"We’re not just launching a team, we’re opening a building."
Editor's Note: Days before the Seattle Kraken played their first game, part-owner Jerry Bruckheimer and CEO Tod Leiweke discuss the excitement of the Kraken’s inaugural season with The Hockey News owner and publisher, W. Graeme Roustan.
An excerpt from the Oct. 4, 2021 issue of THN is below. The full interview is here.
W. GRAEME ROUSTAN: We’re going to talk about the Seattle Kraken, of course. But I wanted to get an update. The last time we all talked was November of last year when you were getting ready for this season. I just wanted to touch base with you and see how the both of you were doing. What have you been up to the past year?
TOD LEIWEKE: Some of the folks on the journey haven’t done this before, but some of us have. And so, I think we’re right where we want to be. We have butterflies on a few things, because we’re not just launching a team, we’re opening a building. And under less than perfect circumstances. But I think we’re right on track. I’m now going in the building every day. It’s just remarkable. The reaction the fans have had, and the reaction the community has had to the Community Iceplex, has been fabulous. And I think we’re poised for really big things.
JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: Tod and his brother, Tim, have put together a phenomenal organization. Tim, on the arena side, has done just an amazing thing by taking an old building and totally gutting it, jacking up the roof and lifting it up so they could build a whole new building under there. It’s just phenomenal, the creativity that Tim had to pull this off. And he’s done it. He’s really done it. It’s a world-class arena, maybe one of the best in the world. So we’re excited for the fans to get in there, (and) we’re really excited for the team. Tod has put together a great hockey organization and a community organization. He’s involved in all kinds of charities the team is involved in. We have outreach. Just what he’s done for the community and the fact that we have multicultural people working on the team, for the team, it’s really extraordinary what he’s brought to Seattle and what he’s brought to this team and to the state of Washington. And to the whole Northwest.
WGR: Jerry, you know, I run organizations, and to put a CEO in place or a top guy to come into a community and run an existing business is difficult enough, but to really build a business from the ground up, or I should say go down below grade, up, Tod and his entire team have done remarkable things from the arena side. But also they’ve been getting a lot of press, a lot of focus and attention about the diversity angle of the team itself that Tod has put together. Tod, can you talk a little bit about the importance from Day 1, your strategy, your vision going in, about the makeup of your off-ice team?
TL: We’re proud of it, but I think that our front office, all it does is reflect the community we serve. We’re, right now, 45 percent gender-diverse, around 25 percent BIPOC, faces of color. Don’t we want young kids who represent to someday dream of playing in the NHL? And if we don’t, we’re losing some great athletes. And beyond the economics of just wanting the broadest possible fan base, there’s a competitive aspect to this of “we want every great athlete, no matter what their race or where they’re from, to someday dream about playing for the Seattle Kraken, and, more broadly, playing hockey in the NHL.” And so, we’ve made progress, but it’s a work in progress. We heard a presentation recently from Kim Davis, and the league is very committed to it. But the good news is there’s lots of other organizations as well.
WGR: It’s clear that you’ve set the bar pretty high on what you’ve done over the past year. Jerry, I know you’re a big hockey guy. You’ve been on the ice most of your life. You’re a big hockey fan with Detroit and, obviously, you attend a lot of L.A. games. When it came to time to pick the team, to select the players, you must have been sort of in there. You must have been wanting daily phone calls and emails on what the player selections were going to be. How interested were you in that part of this whole business?
JB: I’m very interested. I love watching. I love to be a fly on the wall. But, you know, I’ve had a fairly good career, and the reason I’ve had such a good career is I hire really talented people. And that’s what our hockey operations are. They certainly don’t need me giving my point of view. Because it’s not knowledgeable like theirs is, so I let them do their job. And I’m very fortunate that we have such a great hockey operation.
TL: But Jerry was more than getting reports. He actually took a big chunk of time and came to Seattle and actually sat in the draft room. He sat in the draft room for the expansion draft, he sat in the draft room for the entry draft. I’m not sure they turned to him at some point in time and said, “You make this pick.” But his presence there meant a lot. It meant a lot to them. And that’s how you build culture. And so, his willingness to spend that time was quite an inspiration to our hockey people. And I think, conversely, it was a fantastic experience for Jerry, as other owners looked to him and said, “How did you feel that went?” It was a different voice and, in some ways, a more credible voice than staff reporting on what had transpired.
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