WEBVTT 00:00:09.399 --> 00:00:12.000 Welcome to Good News York, sponsored by ads on 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:15.140 the go. Get ads on the go .com. No, I did not 00:00:15.140 --> 00:00:18.100 make the team for the Syracuse Crunch. I am not 00:00:18.100 --> 00:00:20.039 a part of the team. I am not running the team. 00:00:20.379 --> 00:00:22.579 I'm not even watching a game. I'm doing something 00:00:22.579 --> 00:00:26.339 way cooler. I am here with the COO of the Syracuse 00:00:26.339 --> 00:00:31.309 Crunch, Mr. Jim Sorosi. Jim. Thank you for bringing 00:00:31.309 --> 00:00:34.890 us here. Oh, thank you. This is great. You sure 00:00:34.890 --> 00:00:37.590 you don't want a spot in practice? Well, I did 00:00:37.590 --> 00:00:40.049 used to play goalie, but here's the thing. Everybody 00:00:40.049 --> 00:00:42.509 that I played goalie with grew up and got taller. 00:00:42.689 --> 00:00:46.630 I never did. I mean, when I was coming up, I 00:00:46.630 --> 00:00:48.850 always thought I had a shot, you know, but I 00:00:48.850 --> 00:00:52.450 knew I was smaller. Today's goalies are monstrous. 00:00:52.729 --> 00:00:54.710 I would say in general, but hockey, we're very 00:00:54.710 --> 00:00:57.609 proud that you come in all shapes, all sizes. 00:00:58.270 --> 00:01:01.270 Look at our team right there right now. You'll 00:01:01.270 --> 00:01:03.070 see a little bit of difference. There is a little 00:01:03.070 --> 00:01:04.469 bit of a trend in the goaltending position though. 00:01:04.629 --> 00:01:08.250 There is. The crossbar is above my head so top 00:01:08.250 --> 00:01:11.750 shelf would be rough. But enough about me playing. 00:01:11.890 --> 00:01:14.709 That's a dream. I'm so happy to be here. You 00:01:14.709 --> 00:01:18.909 cannot live in central New York. or work in Central 00:01:18.909 --> 00:01:20.670 New York without knowing about The Crunch, without 00:01:20.670 --> 00:01:22.730 loving The Crunch. You guys are a huge part of 00:01:22.730 --> 00:01:27.510 the community. You're the head honcho, and your 00:01:27.510 --> 00:01:30.609 story is fantastic. Because not only are you 00:01:30.609 --> 00:01:34.109 running the team, you're actually from the Syracuse 00:01:34.109 --> 00:01:37.269 area, Franklin Square. No, actually, I hope I 00:01:37.269 --> 00:01:39.129 don't mess up the whole interview. No, no. I'm 00:01:39.129 --> 00:01:41.409 Long Island. You are. I'm Franklin Square, Long 00:01:41.409 --> 00:01:45.620 Island. Well. But on the bio it said Franklin 00:01:45.620 --> 00:01:47.599 Square and there's a Franklin Square there is 00:01:47.599 --> 00:01:50.900 and it's it does come up occasionally But I am 00:01:50.900 --> 00:01:54.859 that that that story I might never planned on 00:01:54.859 --> 00:01:57.260 staying here went to school in Central New York 00:01:57.260 --> 00:02:00.019 at SUNY Portland I did my internship up here 00:02:00.019 --> 00:02:02.400 with the crunch my plan was a couple years and 00:02:02.400 --> 00:02:04.340 I wanted to go back home and work for the Yankees 00:02:04.340 --> 00:02:08.379 or the Islanders boy and then not words not trying 00:02:08.379 --> 00:02:10.360 to come across as cheesy that I fall in love 00:02:10.360 --> 00:02:12.419 with Central New York and the American Hockey 00:02:12.419 --> 00:02:15.120 League and this team and 31 years later I'm still 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:18.400 here but you have I am a Syracuse Ian now I mean 00:02:18.400 --> 00:02:21.180 you if even if you were from Long Island at this 00:02:21.180 --> 00:02:24.819 point that you've been here since 1996 correct 00:02:24.819 --> 00:02:27.500 yes I came yeah you're sorry man you're one of 00:02:27.500 --> 00:02:30.860 us now so that's a badge of honor it is a badge 00:02:30.860 --> 00:02:34.080 of honor it's such a great town for sports specifically 00:02:34.080 --> 00:02:37.400 hockey Growing up, tell us a little bit about 00:02:37.400 --> 00:02:39.219 your background. I mean, I know you went to SUNY 00:02:39.219 --> 00:02:41.620 Cortland and your journey as far as that goes, 00:02:42.139 --> 00:02:45.360 but were you always a hockey fan? How did this 00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:48.699 kind of come about? Yeah, for sure. It was maybe 00:02:48.699 --> 00:02:50.800 a little bit of a boring background type of thing. 00:02:51.099 --> 00:02:53.120 I always joke I didn't own a pair of jeans until 00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:55.419 I got to college. I would come home from school, 00:02:55.699 --> 00:02:59.099 put on sports radio. You'll get the news day 00:02:59.099 --> 00:03:01.639 daily news post do all my clippings. I had my 00:03:01.639 --> 00:03:03.560 Yankee book in my eye on their book There's a 00:03:03.560 --> 00:03:06.520 die -hard sport fan specifically baseball and 00:03:06.520 --> 00:03:08.960 hockey and I think like a lot of folks I came 00:03:08.960 --> 00:03:10.759 to that realization boy. I'm not gonna play at 00:03:10.759 --> 00:03:12.960 a high level So what's the next best thing and 00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:15.620 for me? My goal was to be involved in a sport 00:03:15.620 --> 00:03:17.840 that I loved and then ultimately hopefully run 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:20.620 a team one day and and that was the goal from 00:03:20.620 --> 00:03:23.960 a relatively young age and You know all the steps 00:03:23.960 --> 00:03:25.759 to the ladder to get me to where I was today, 00:03:25.780 --> 00:03:27.930 but it's been a it's It's been great. It's such 00:03:27.930 --> 00:03:30.330 a dream for so many sports fans like myself, 00:03:30.770 --> 00:03:34.389 but there's really no clear -cut path, right? 00:03:34.530 --> 00:03:36.469 I mean, you know that if you want to become a 00:03:36.469 --> 00:03:37.909 welder, you're going to go to welding school. 