, Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Apr 24, 2019

Show notes

Deb Placey’s guest is Jim Rutherford, General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Rutherford explains why he loves Pittsburgh (1:18) and why he takes a hands-off approach to working with his goalies (3:02). He tells the story about how he became the first goalie to play with a decorated helmet (6:30), describes his negotiating tactics (10:40) and discusses his relationship with Mike Sullivan (12:30), Mario Lemieux (14:00) and Sidney Crosby (28:40).

S1: Lou Lamoriello, NY Islanders GM Apr 17, 2019

Show notes

Deb Placey is joined byNew York Islanders President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Lou Lamoriello. Lou reminisces about his early days in hockey while working as a stick boy with the Providence Reds and how his relationship with Johnny Bower began (5:12). He recalls his time playing and managing in the Cape Cod Baseball League (9:53), when he took over the Providence College men’s hockey program (16:17), and his time as the school’s Athletic Director. He shares who his first choice was for the Providence men’s basketball head coaching position (17:15) and why he ultimately ended up hiring Rick Pitino (17:25). Lou fondly remembers when he was recruited to run the New Jersey Devils (19:10) and how that led to him working with George Steinbrenner (24:14). He details the time he was almost an extra on The Sopranos (26:32) and why he supported the drafting of Soviet players to the NHL (29:22).

S1: Sam Flood, NBC Sports Executive Producer Apr 09, 2019

Show notes

Deb Placey is joined by Sam Flood, Executive Producer & President of Production for NBC Sports. Flood recounts his start in sports television (3:23) and what he learned while working under Dick Ebersol (7:00). He talks about NBC’s coverage of Sunday Night Football (18:50), new technology being integrated into sports broadcasts (25:33), and his relationship with Doc Emrick (28:58). Flood details the best storylines heading into the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs (40:35) and how he measures success (45:45).

S1: Doug Wilson, San Jose Sharks General Manager Apr 07, 2019

Show notes

Deb Placey welcomes San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson to the podcast. Wilson recalls being traded to the expansion Sharks (3:19) and skating in the infamous Cow Palace (4:30). He discusses Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer (11:50), captain Joe Pavelski (21:26) and defenseman Brent Burns (26:34). He discloses how his first roommate in the NHL changed his life (23:40), how signing a ‘contract-for-the-day’ got started (28:15) and what he thinks makes hockey players so special (29:40).

S1: John Chayka, Arizona Coyotes General Manager Apr 02, 2019

Show notes

Deb Placey chats with John Chayka, the General Manager of the Arizona Coyotes. Chayka discusses how often people bring up his age (1:03) and how his transition to the NHL was made easier by veteran general managers who went out of their way to welcome him into the fraternity (2:00). He explains how his passion for hockey began (3:45), what allowed him to start his first business at the age of 19 (5:17) and how he learned from his father’s experience as a serial entrepreneur (6:08).

He points out why he chose to attend Ivey Business School (10:30), what he analyzes when making hockey decisions (13:13), and how much he leans on the “eye test” when evaluating players (14:00). John reveals his personal connection to the fast food restaurant chain Wendy’s (15:51), describes the biggest challenge currently facing the Arizona Coyotes (19:05) and tells us about his interactions with front office members of the Arizona Diamondbacks (20:40). He praises the NHL’s focus on player and puck tracking and explains why he believes the data collected from tracking will be invaluable to fans, players and teams (27:35).

S1: Ray Shero, New Jersey Devils GM Mar 20, 2019

Show notes

Deb Placey is joined by Ray Shero, the General Manager of the New Jersey Devils. Shero discusses why he believes the Devils 2018-19 season isn’t as disappointing as their record indicates (1:17), how the franchise’s culture has changed over the last few years (4:10) and the likelihood of signing Taylor Hall to a long-term deal (5:48). Shero reveals how a four hour dinner he had with Hall prior to the 2017-18 season was key to Hall having a Hart Trophy campaign (7:01) and why their run to the playoffs last year was so special for Devils fans (13.26). Ray chats about how his father Fred was able to convince Ed Snider to hire the NHL’s first full-time assistant coach (18:55), his time playing hockey at St. Lawrence University (25:54), and working as an Assistant GM with the Predators and Senators (29:30). He dissects some of his best draft picks with the Penguins (33:35) and tells a story of how David Poile taught him the difference between being a GM and an Assistant GM (38:03).

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