There are some confusing messages a-coming my way so hear me out.
Lately I have been getting positive feedback from fans and media because I don’t get involved in hockey related decisions regarding the Washington Capitals. I help set vision, strategy, culture and provide the resources. Then I am a cheerleader for the team and the franchise and I also get involved in many business affairs such as sponsor relations and season ticket holder communications.
I believe in the folks that work for us in hockey operations. I trust them. And the results are starting to speak for themselves. Anyone ever check the record that our Coach has generated since he took over the team? Or our record as a team over the last three seasons as to points garnered? It is pretty impressive. And we have upside, we haven’t peaked. Dick Patrick has an amazing background in the NHL. George McPhee does too.
I hear from many of our fans that it is a good thing that I am not involved because after all, I am not a “hockey person.” Their rationale is that I never played in the league - even though I went to my first hockey game in 1966 and went to my first Capitals game in 1976 and have been a season ticket holder since 1992 and have owned the team for 11 years spending literally thousands of hours per year around the team and the professionals managing the team and the players - I still wouldn’t know what I was doing. I try to attend every home game and I watch every road game on television if I don’t attend it myself. I literally have watched tens of thousands of hours of hockey in my lifetime now. But I am not a “hockey person” by definition.
I am also on the Executive Committee now at the NHL. I am on the Board of Governors too having attended almost 50 meetings since we bought the team. I have also become a student of the game talking to as many successful people in the league as I can so I can do what is called “Best Practices” for our team.
Yet even with all of this on the job training and exposure to the team and league, I AGREE that I am not a hockey person and would never assume that I would know what to do to build a team as to specifics; salary cap management; execution; systems; lines to play; players to draft and the like. So I agree with you all. Thank you. And thank goodness.
At the same time, if I do agree with you - and I admit that I am not an expert even with all of the time and effort I have put in to owning the team - how do you then think I can rationalize when many of the same folks that say it is good that I am not involved in hockey decisions write to me and insist on:
- Trade this player
- Fire that executive
- Move to this kind of system
- Play these lines
- Draft this kid
- Change this and do that
So if I am not an expert - which I agree which is why I don’t tell our coach and GM what to do - what makes you such an expert? :-). I had to say it.
If we listened to some of you day to day, email by email and took action, why would that be any different in my meddling with the team? I actually don’t think it would be. We would look like a fantasy hockey organization lurching from decision to decision. Action to action.
I think what some of you are saying is this, ”You shouldn’t meddle with the team but I should be allowed to meddle with the team. You aren’t that smart or an expert but I am that smart and I am an expert.”
Because why exactly?
Because you are a fan. You have watched a lot of hockey and you love the game and the team as do I.
So I just found it ironic that some of the same people that say nice things for NOT meddling with hockey decisions are the exact same people that would be meddling with the team should they have had the good fortune to own it.
Very mixed signals. Very confusing. Think about it. Go Caps!
Tags: Hockey, NHL, Ted Leonsis, Ted's Take, Washington Capitals
Because running a pro team is the toughest job in the world that each and every person thinks they can do! You also forgot to mention the time you did over-rule your hockey people and saddled the club with a certain “JJ” for a few seasons. At least you learned a lesson! Go Caps.
Ted,
Excellent point - but what would some of these fans have left to complain about? On the flip side, be glad most of them love what you do for the team; a lot of their comments stem from what Mr. Dan up the street is doing with the Redskins. The fans, while not always consistent (hence your note about mixed signals), appreciate a winner and an owner that seems to have the same vision for the team that they do. It may be tough to listen/read the mixed signals, but we all appreciate your level of participation/support to the team - it’s good to be loved!
Thanks for all you do.
Well Ted, you may not consider yourself a “hockey person”, but you are a businessman. And as a smart businessman, I’m sure you want above all else to protect your $123 million investment. The Columbus coach has now admitted that their entire game plan was to run Ovechkin. They succeeded. They hurt him. There was no one on the Caps that had the role of watching his back. No one to serve as a policeman. The team lost their superstar and lost the game. Maybe we’ll be fortunate and Ovechkin will come back soon. But maybe next time we won’t be so fortunate. A hockey matter? Or a business one?