00:03:38.289 --> 00:03:40.169 You know, in this kind of business, it's not 00:03:40.169 --> 00:03:42.689 like I'm going to go to... How did you kind of 00:03:42.689 --> 00:03:45.060 navigate... figuring those steps of the ladder 00:03:45.060 --> 00:03:47.259 out. Yeah, there is no playbook per se. Like 00:03:47.259 --> 00:03:49.419 you said, there's no formula. We always joke 00:03:49.419 --> 00:03:50.960 if there was a formula, we would have bottled 00:03:50.960 --> 00:03:53.379 it a long time ago and anyone could have done 00:03:53.379 --> 00:03:56.740 it. From my journey, it was I wanted to make 00:03:56.740 --> 00:03:59.639 sure that I put myself in the best position when 00:03:59.639 --> 00:04:02.680 and if that opportunity came. And how do you 00:04:02.680 --> 00:04:05.139 do that? It's all the things you learn in school 00:04:05.139 --> 00:04:08.259 and really in life. It's just hard work. Be positive. 00:04:08.490 --> 00:04:11.629 keep your head down and you do the task at hand 00:04:11.629 --> 00:04:13.590 and do it with a smile on your face. What can 00:04:13.590 --> 00:04:15.650 I bring? How do I make the team a little bit 00:04:15.650 --> 00:04:18.129 better today than it was yesterday? And then 00:04:18.129 --> 00:04:20.529 when those opportunities come, my goal was always 00:04:20.529 --> 00:04:22.649 to make it such a no -brainer decision for the 00:04:22.649 --> 00:04:25.970 owner to put me in that position. And, you know, 00:04:26.029 --> 00:04:28.509 a couple breaks here and there, but I am a big 00:04:28.509 --> 00:04:30.089 believer in the harder you work, the more luck 00:04:30.089 --> 00:04:33.610 you have. And that's how it all came about. And 00:04:33.610 --> 00:04:38.420 there's no rhyme or reason to it. It's looking 00:04:38.420 --> 00:04:40.240 for the opportunities and making breaks, so to 00:04:40.240 --> 00:04:41.860 speak, with everything as well, too. And I had 00:04:41.860 --> 00:04:44.560 a great opportunity here two times. I interned 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:47.100 with the club. The PR person left halfway through 00:04:47.100 --> 00:04:48.699 a season, and I was in the right place at the 00:04:48.699 --> 00:04:51.560 right time. And then my next step was, OK, I'm 00:04:51.560 --> 00:04:54.620 in. Now I want to run. A couple years after that, 00:04:54.639 --> 00:04:57.699 I think it was 2001, our COO left, and I got 00:04:57.699 --> 00:04:59.560 the call from the owner saying, hey, you're running 00:04:59.560 --> 00:05:02.879 my team now. And that was it. And maybe a couple 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:05.240 years before, I thought I was ready, but I wanted 00:05:05.240 --> 00:05:09.300 to jump at it. Jumped right in. Like I said, 00:05:09.639 --> 00:05:12.259 it's so lucky. I get paid to go to an ice rink 00:05:12.259 --> 00:05:14.720 every day and run a professional hockey team. 00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:17.639 It's what you could imagine it would be. I love 00:05:17.639 --> 00:05:19.959 hearing you say that because... You know, you 00:05:19.959 --> 00:05:22.379 do see interviews with different general managers 00:05:22.379 --> 00:05:25.259 of sports organizations, and sometimes they kind 00:05:25.259 --> 00:05:27.259 of play it up like, yeah, yeah, no big deal. 00:05:27.420 --> 00:05:29.040 You know, I love hearing that you still have 00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:31.339 that kid inside you that's like, I can't believe 00:05:31.339 --> 00:05:33.220 this. I can't believe I'm here. You can maybe 00:05:33.220 --> 00:05:34.800 not see it on camera. We're watching right now. 00:05:34.939 --> 00:05:36.600 The team is prepped. Like, these are the sounds. 00:05:36.660 --> 00:05:39.540 This is my background every day. And for me, 00:05:39.560 --> 00:05:41.459 as I've gotten a little bit older, the benefit 00:05:41.459 --> 00:05:44.779 of being in a minor league, in the American Hockey 00:05:44.779 --> 00:05:46.300 League specifically, is it's a developmental 00:05:46.300 --> 00:05:49.670 league. It is awesomely a very, very, very small 00:05:49.670 --> 00:05:53.009 part of people's journeys as they try to get 00:05:53.009 --> 00:05:54.790 onward and upward to bigger and better things 00:05:54.790 --> 00:05:56.470 and everything. And that's what we do. And you 00:05:56.470 --> 00:05:58.610 know, just to kind of paint a picture for those 00:05:58.610 --> 00:06:01.529 of you watching and or listening, you know... 00:06:01.560 --> 00:06:03.319 If you're a sports fan, it's cool just to be 00:06:03.319 --> 00:06:05.660 here while the crunch are practicing. As we're 00:06:05.660 --> 00:06:08.540 talking, pucks are hitting the net that's protecting 00:06:08.540 --> 00:06:09.860 us. I think they're trying to shoot them happy 00:06:09.860 --> 00:06:11.959 now. Megan, can you tell them to stop? The snow. 00:06:12.060 --> 00:06:16.439 No, don't. They'll kill me. The snow from the 00:06:16.439 --> 00:06:18.420 ice is falling on our heads. I mean, this is 00:06:18.420 --> 00:06:21.860 as good as it gets. So you're the COO of the 00:06:21.860 --> 00:06:25.279 team. There's a lot that goes into being a COO, 00:06:25.379 --> 00:06:27.899 clearly. Now, as a sports fan, the first thing 00:06:27.899 --> 00:06:30.160 we think of is like, oh, my God, you get to deal 00:06:30.160 --> 00:06:33.660 with roster. and moves and scouting. But I also 00:06:33.660 --> 00:06:36.399 know from meeting other GMs of minor league teams, 00:06:36.660 --> 00:06:37.939 there's some of the boring stuff. You got to 00:06:37.939 --> 00:06:40.220 make sure the beer is cold. Can you kind of go 00:06:40.220 --> 00:06:41.699 through some of the things that you deal with, 00:06:41.860 --> 00:06:42.959 kind of peel the curtain