Caps Owner "Gets It"

[BuffaloRanger]

I know he has Ovechkin and that really helps the Caps be successful, but check out what Ted Leonis, Capitals owner, said in a recent 30+ minute radio segment here in DC...

"I could say my goal is to make the playoffs and have the team be profitable," he told Elliot. "Boring. I could say I want us to win the Stanley Cup. I mean, that's a great aspiration, that's on my list. But really, my aspiration is to bring the city closer together. Because as we're seeing, nothing brings a city closer together than a winning [sports] team.

"And, I want immortality for the players. Once you get your name on the Cup, you're immortal. They'll never take that away. And I really want to create bonding memories for mothers and fathers and sons and daughters and families, because that's how you define yourself....

"And if you can do that as an owner, if you can create those type of memories, you can bring the city closer together, you can have this group of people that you worked with and killed yourself with and you made them immortal? That's a higher calling. And so you can do that in every pursuit that you have."

Imagine if Tommy G felt that way about the Sabres and Buffalo?

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2010/02/leonsis_i_want_immortality_for.html?wprss=dcsportsbog

[hydro]

I totally forgot Tom Golisano owned the team tbh

[DMBcrew36]

Man, this **** is getting old. Stop insinuating like you can channel Tommy G's thoughts. Golly doesn't like being in the spotlight as much as Leonsis, but anytime he has ever spoken, he has spoken about how amazing the fans are, how unreal it is when the team is hot, and what great things it does for the community. Anything I've ever heard from Golly has been similar sentiment to how Leonsis feels. For anyone to say different is just petty ignorance based on misplaced frustration.


And on a side note, don't compare our team with Washington (or Pittsburgh, for that matter), because we never had the luxury of being absolutely rancid for 5 years to get the top picks to draft Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, and Green. The Chicago, Pittsburgh and Washington franchises have special teams because they were so effing terrible for consecutive seasons.

[SabreEleven]

Man, this **** is getting old. Stop insinuating like you can channel Tommy G's thoughts. Golly doesn't like being in the spotlight as much as Leonsis, but anytime he has ever spoken, he has spoken about how amazing the fans are, how unreal it is when the team is hot, and what great things it does for the community. Anything I've ever heard from Golly has been similar sentiment to how Leonsis feels. For anyone to say different is just petty ignorance based on misplaced frustration.


And on a side note, don't compare our team with Washington (or Pittsburgh, for that matter), because we never had the luxury of being absolutely rancid for 5 years to get the top picks to draft Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, and Green. The Chicago, Pittsburgh and Washington franchises have special teams because they were so effing terrible for consecutive seasons.

Couple thoughts: If Golly cared about winning, Ruff and Regier should be gone. If you haven't won a Cup in 14 years, you aren't successful enough and they should move on.

The Sabres can't even suck properly.

[SabreEleven]

added thought...if Ruff gets fired and hired on somewhere else, he'll win a Cup within 3 years delivering another kick in the nuts to the city of Buffalo.

[DMBcrew36]

Couple thoughts: If Golly cared about winning, Ruff and Regier should be gone. If you haven't won a Cup in 14 years, you aren't successful enough and they should move on.

The Sabres can't even suck properly.

Just because they haven't won a Cup under Ruff and Regier doesn't tell the whole story - it isn't that simple. If it were that simple, they indeed would've been gone by now. It doesn't make Ruff a bad coach - most people are aware of what a great coach he is. The fact that the Sabres haven't won a Cup in his tenure can merely be attribute it to being the hardest trophy to win in sports, as far as I'm concerned.

[TrEd FTW]

Gets what? How to suck royally and fall ass backward into Ovechkin?

The Sabres' payroll is easily the highest it has ever been. Golisano has done an excellent job of spending money and not meddling. People here always get on Ralph Wilson for being in the way; well, Golisano's not in the way and some still *****.

[TrEd FTW]

Couple thoughts: If Golly cared about winning, Ruff and Regier should be gone. If you haven't won a Cup in 14 years, you aren't successful enough and they should move on.

The Sabres can't even suck properly.
I'm citing a different sport, but it took Bill Polian 21 years to win it all and Bill Cowher 14. No matter how good you are, it's incredibly hard to win a championship in pro sports.

If you look around the NHL at its coaches and GMs, it's clear Ruff & Regier are better than most.

[RockStar36]

Not to mention that Ruff and Regier haven't gone through ideal circumstances during their tenure in Buffalo. Most coach/GM tandems don't have to deal with an ownership problem the way they did and get through it successfully.

[OpIv37]

I will say this about Leonsis: he knows how to turn a franchise around.

When I first moved to this area in 2001, there was minimal interest in the Caps. The team pretty much sucked, and the interest dwindled to pretty much zero by 2005 or so. No one sported Caps merch around town, and they couldn't give tix away. As recently as December 2007, they'd be lucky to draw 10,000 on a weeknight and 15,000 on a weekend. And this is with a 24,000 seat arena in a metropolitan area of 5 million people.

Now, all anyone talks about is the Caps. Every other car has Caps stickers or license plate holders. Everyone has a Caps ball cap or jersey (curiously, always the new logo that they started using for 07-08, never the blue unis that they had before that or the old-skool red ones). The arena sells out every friggin night.