Good stuff, Ted. Now go up the road to Ashburn and hammer this mindset into Dan Snyder. Or better yet, line up some resources and buy the team from him! Make him an offer he can’t refuse! I guarantee you’ll be the most popular man in D.C. if you do that…
I agree with you, Ted. It wouldn’t be smart for you to be involved in the day by day hockey decisions. However you should demand the results. And if the goals are not met then you should start asking questions and, maybe, consider some action. For example, if Caps do not perform better this season (maybe I should say postseason) than a year ago then you better have the answer why that is and the idea how it can be fixed. Fans follow the Caps not because the caps play exciting hockey, but because they have hope. Spinning the wheels now can kill this hope. I cannot say for everybody, but watching the Caps this season not improved over the last season is very discouraging. The only thing I keep telling to myself is that it’s only beginning of the season and they learn as the season unroll.
Also, forgive the fans their passion
Go Caps!!!
Ted,
Thank you for helping to build the most entertaining, and arguably most talented hockey team in the league. In my book, that qualifies you as a “hockey guy” any day. My wife, who has never been a sports fan of any kind, is now a die hard Caps lover because of what she sees the Caps do, game in and game out. Her, my small son, and I enjoy everygame that comes on CSN or Vs. from our home in Richmond. Keep up the good work…Go Caps!
I don’t understand all of this complaining about Columbus “running” Ovechkin. Did anyone actually watch the game? Ovechkin did not get hurt from anyone hitting him. They barely touched him. He did the majority of the hitting, as he always does. He hurt his shoulder when he punched Chip. Similar to when Jagr punched the Devils player in the playoffs a couple years ago. He winced almost immediately afterwards. I’m not a doctor, but my guess is he strained it/separated it/whatever. He will be fine. He just needs to rest it. It is a marathon, not a sprint.
LOL. Well said Ted. But you are talking to people in lala-land.
GO CAPS!!!
Ted,
We all appreciate what you do more than you know and from the female perspective I’m no expert (just bare with me), but I am a passionate hockey player/watcher myself thinking I know a thing or two about the game by now - (watching hockey from my fathers knee before I could even walk has instilled enough passion to only understand what is being requested by fans) and I think the love for the team and your fantastic vision is what gives us, as fans, the passion and hunger for the bigger picture. We want a winner and we want it now - we have great players and a lot of us have been waiting a long time for this team to develop into this true contender so maybe the only true confusion is that fans expect more then they are getting - We want the total package - understandably so. And what I mean is that the fans get how good our offense is, but from our eyes the defense is lacking the shut down qualities playoff runs are made of (we have legitimate concerns - just because we can score goals does not mean our defense can become lazy or be mediocre - we need to get rid of some guys - same mistakes as last year are costing us early and we should be winning games by many goals not squeeking them out or winning in OT - enough ranting - all of us who know and love the game see it - ask Scottie Bowman - defense wins),so the next step as a fan is to vent to you hoping that you agree with us and knowing you really don’t have much say in what happens as an end result, we continue to email you because we know you will respond which in turn makes us feel/sleep better at night…. We feel justified in asking for a quick fix because we have season tickets or purchase the NHL Center Ice package. There is nothing confusing about wanting better defense to go with the best offense because we know as fans (like yourself) that you only win a Stanley Cup with defense and that you really do CARE! There is no Confusion! We just APPRECIATE YOU AS AN OWNER AND THINK YOU ARE A CLASS ACT! Thanks for your time.
Ted,
You are doing a fine job as owner and manager of your team and staff. I enjoy watching Caps games with my family and I am thoroughly impressed with your organization as a whole.
Thank you.
Joe -
GIVE IT A REST. Chimera declined numerous invitations to fight. having an enforcer would not have protected Ovechkin, nor did it protect Semin, Green, etc. last year.
this isn’t the 80’s. you can’t just have people running around and beating people up. Ovechkin is 6′2” 235 Lbs….i think he can handle himself. he’s missed 2 games to injury in 4+ seasons, and will only be out a week or two this time. it’ll be ok.
Ted
You may not be a “hockey person” as defined by the fans, but neither are they. Those of us who know we are fans always want to play owner or general manager, but how many people out there know all the rules to being a “hockey person” like working within the cap and still providing a more then compatative team on the ice in an age of parity.
You are right to leave the running of the team on a day by day basis to those who you have hired.
It is great to be a fan.
From one fan to another.
Duke
I know I’ve questioned some of the team’s business practices before (esp. during the lockout…never again!) but I understood the hockey side of what was going on in 2003-04 and beyond.
The Caps went into 2003-04 as an older team with many veterans, a coach with an attitude problem, and a defense that was being held together with tape and spit. Not a good mix for success, to be sure. Add to that, there was a sense of foreboding once the season started. You could see the team showing its age…. it wasn’t good.