back a little bit? Yeah, 00:06:43.019 --> 00:06:46.329 sure. I'm going to go right to last night. Normal 00:06:46.329 --> 00:06:48.790 work hours end last night. I go downstairs getting 00:06:48.790 --> 00:06:50.910 ready We had an appearance at a corporate partner 00:06:50.910 --> 00:06:53.209 of ours and we also had a behind -the -scenes 00:06:53.209 --> 00:06:55.730 tour So I wanted to make sure that got up and 00:06:55.730 --> 00:06:57.730 going but then I saw that one of our TVs was 00:06:57.730 --> 00:07:00.730 broken in the weight room So I decided I was 00:07:00.730 --> 00:07:03.410 gonna hang this TV before I went to the corporate 00:07:03.410 --> 00:07:05.990 Partnership TV hanging didn't go as well as I 00:07:05.990 --> 00:07:08.569 planned took me a little longer. Yeah, so in 00:07:08.569 --> 00:07:11.620 the six o 'clock hour I'm hanging a TV 7 o 'clock 00:07:11.620 --> 00:07:14.759 hour, I'm at an appearance. 7 .30 we make a trade. 00:07:14.899 --> 00:07:17.199 So we have to talk to the new guy, get him all 00:07:17.199 --> 00:07:19.600 set, order the jerseys, get that all. Then I 00:07:19.600 --> 00:07:21.500 go home, watch Tampa Bay, which is our affiliate. 00:07:21.899 --> 00:07:23.779 After that game, I get a call saying we need 00:07:23.779 --> 00:07:26.620 to get a kid to Montreal for tonight, for the 00:07:26.620 --> 00:07:29.180 day this is being recorded to play. So I call 00:07:29.180 --> 00:07:32.300 Megan, who I call on everything. She helps me 00:07:32.300 --> 00:07:34.100 navigate the who, who's available and everything. 00:07:34.139 --> 00:07:36.139 We finally got a staff member and they're en 00:07:36.139 --> 00:07:38.060 route to Montreal right now. So those are my 00:07:38.060 --> 00:07:41.149 last... Seven or eight hours of work. But maybe 00:07:41.149 --> 00:07:42.930 after this I might be peeling a sticker off the 00:07:42.930 --> 00:07:45.810 dashboard or getting ready for a team event. 00:07:45.829 --> 00:07:47.329 But that's the beauty of minor league sport. 00:07:47.769 --> 00:07:49.810 Just what I pictured a day in your life would 00:07:49.810 --> 00:07:52.370 be like. That is. So I went to last night. Yeah. 00:07:52.569 --> 00:07:55.490 Yeah. I mean, this is I mean, look, this is an 00:07:55.490 --> 00:07:58.050 ADHD person's dream. I mean, it's just you're 00:07:58.050 --> 00:07:59.850 all over the place. There's so much that you 00:07:59.850 --> 00:08:04.829 do. I was curious, how much interaction does 00:08:04.829 --> 00:08:09.540 a minor league team or COO have with your affiliate 00:08:09.540 --> 00:08:12.100 is the Tampa Bay Lightning at this point, how 00:08:12.100 --> 00:08:16.040 much are they involved? are very involved. The 00:08:16.040 --> 00:08:18.180 way I try to explain it a lot of times is they 00:08:18.180 --> 00:08:21.939 make all the decisions on the hockey side. All 00:08:21.939 --> 00:08:23.680 the moves, all the signings, all the trades, 00:08:23.800 --> 00:08:25.379 all the releasing, all the coaching. Even at 00:08:25.379 --> 00:08:28.019 this level? At this level. But we activate a 00:08:28.019 --> 00:08:30.500 lot of it. So it's very common where, okay, we're 00:08:30.500 --> 00:08:32.759 bringing in this guy, you know, Jim and your 00:08:32.759 --> 00:08:34.879 team, you go make sure that that kid gets here. 00:08:34.899 --> 00:08:37.360 We work through the immigration. But we lean 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:39.679 on our resources, which is Tampa in that regard. 00:08:40.120 --> 00:08:43.080 So it's daily interaction, but we have staff. 00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:46.559 members for that. Something newer in the minor 00:08:46.559 --> 00:08:49.000 league hockey world is we have a team services 00:08:49.000 --> 00:08:50.820 person. Her job is to take care of everything 00:08:50.820 --> 00:08:53.039 off ice. We want these players getting better. 00:08:53.340 --> 00:08:54.879 at what they do, we want the coaches worrying 00:08:54.879 --> 00:08:56.639 about coaching, we want the equipment guys working 00:08:56.639 --> 00:08:59.279 about that, medical, on and on, so her job is 00:08:59.279 --> 00:09:01.419 to help all of those off -ice type of things, 00:09:01.460 --> 00:09:05.080 that's kind of a newer position there. I say 00:09:05.080 --> 00:09:08.340 the involvement is strong, it's wide ranging, 00:09:08.419 --> 00:09:10.059 you never know what type of requests you're gonna 00:09:10.059 --> 00:09:12.159 get, but that's kind of, in that lies the beauty 00:09:12.159 --> 00:09:14.539 of it as well too. But it's going back to what 00:09:14.539 --> 00:09:17.320 I mentioned earlier, I take it very serious, 00:09:17.419 --> 00:09:19.879 it's our job to put the athletes, the staff, 00:09:20.360 --> 00:09:22.820 in a position to be the best version of themselves. 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:24.919 And that's what we try to work at each day. And 00:09:24.919 --> 00:09:28.679 how can we do that? One of the concepts is to 00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:31.000 eliminate a lot of those distractions that inevitably 00:09:31.000 --> 00:09:35.019 come. Sure. Teach, learn, and all of that. But 00:09:35.019 --> 00:09:37.039 it goes back to putting them in a position to 00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:39.360 succeed. So well said. You're clearly the right 00:09:39.360 --> 00:09:41.879 man for the job. Not sure. I mean, I think this 00:09:41.879 --> 00:09:43.559 is an OK question. Ask if you can peel the... 00:09:43.559 --> 00:09:44.840 This is something I personally always wanted 00:09:44.840 --> 00:09:47.179 to know. You notice with a lot of minor league 00:09:47.179 --> 00:09:50.179 clubs, especially in hockey, The team affiliation 00:09:50.179 --> 00:09:53.559 changes sometimes year to year. How does that 00:09:53.559 --> 00:09:57.820 process work? What are the logistics of all that? 00:09:58.139 --> 00:10:01.139 There's 32 teams in our league. 