Granted, having arguably the best player in the world helps, and having a city full of bandwagon-jumping *******s helps. But he took the team from nothing to damn good, while in the same time period, the Sabres went from good-but-not-great to mediocre to good-but-not-great and back to mediocre. The Sabres are popular because people in NY love hockey, but the buzz and excitement are way down. Meanwhile, the buzz and excitement about the Caps is the most it's been in 20 years, maybe the most it's ever been.

[DMBcrew36]

I will say this about Leonsis: he knows how to turn a franchise around.

When I first moved to this area in 2001, there was minimal interest in the Caps. The team pretty much sucked, and the interest dwindled to pretty much zero by 2005 or so. No one sported Caps merch around town, and they couldn't give tix away. As recently as December 2007, they'd be lucky to draw 10,000 on a weeknight and 15,000 on a weekend. And this is with a 24,000 seat arena in a metropolitan area of 5 million people.

Now, all anyone talks about is the Caps. Every other car has Caps stickers or license plate holders. Everyone has a Caps ball cap or jersey (curiously, always the new logo that they started using for 07-08, never the blue unis that they had before that or the old-skool red ones). The arena sells out every friggin night.

Granted, having arguably the best player in the world helps, and having a city full of bandwagon-jumping *******s helps. But he took the team from nothing to damn good, while in the same time period, the Sabres went from good-but-not-great to mediocre to good-but-not-great and back to mediocre. The Sabres are popular because people in NY love hockey, but the buzz and excitement are way down. Meanwhile, the buzz and excitement about the Caps is the most it's been in 20 years, maybe the most it's ever been.

Leonsis model for success:

Do nothing and be absolutely terrible for a couple years, getting you the top picks in consecutive drafts. Have your scouts draft the unquestionable top player each year: Ovechkin, Semin, Green, Backstrom. Have your GM find a goaltender. Boom, you're f**king done.

He didn't turn around ****. They have the most exciting and flamboyant player in the game. Any ****** can excite a fanbase if they have him, PLUS Semin, Backstrom, and Green.


Tell me how he would have gotten the team where it is without having those players fall into his lap. If you're going to praise anyone, praise Larry Carrier (x-Sabre, who lives in Buffalo) and the rest of their pro scouting. Even Larry will admit that they have been lucky.

[OpIv37]

unquestionable top player? Maybe in Ovechkin's case, but there is a skill that goes into drafting. Look at the Islanders and the Leafs. They've sucked for 3-4 years and they still suck. Having high draft picks isn't a guaranteed formula for success.

[SabreEleven]

unquestionable top player? Maybe in Ovechkin's case, but there is a skill that goes into drafting. Look at the Islanders and the Leafs. They've sucked for 3-4 years and they still suck. Having high draft picks isn't a guaranteed formula for success.

Except in the Penguins case, when you have the #1 overall pick for 3 years, it's hard to make a mistake.

[DMBcrew36]

unquestionable top player? Maybe in Ovechkin's case, but there is a skill that goes into drafting. Look at the Islanders and the Leafs. They've sucked for 3-4 years and they still suck. Having high draft picks isn't a guaranteed formula for success.

Still - why praise Leonsis? It's the scounting staff like Larry Carriere that deserve the credit.

[OpIv37]

Still - why praise Leonsis? It's the scounting staff like Larry Carriere that deserve the credit.

and who do you think hired the scouting staff? Also there are marketing principles as well- changing the jersey, all the local promotions (they have literally dozens), they opened a new training facility in Arlington that includes open rinks and a pro shop... all of these things add to it.

I see your point in that Leonsis was helped by Ovechkin and several years of high draft picks, but to say he lucked into it is short-sighted.

[DMBcrew36]

and who do you think hired the scouting staff? Also there are marketing principles as well- changing the jersey, all the local promotions (they have literally dozens), they opened a new training facility in Arlington that includes open rinks and a pro shop... all of these things add to it.

I see your point in that Leonsis was helped by Ovechkin and several years of high draft picks, but to say he lucked into it is short-sighted.

I still don't think he is doing any better job than Golisano -- which was the premise of this misguided thread when it started. What is going on in Washington right now is almost exactly what was going on in the Spring of '05-06 here, and '06-07. The only real difference is that we didn't have the most exciting, flamboyant player in the NHL. Golisano was saying the same things as Leonsis is now, and doing all the same things.

[RockStar36]

I'm not giving the Caps owner any credit.

The Islanders and whoever else might have screwed up the top pick or high picks before, but there is NOBODY that would screw up and pass on Ovechkin.

It's easy to look like a good owner when Ovechkin falls in your lap. If it wasn't for him, Capitals hockey would still be dead in DC.

[OpIv37]

I'm not giving the Caps owner any credit.

The Islanders and whoever else might have screwed up the top pick or high picks before, but there is NOBODY that would screw up and pass on Ovechkin.

It's easy to look like a good owner when Ovechkin falls in your lap. If it wasn't for him, Capitals hockey would still be dead in DC.