The decision was made and players were sent off and prospects and draft picks were brought in. All good things to be sure and now the results are there. The players obtained (Laich, Morrisonn, Fleischmann) and drafted with those picks (Green, Schultz, Fehr) have gelled into a top notch NHL team. Of course, there was some luck in winning the draft lottery in 2004 so that the team could pick Alex Ovechkin…
So what the Caps have now are:
- A young team with some key veteran talent, that is among the NHL’s elite
- The top AHL and ECHL teams
- An impressive collection of talent.
This team is ready to win, and will be for a long time, and is built the way Quebec/Colorado built in the late 1980s until the past couple of years.
Great job!
Well-stated, Ted. You trust your people to do their job, and allow them to succeed (or fail) in that regard. Most organizations should be so fortunate. And you’re right, it is a double-edged sword as far as those who think they know better. I guess all of us like to engage in what-ifs once-in-a-while, if for nothing else than to escape reality. Thank you for making the Caps a pleasant diversion for so many of us!
Just Win, Baby!
You do the smartest thing an executive can do, and hire people who are good at their jobs and let them do it. That doesn’t mean you don’t care or have opinions. You’re still human, and it is your ship.
I’ve had tickets for other sports teams that have uncaring absentee owners who are only in it for the money. I’m so thankful for your obvious care and love for the team, and your smiling presence at the games. You’re so open to the fans, and that’s very rare, if not unprecedented.
I really wish these people would give it a rest! You are fans. Yes we are all involved with supporting the team but that’s where it ends. Leave the running of the team, the coaching of the team to the people that are paid to do it. If you want the job then submit your resume and see what happens, otherwise stop bombarding someone that does take the time to actually talk to the fans with these ridiculous emails!
Oh and by the way every team, every time is going to “run” for Ovechkin, they are going to double cover him, put pressure on him and do everything they can to slow him down. It is no different in any other sport, the biggest threat draws the most attention. These are the Washington Capitals and while Alex is an amazing player he will also be the first to say that it’s a team sport and not a one man show. The Capitals played good hockey after Ovechkin was out and while they didn’t win, the did show that yes they can play a good game without him!
Let’s Go Caps!!!
TED…WHY DIDN’T YOU BUY THE REDSKINS!!!!! GGRRRRRR!!!!
GO CAPS!!
Ben: sorry but you’re clueless on this. You had a friggin’ coach say his entire strategy was to run Ovechkin and you want to play ice capades hockey in response? You think he would have tried that if the Caps had anyone capable of retaliating? And IF Ovie comes back quickly, the Caps are very fortunate. As I said before, they may not be so lucky the next time. Not to mention that Ovie isn’t the only one who is susceptible.
So you don’t appreciate all of the free hockey advice I and others try to make sure you have the benefit of since you’re not a hockey person - is that what I’m hearing do I get it? ;-> Hey, sarcasm, htat’s just the way I roll - loved this post best of all you’ve done and I’ve read in the past 4+ years!
Ted,
First, Very well said! You’re doing a fantastic job with this team! I do believe that you’re doing a great job of creating and making all the resources available in order for the team to be a success. I think having a general knowledge about the game is important but ultimately it’s the people whom you are paying for that should deal with those issues.
I was told that you do answer emails and interact with fans, so I thought about some comments and see how it goes.
I will mention this, I do know that everyone wants the Caps to win a Stanley Cup. This would be the perfect time to do it. This is just analysis…you’ve made the right decisions for the right players to win the Stanley Cup. We really need to tighten up on defense. The mentality has to be this– DEFENSE wins Championships, OFFENSE just sells the tickets. We’ve got the latter (in huge numbers)…but we’ve got to get the D to get the W.
Having an open owner like yourself makes sports fans like myself very happy to support the team. The Caps definitely get my time and appreciation!!
Let me know what you think…shoot me an email!!
you think you want to join the Real Madrid group? ((joke) but kind of serious)
Thanks for reading
Teddy I am always amazed at your willingness to listen. You are an intuitive person. So I say, “trust your own judgement”.
Ted,
Why do you feel the need to call out fans so often in your blog. You openly invite e-mails from fans, and use that as a selling point in the media as to how open an owner you are, then when passionate fans e-mail their frustrations to you, you make a blog entry belittling them.
You may put a smiley in there, but it’s passive aggressive and immature.
Robert
I agree completely, but speaking for myself, I am content with you knowing whats on my mind. I also hope that any legitimate statements, will trickle down through the ranks and be taken as more than just “fan talk”.