32 NHL teams. 00:10:01.500 --> 00:10:05.179 So it's one for one. 12 of those 32 teams are 00:10:05.179 --> 00:10:07.159 independent. The rest are owned by their National 00:10:07.159 --> 00:10:11.750 Hockey League. teams. So for us, we have what 00:10:11.750 --> 00:10:14.129 I feel is the best partnership in all of hockey 00:10:14.129 --> 00:10:17.029 with Tampa Bay. This is our 14th year with them. 00:10:17.970 --> 00:10:20.929 And those deals are always negotiated and talked 00:10:20.929 --> 00:10:23.370 about and people marry up for different reasons 00:10:23.370 --> 00:10:25.110 and everything. You want to make sure your philosophies 00:10:25.110 --> 00:10:28.029 match up and everything. Sure. We started out 00:10:28.029 --> 00:10:30.789 with Vancouver. We had a great 10 year run with 00:10:30.789 --> 00:10:33.970 Columbus. Yeah. I think, you know, from what 00:10:33.970 --> 00:10:35.470 we kind of hear, they wanted to go with an all 00:10:35.470 --> 00:10:37.389 Ohio model and that's kind of where they wanted 00:10:37.389 --> 00:10:39.759 to push their affiliate, which made sense for 00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:42.600 them. And ultimately that got us all to Tampa 00:10:42.600 --> 00:10:45.940 Bay, which has been great. And the movement is 00:10:45.940 --> 00:10:47.840 a little bit of who's available at the time and 00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:49.919 all that kind of stuff, but I've learned as I've 00:10:49.919 --> 00:10:51.840 gotten through that you marry the people, not 00:10:51.840 --> 00:10:55.379 so much the franchises. And you'll see sometimes 00:10:55.379 --> 00:10:58.320 people will follow GMs, NHL GMs, wherever they 00:10:58.320 --> 00:11:00.879 go, if they're comfortable with a situation or 00:11:00.879 --> 00:11:03.259 not. And what a time for you to be a part of 00:11:03.259 --> 00:11:05.320 the Tampa Bay Lightning franchise, because they 00:11:05.320 --> 00:11:07.960 are in the middle of what I... I consider a dynasty 00:11:07.960 --> 00:11:10.679 right now, just an incredible hockey club. And 00:11:10.679 --> 00:11:14.700 you're a part of that. Do you, when they're winning 00:11:14.700 --> 00:11:17.139 up there, does that trickle down? Do you feel 00:11:17.139 --> 00:11:19.700 it here? Do you feel that energy and excitement 00:11:19.700 --> 00:11:23.240 down here? Oh, for sure. It's a very unique dynamic 00:11:23.240 --> 00:11:25.759 because we'll have Syracuse employees and Tampa 00:11:25.759 --> 00:11:28.059 employees. But at the end of the day, we are 00:11:28.059 --> 00:11:31.500 one family. So yeah, we take a tremendous amount 00:11:31.500 --> 00:11:35.059 of pride in Tampa's. success both on ice and 00:11:35.059 --> 00:11:38.419 business. We feel we contribute you know through 00:11:38.419 --> 00:11:41.100 many many different avenues and everything but 00:11:41.100 --> 00:11:44.340 to be associated with them it's hard for me to 00:11:44.340 --> 00:11:46.879 articulate just how proud I am of that affiliation. 00:11:47.259 --> 00:11:50.399 Julian Brizwa is everything you could hope for 00:11:50.399 --> 00:11:54.360 in a partner. His drive is determination, the 00:11:54.360 --> 00:11:56.360 resources that they give us. It's everything 00:11:56.360 --> 00:12:00.139 that you want. And it's a world of best practices. 00:12:00.240 --> 00:12:02.820 We want to be the best in every single area we 00:12:02.820 --> 00:12:05.700 can. And it's constantly tweaking. It's never 00:12:05.700 --> 00:12:07.460 thinking we know what's going on, because we 00:12:07.460 --> 00:12:10.600 don't. I say, if we win every game, we sell out 00:12:10.600 --> 00:12:13.379 every game, maybe, and I doubt it, but maybe 00:12:13.379 --> 00:12:15.480 we'll know what we're doing. And until then, 00:12:15.580 --> 00:12:18.700 we got a ways to go. I'm curious. When the team 00:12:18.700 --> 00:12:20.659 just changed, like you were the Columbus Blue 00:12:20.659 --> 00:12:23.000 Jackets, now you're affiliated with the Lightning. 00:12:23.500 --> 00:12:26.419 When the changeover happens, is that like a, 00:12:26.419 --> 00:12:28.159 is that a huge mix up around here where you're 00:12:28.159 --> 00:12:30.779 kind of starting over or is it kind of a smooth 00:12:30.779 --> 00:12:32.559 transition when that happens? No, for sure. I 00:12:32.559 --> 00:12:35.000 mean, some areas you're running, it's, I know 00:12:35.000 --> 00:12:36.700 one of the popular phrase, you're kind of drinking 00:12:36.700 --> 00:12:38.360 out of a fire hose, so to speak. Yeah, yeah. 00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:41.080 You know, from little things I think even we 00:12:41.080 --> 00:12:44.419 forget, from a team color change is huge. Just 00:12:44.419 --> 00:12:47.669 let alone on that. That's a good point. so much 00:12:47.669 --> 00:12:52.009 of everything when that happens. So yeah, there's 00:12:52.009 --> 00:12:54.750 a lot of moving parts when an affiliation changes. 00:13:08.149 --> 00:13:09.950 butchered, I don't know what the, just basically 00:13:09.950 --> 00:13:13.230 for being a badass COO. Tell me a little bit 00:13:13.230 --> 00:13:14.909 about the history of that award and what that 00:13:14.909 --> 00:13:17.090 meant to you to win that. No, they're, and I 00:13:17.090 --> 00:13:19.889 have to stress this, this is important, and don't 00:13:19.889 --> 00:13:21.690 judge me, they're team awards, they really are. 00:13:22.289 --> 00:13:24.669 They are, and I happen to be the, you know, the 00:13:24.669 --> 00:13:29.149 face of the department at the time. I think going 00:13:29.149 --> 00:13:31.590 back with a lot of our bigger events, being the 00:13:31.590 --> 00:13:33.809 first team that hosted an outdoor game. I was 00:13:33.809 --> 00:13:36.929 going there next. Setting an indoor attendance 00:13:36.929 --> 00:13:40.419 record. at the dome, and working with those groups, 00:13:40.440 --> 00:13:42.460 those bring a lot of eyes onto the organization 00:13:42.460 --> 00:13:45.779 and our brand. And those type of awards, I think, 00:13:46.799 --> 00:13:50.039 follow those type of achievements and everything. 