It wouldn't be dead, because without Ovechkin the Caps would still be a slightly above average team, and with the Redskins, Wizards and Nationals all sucking at the moment, it would attract some fans. People love a winner in this town. Caps hockey would win by default.

But it certainly wouldn't be nearly as popular without Ovechkin.

[RockStar36]

It wouldn't be dead, because without Ovechkin the Caps would still be a slightly above average team, and with the Redskins, Wizards and Nationals all sucking at the moment, it would attract some fans. People love a winner in this town.

But it certainly wouldn't be nearly as popular without Ovechkin.

I'm no expert, but I remember an article in ESPN the Magazine back in the late 90's when the Caps went to the finals with Kolzig and Bondra and hockey was still a tough sell in DC.

[OpIv37]

I'm no expert, but I remember an article in ESPN the Magazine back in the late 90's when the Caps went to the finals with Kolzig and Bondra and hockey was still a tough sell in DC.

back then the Redskins and Wizards were competitive (the Nationals were still the Montreal Expos). All other things being equal, hockey will always be last place in this town. But when the Caps are the only team winning, they jump to the front. Again, without Ovechkin they wouldn't be nearly as popular, but they'd be the only team in this town that was winning so they'd still have a following.

[DMBcrew36]

and who do you think hired the scouting staff?

The Caps took Carriere (who was interim-GM for the Sabres at the time) and other pro personnel from the Sabres in 2002 or 2003, when the Sabres hired Regier and headed into bankruptcy. Carriere worked for a while under Muckler. I doubt it was Leonsis' move, but rather his GM, who merely just needed Leonsis' to sign off on it. Leonsis', like Golly, is a businessman, not a hockey buff.

[OpIv37]

The Caps took Carriere (who was interim-GM for the Sabres at the time) and other pro personnel from the Sabres in 2002 or 2003, when the Sabres hired Regier and headed into bankruptcy. Carriere worked for a while under Muckler. I doubt it was Leonsis' move, but rather his GM, who merely just needed Leonsis' to sign off on it. Leonsis', like Golly, is a businessman, not a hockey buff.

And that's the sign of a smart owner. Dumb owners meddle in decisions that should be made by subject matter experts (see Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins).

Sounds like hiring Carriere was a good decision, and standing back and letting him do his job was a good decision. Leonsis deserves credit for that.

[DMBcrew36]

Leonsis deserves credit for that.

I'm not saying Leonsis is a bad owner - far from it. I think he's a great owner and does deserve some credit. I love his enthusiasm for the team and that he was willing to do that commercial with Ovechkin, where Ovechkin yelled at him to get his candy from the snack machine.

I'm just saying that the thread-starter is way off by criticizing Golly, because Golly and Leonsis have shown that they have A LOT in common with how they feel about their team and what the team can do for its community.

[BuffaloRanger]

Man, this **** is getting old. Stop insinuating like you can channel Tommy G's thoughts. Golly doesn't like being in the spotlight as much as Leonsis, but anytime he has ever spoken, he has spoken about how amazing the fans are, how unreal it is when the team is hot, and what great things it does for the community. Anything I've ever heard from Golly has been similar sentiment to how Leonsis feels. For anyone to say different is just petty ignorance based on misplaced frustration.


And on a side note, don't compare our team with Washington (or Pittsburgh, for that matter), because we never had the luxury of being absolutely rancid for 5 years to get the top picks to draft Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, and Green. The Chicago, Pittsburgh and Washington franchises have special teams because they were so effing terrible for consecutive seasons.


Seriously? You need to do some fact checking before you go off on an obviously uniformed rant.

Semin 13th pick in 2002
Ovechkin 1st overall in 2004 - obviously.
Green 29th pick in 2004
Backstrom 4th pick in 2006

Not consecutive seasons. Not all top picks.

Maybe you confuse the Caps with the Pens? They had Top 5 picks in 5 consecutive drafts, 1 thru trade and 1 thru lottery.


And the Sabres had players just as valuable to the organization as the 3 above, but they let two of them walk and were forced to trade the other.

That's the difference between the Caps and Sabres. Ted didn't allow his team to implode. In fact the Sabres are the perfect case study of how not to stay competitive. Now teams like the Penguins go out of their way to sign their stars before their contracts are up - not wait until a week before FA to give them a lowball offer.

I stand by my original post. Could Tommy G ever, even in the glory days, go on a local radio show and talk for 30+ minutes about the Sabres and the meaning they have for fans?

I appreciate the fact that he "saved" the franchise. But the bottom line with him is not winning the cup, its the financial bottom line.

[DMBcrew36]

I stand by my original post. Could Tommy G ever, even in the glory days, go on a local radio show and talk for 30+ minutes about the Sabres and the meaning they have for fans?

I appreciate the fact that he "saved" the franchise. But the bottom line with him is not winning the cup, its the financial bottom line.

1. Yes, he can, because he HAS gone on the radio and on TV and done such interviews. He said the SAME **** Leonsis did.

2. Keeping the balance sheet and income statement healthy is the only way to keep the team successful here in Buffalo - so he'd be a moron not to think business first, hockey second.