00:13:50.840 --> 00:13:52.840 And that's really what they are. The McKenzie 00:13:52.840 --> 00:13:56.860 is for the best marketer, best promoter of your 00:13:56.860 --> 00:13:59.580 team, and that is not a one -person job by any 00:13:59.580 --> 00:14:03.610 means. What a selfless answer, and so much respect. 00:14:03.990 --> 00:14:06.370 That's amazing for you to say. Which leads me 00:14:06.370 --> 00:14:08.450 right to what you were talking about. I would 00:14:08.450 --> 00:14:12.009 assume a lot of why you won that award, especially 00:14:12.009 --> 00:14:14.429 particularly in marketing. You were the first 00:14:14.429 --> 00:14:17.389 one to ever host the Marabitor Outdoor game. 00:14:17.789 --> 00:14:20.289 That was in 2010, the Marabitor Outdoor classic, 00:14:20.409 --> 00:14:22.850 excuse me. And then the Toyota Frozen Dome classic 00:14:22.850 --> 00:14:26.750 in 2014, the first and I think only game played 00:14:26.750 --> 00:14:31.330 in the Dome. And by the way, I read how much 00:14:31.330 --> 00:14:33.250 you had to go through to make that happen, dealing 00:14:33.250 --> 00:14:35.830 with the government, you know, locally and regionally. 00:14:36.149 --> 00:14:37.970 Can you talk a little bit about that, how the 00:14:37.970 --> 00:14:41.240 idea came about and what went into that? Yeah, 00:14:41.240 --> 00:14:44.100 both games were heavy lifts, no questions. We 00:14:44.100 --> 00:14:46.460 couldn't have done it without phenomenal partners, 00:14:47.000 --> 00:14:48.879 and Outdoor Game was the state and the county 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:50.720 stepping up, and then our corporate partners, 00:14:50.899 --> 00:14:52.980 Marabito, like you said, and then the staff. 00:14:53.139 --> 00:14:56.019 The staff were rock stars with that. The Dome 00:14:56.019 --> 00:14:59.659 Game was different because they had the infrastructure, 00:15:00.139 --> 00:15:01.500 they had the building and everything, where the 00:15:01.500 --> 00:15:03.120 Outdoor Game, we were literally building a rink 00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:07.120 on a dirt track with no hot water. So it was 00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:10.200 a challenge. The dome challenges were a little 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:13.100 bit different, but Pete Sallow, the gentleman 00:15:13.100 --> 00:15:16.169 who runs the building up there, phenomenal. Unbelievable 00:15:16.169 --> 00:15:18.210 gentlemen, I'm so proud to have had that opportunity 00:15:18.210 --> 00:15:22.250 to work with them. The why is we like challenges. 00:15:22.710 --> 00:15:26.029 We're proud of the area. This area is a hockey 00:15:26.029 --> 00:15:27.830 area. We wanted to be the first outdoor game. 00:15:28.230 --> 00:15:29.850 We were the first in our league. I think it was 00:15:29.850 --> 00:15:32.409 the fourth overall. The Dome gave us a venue 00:15:32.409 --> 00:15:34.690 where we could set an attendance record and we 00:15:34.690 --> 00:15:38.590 hold it. Syracuse and Utica, of all these teams 00:15:38.590 --> 00:15:40.549 in North America, Europe, we have the largest 00:15:40.549 --> 00:15:44.679 crowd ever to watch an indoor hockey game. In 00:15:44.679 --> 00:15:47.200 this country in this these two smaller markets. 00:15:47.460 --> 00:15:48.779 It's something to be proud back and we want to 00:15:48.779 --> 00:15:51.480 go in and do it again It's it's so something 00:15:51.480 --> 00:15:54.139 to be proud of for obviously the events themselves 00:15:54.139 --> 00:15:56.659 speak for themselves, right? It was incredible. 00:15:57.000 --> 00:15:59.840 But people I don't think you realize what a risk 00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:02.399 you took because a lot of you know It's so easy 00:16:02.399 --> 00:16:05.000 to say why didn't other clubs do that? It's it's 00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:08.080 a huge risk financially logistically and you 00:16:08.080 --> 00:16:11.730 went out on a limb What gave you the courage 00:16:11.730 --> 00:16:13.649 to go, you know what, these are two huge events. 00:16:15.269 --> 00:16:17.549 How did you know you could pull it off? Did you 00:16:17.549 --> 00:16:20.250 know? No, there were sleepless nights for sure, 00:16:20.710 --> 00:16:23.429 and for different reasons. And you're right with 00:16:23.429 --> 00:16:26.850 what you said. The risk was tremendous. So to 00:16:26.850 --> 00:16:29.789 have an owner in Howard Olden who believed in 00:16:29.789 --> 00:16:32.620 the staff... and the community and the area to 00:16:32.620 --> 00:16:35.539 do it was what we needed. So that set our foundation 00:16:35.539 --> 00:16:37.639 to move ahead and try the events. Because you're 00:16:37.639 --> 00:16:39.919 right, if there was a snowstorm or if we lost 00:16:39.919 --> 00:16:42.000 a weekend, it could have been a disaster for 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:44.320 the organization. That would have set us back 00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:48.000 months, years and everything. But to have his 00:16:48.000 --> 00:16:51.889 confidence... It was it was what I needed and 00:16:51.889 --> 00:16:54.490 what kind of led the staff to do it But no there 00:16:54.490 --> 00:16:57.169 were crazy nights especially with I remember 00:16:57.169 --> 00:16:59.450 in the outdoor game a couple times like did we 00:16:59.450 --> 00:17:01.269 do the right thing? Is this worth it? Are we 00:17:01.269 --> 00:17:03.850 taking away from the poor business all that kind 00:17:03.850 --> 00:17:06.730 of stuff? And then the dome game was nerve -wracking 00:17:06.730 --> 00:17:09.170 because it was daunting to have a challenge We 00:17:09.170 --> 00:17:12.390 play in a 6 ,000 ish seat arena to have to do 00:17:12.390 --> 00:17:15.109 30 ,000 and you can't hide if you don't come 00:17:15.109 --> 00:17:18.269 they don't There's no way to know you can't hide 00:17:18.269 --> 00:17:20.519 that So that's where a lot of my stress came 00:17:20.519 --> 00:17:23.740 from for that game. But boy, did people come 00:17:23.740 --> 00:17:26.119 out and they made them worthwhile. Any plans 00:17:26.119 --> 00:17:29.420 to do that again? I sure hope so. So, Grandstand 00:17:29.420 --> 00:17:31.720 was knocked down at the fairgrounds. That's right. 00:17:32.160 --> 00:17:34.240 We've had some conversations with the baseball 00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:36.599 club about maybe going over there and doing it. 00:17:36.599 --> 00:17:38.819 It's a little light on seats, but I think we 00:17:38.819 --> 00:17:42.539 can make it work. We have an in with Jason. I'll 00:17:42.539 --> 00:17:44.799 smack him. I'll make it happen. You call me, 00:17:44.980 --> 00:17:46.220 I'll strong him. I'm interested in partnering 00:17:46.220 --> 00:17:50.029 up. Awesome. to hear first? You know to do that 00:17:50.029 --> 00:17:51.769 and then don't yes I want to get back in there 00:17:51.769 --> 00:17:54.250 I want to I want to reset the record and for 00:17:54.250 --> 00:17:57.009 us it's you think about it in the whole country 00:17:57.009 --> 00:17:59.009 there's not a lot of buildings that host three 00:17:59.009 --> 00:18:01.970 major sports let alone two with basketball football 00:18:01.970 --> 00:18:05.630 and lacrosse and a rink doesn't go in overnight 00:18:05.630 --> 00:18:08.250 we need about a 10 -day window and the challenge 00:18:08.250 --> 00:18:10.710 is that building is used all the time yeah so 00:18:10.710 --> 00:18:13.450 for us to block out that many days has been the 00:18:13.450 --> 00:18:16.109 challenge to try and get back there, but enough 00:18:16.109 --> 00:18:17.829 people I think want it. Pete's great to work 00:18:17.829 --> 00:18:19.650 with and I'm hoping we're back there and I'm 00:18:19.650 --> 00:18:21.569 hoping we're outside again. Well, I hope it happens 00:18:21.569 --> 00:18:23.250 because as a sports fan, especially a hockey 00:18:23.250 --> 00:18:25.789 fan, I mean, what is better than those type of 00:18:25.789 --> 00:18:28.589 events? And I can't can't believe you would you 00:18:28.589 --> 00:18:34.639 pulled it off and set a record doing it. The 00:18:34.639 --> 00:18:36.940 Micron is coming you're talking about the the 00:18:36.940 --> 00:18:38.759 you know the the community and being a part of 00:18:38.759 --> 00:18:41.279 the community Micron is kind of on everybody's 00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:43.579 radar in every industry because it's you know 00:18:43.579 --> 00:18:45.240 It's one of the biggest things to happen since 00:18:45.240 --> 00:18:49.650 the Erie Canal Are you feeling the effects of 00:18:49.650 --> 00:18:52.450 that yet? Is there any planning involved in preparation 00:18:52.450 --> 00:18:56.190 for that? I think the feeling, yes. I mean, we're 00:18:56.190 --> 00:18:57.750 central New York. We live here, so it's hard 00:18:57.750 --> 00:19:01.410 not to get excited with the buzz that's going 00:19:01.410 --> 00:19:05.670 around and the anticipation and everything. And 00:19:05.670 --> 00:19:08.950 we want to position ourselves as an opportunity 00:19:08.950 --> 00:19:12.970 or an outlet for their employees to enjoy. And 00:19:12.970 --> 00:19:16.319 that's really what it is. At the end of the day, 00:19:16.319 --> 00:19:17.779 I guess it's no different than a company that 00:19:17.779 --> 00:19:19.400 potentially is going to bring in 20 people all 00:19:19.400 --> 00:19:21.480 the way way up. It's all scaled a little bit. 00:19:21.779 --> 00:19:23.660 But the pure numbers and the pure excitement 00:19:23.660 --> 00:19:26.079 of that is hard not to get excited about. So 00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:28.839 in our prep is open arms. What can we do? It's 00:19:28.839 --> 00:19:31.779 really that simple. Yeah. I want to talk about 00:19:31.779 --> 00:19:33.720 the season. But first, I would be remiss not 00:19:33.720 --> 00:19:36.220 to ask this. So I've been coming to games with 00:19:36.220 --> 00:19:40.940 my wife, mostly before kids. And we've seen this 00:19:40.940 --> 00:19:42.880 arena kind of change its face a little bit here 00:19:42.880 --> 00:19:45.160 and there. It's absolutely gorgeous, like gorgeous 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:48.039 in here. Talk a little bit about the renovations 00:19:48.039 --> 00:19:50.480 that have been done and when and what people 00:19:50.480 --> 00:19:52.299 can expect here. We're very proud of where we 00:19:52.299 --> 00:19:54.859 play. It's one of the older buildings. We kind 00:19:54.859 --> 00:19:56.740 of say it's the oldest. There's one with an older 00:19:56.740 --> 00:19:59.859 cornerstone out of the 64. We're in 1951. So 00:19:59.859 --> 00:20:01.619 it's a very special anniversary coming up for 00:20:01.619 --> 00:20:06.140 the building. It's 75th here. For us, it's really 00:20:06.140 --> 00:20:09.599 maximizing what space we have at the same time, 00:20:09.599 --> 00:20:12.759 making sure that we pay due respect to the veterans 00:20:12.759 --> 00:20:15.700 that this was built for. And I think we've kind 00:20:15.700 --> 00:20:18.119 of married the two up. You'll see they have spaces 00:20:18.119 --> 00:20:20.640 in here. We have spaces in here. I'm very proud 00:20:20.640 --> 00:20:22.299 of that. It's a message that I like to share 00:20:22.299 --> 00:20:24.460 with our athletes as they come in and our staff 00:20:24.460 --> 00:20:28.299 that come in. We're proud that we bring so many 00:20:28.299 --> 00:20:32.240 people here to see their exhibits and their mentions 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:35.029 and then all the military. that we do, but we're 00:20:35.029 --> 00:20:36.849 always constantly trying to max out what we can 00:20:36.849 --> 00:20:39.410 have here. This most recent expansion was a new 00:20:39.410 --> 00:20:42.109 sound system, which was a little outdated, and 00:20:42.109 --> 00:20:43.690 then the new seats that we're sitting in right 00:20:43.690 --> 00:20:45.730 now, so the new lowerable seats are in. Very 00:20:45.730 --> 00:20:47.890 comfortable. This year, yes, though, quite different 00:20:47.890 --> 00:20:50.029 than what was here prior. Absolutely. So those 00:20:50.029 --> 00:20:51.589 were our upgrades, but throughout the years we've 00:20:51.589 --> 00:20:54.160 made many of them. One of the more challenging 00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:56.460 ones was we had to extend the ice. We were only 00:20:56.460 --> 00:20:59.519 193 feet long. You're supposed to be 200 feet. 00:20:59.819 --> 00:21:02.099 But that was very important for us to continue 00:21:02.099 --> 00:21:04.759 to attract NHL partners was to make sure that 00:21:04.759 --> 00:21:07.259 that got fixed. So now we're a regulation for 00:21:07.259 --> 00:21:10.000 the ice and all little things here and there 00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:11.420 throughout the years. But we're very proud of 00:21:11.420 --> 00:21:13.960 where we play. What a beautiful answer. I have 00:21:13.960 --> 00:21:17.240 so much respect for you. It's so easy for organizations 00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:20.440 to slap a name onto an arena and call it good. 00:21:20.680 --> 00:21:25.359 The fact that You know, it's named, you know, 00:21:25.859 --> 00:21:29.279 after veterans and you highlight that here. It's 00:21:29.279 --> 00:21:30.779 so special. I mean, there's a beautiful mural 00:21:30.779 --> 00:21:32.799 I'm staring at over there, and I just wanted 00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:34.279 to commend you on that. I think that's wonderful. 00:21:34.279 --> 00:21:35.700 No, that takes a lot of people, but that's something 00:21:35.700 --> 00:21:38.559 we are sincerely very proud of. Yeah, and you 00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:40.299 should be. A couple more questions. I want to 00:21:40.299 --> 00:21:41.799 be respectful of your time, but we got to talk 00:21:41.799 --> 00:21:44.880 about the 25 season. You guys are sitting right 00:21:44.880 --> 00:21:47.299 now at 13 and 8. You're tied for second place. 00:21:48.279 --> 00:21:50.460 I got it right here just so I make sure I'm good. 00:21:52.009 --> 00:21:54.190 One of your players, your left winger, and I'm 00:21:54.190 --> 00:21:55.690 going to butcher his name, Jacob. I want to make 00:21:55.690 --> 00:21:56.970 sure I say the last name right. You want me to 00:21:56.970 --> 00:21:59.329 go first? You go first. Jacob Peltier. Peltier. 00:21:59.349 --> 00:22:02.170 See, I was going to say Peltier. Pelti... Pelti... 00:22:01.950 --> 00:22:05.250 Jacob, he's third in the AHL right now in scoring. 00:22:06.829 --> 00:22:09.230 Talk to me about the season. How do you feel 00:22:09.230 --> 00:22:12.609 about it? And what can we look forward to? Yeah, 00:22:12.809 --> 00:22:15.569 it's a great group. It really is. But if you 00:22:15.569 --> 00:22:16.950 ask anybody who's going to run their team, I 00:22:16.950 --> 00:22:19.630 think 90 % of them or 95 % are going to say it's 00:22:19.630 --> 00:22:22.509 a great group. I've thoroughly enjoyed this year's 00:22:22.509 --> 00:22:23.910 team. There's a little bit more turnover than 00:22:23.910 --> 00:22:25.970 we usually have. We turned over about 60, 65 00:22:25.970 --> 00:22:29.009 % of the team, which you're always used to in 00:22:29.009 --> 00:22:32.200 minor in American League. turnover but the players 00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:35.619 we brought in led by Mr. Peltier and some of 00:22:35.619 --> 00:22:37.720 the others have been I don't want to say breath 00:22:37.720 --> 00:22:39.220 of fresh air because that would be disrespectful 00:22:39.220 --> 00:22:41.460 to guys who were before but they brought a different 00:22:41.460 --> 00:22:43.980 type of energy to the team this year and it's 00:22:43.980 --> 00:22:46.380 been a lot of fun working with them getting to 00:22:46.380 --> 00:22:48.480 know them the results have been positive so far 00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:51.680 but there's a long long long way ahead yeah with 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:53.839 everything but we're putting ourselves I think 00:22:53.839 --> 00:22:56.119 in a position to be in the conversation don't 00:22:56.119 --> 00:22:58.180 tell them I butchered his name because I want 00:22:58.180 --> 00:23:00.990 to live I just want to note real quick on the 00:23:00.990 --> 00:23:04.210 side. See, I love hockey for many reasons. I 00:23:04.210 --> 00:23:07.650 also love that through generations, the mentality 00:23:07.650 --> 00:23:09.410 of hockey players has not changed. While we've 00:23:09.410 --> 00:23:11.329 been doing interviews, they were purposely firing 00:23:11.329 --> 00:23:13.730 pucks at the glass and then two other guys were 00:23:13.730 --> 00:23:15.730 checking each other into the glass and then like 00:23:15.730 --> 00:23:17.829 hugging each other and interrupting. And I just, 00:23:18.049 --> 00:23:19.769 yeah, you didn't even have to answer anything. 00:23:19.910 --> 00:23:21.710 I just want to make note of that's what hockey 00:23:21.710 --> 00:23:24.029 players do and it never changes. I honestly think, 00:23:24.150 --> 00:23:25.309 I don't know what your opinion is. I just thought 00:23:25.309 --> 00:23:28.250 of this. I think hockey players, and obviously 00:23:28.250 --> 00:23:30.490 you're a little biased, I genuinely think they 00:23:30.490 --> 00:23:32.190 are the toughest athletes on the planet. Oh, 00:23:32.190 --> 00:23:35.930 without question. Without question, right? Again, 00:23:35.930 --> 00:23:38.009 I don't want to be disrespectful to other sports, 00:23:38.069 --> 00:23:40.789 but it's not even a competition at all. It's 00:23:40.789 --> 00:23:44.650 not. Even in full -contact sports like the NFL, 00:23:45.569 --> 00:23:47.269 you have a break every time you go to the huddle. 00:23:47.289 --> 00:23:49.849 With hockey, you've got to have the cardio, you've 00:23:49.849 --> 00:23:51.509 got to have the physicality, you've got to be 00:23:51.509 --> 00:23:54.690 tough. How many times have you seen guys getting 00:23:54.690 --> 00:23:56.019 teeth knocked out? and they're like, eh, and 00:23:56.019 --> 00:23:57.920 it's a badge of courage. No, it really is. It's 00:23:57.920 --> 00:23:59.839 amazing. Yeah, football is a little bit of a 00:23:59.839 --> 00:24:03.039 challenge. I mean, in a 60 -minute game, only 00:24:03.039 --> 00:24:04.339 when you're comparing. I'm not trying to take 00:24:04.339 --> 00:24:05.660 anything away from that. Sure. No, no, no. I 00:24:05.660 --> 00:24:07.359 brought it up. Don't worry. You're playing 9, 00:24:07.359 --> 00:24:11.710 10, 11 minutes of game time. Granted, that's 00:24:11.710 --> 00:24:14.529 a tough 10, 11 minutes of time, but it doesn't 00:24:14.529 --> 00:24:16.609 compete with what our athletes are going through 00:24:16.609 --> 00:24:18.990 at the speeds they're going through with the 00:24:18.990 --> 00:24:22.690 frozen puck there on ice trying to skate. Jim, 00:24:22.849 --> 00:24:24.769 I go ice skating with my kids. My feet are hurting 00:24:24.769 --> 00:24:26.569 after five minutes, and I got to sit down. So 00:24:26.569 --> 00:24:30.869 I mean, it's absolutely incredible. One of the 00:24:30.869 --> 00:24:34.369 great things you do here, and I say better than 00:24:34.369 --> 00:24:38.549 most, is your promotional nights. And there's 00:24:38.549 --> 00:24:40.579 always something to look forward to. If you want 00:24:40.579 --> 00:24:43.720 to plug in, just tell us about some of the special 00:24:43.720 --> 00:24:45.700 fan nights coming up and some of the promotional 00:24:45.700 --> 00:24:48.160 things you guys are doing and maybe your favorite. 00:24:48.460 --> 00:24:52.859 We're always looking for ideas. The genesis of 00:24:52.859 --> 00:24:55.319 those when we sit down in the summer is how can 00:24:55.319 --> 00:24:58.920 we attract maybe non -Crunch fans or casual Crunch 00:24:58.920 --> 00:25:01.500 fans to a game. So that's where the hockey romance 00:25:01.500 --> 00:25:05.240 is, the ogre nights, the the hockey is for everyone 00:25:05.240 --> 00:25:08.220 nights. That's where all of those come from and 00:25:08.220 --> 00:25:10.519 that's well that's the the goal of those is to 00:25:10.519 --> 00:25:12.299 bring in people to the buildings and everything 00:25:12.299 --> 00:25:13.819 and they have a lot of fun doing it as well. 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:17.279 It reinforces what we do for our our season ticket 00:25:17.279 --> 00:25:20.180 base which is that bringing that fun and that 00:25:20.180 --> 00:25:22.259 difference to every game and you never want to 00:25:22.259 --> 00:25:24.000 lose but kind of the measure of that is you're 00:25:24.000 --> 00:25:25.799 in the car on the way home and maybe we lose 00:25:25.799 --> 00:25:27.720 five to one that day and they're like you know 00:25:27.720 --> 00:25:30.329 what that's stunk. But we had a good time and 00:25:30.329 --> 00:25:32.609 that's where a lot of those come true We have 00:25:32.609 --> 00:25:34.430 a lot of traditional nights like our military 00:25:34.430 --> 00:25:36.450 night our hockey fights to cancer night And then 00:25:36.450 --> 00:25:37.750 we have a lot of fun nights like I mentioned 00:25:37.750 --> 00:25:39.730 the most recent being the hockey romance night. 00:25:39.730 --> 00:25:42.230 We have an overnight coming up here We're gonna 00:25:42.230 --> 00:25:44.230 turn Memorial Hall into a swamp. It's gonna be 00:25:44.230 --> 00:25:48.269 pretty cool and NC and You know, that's part 00:25:48.269 --> 00:25:50.230 of our comic -con series where we'll do a Star 00:25:50.230 --> 00:25:53.289 Wars and a Wizarding Night You know a lot of 00:25:53.289 --> 00:25:55.990 them other markets do we try to put our own twist 00:25:55.990 --> 00:25:59.119 on it? We're constantly looking to bring in celebrities 00:25:59.119 --> 00:26:01.940 that can help enhance the game experience and 00:26:01.940 --> 00:26:04.960 everything but it really is we try to hit every 00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:06.380 demographic because that's what hockey is we 00:26:06.380 --> 00:26:09.000 want everyone to experience this know it's a 00:26:09.000 --> 00:26:11.839 great place a safe place to come and and have 00:26:11.839 --> 00:26:14.240 at it and after this you mentioned I caught wind 00:26:14.240 --> 00:26:16.539 you guys are gonna have the hockey players wrap 00:26:16.539 --> 00:26:18.839 gifts and do it you're judging them on that yeah 00:26:18.839 --> 00:26:22.539 no thanks so each December we grab one week and 00:26:22.539 --> 00:26:25.279 we rebranded our week of assists so each of the 00:26:25.279 --> 00:26:28.660 seven days in that week we do something community 00:26:28.660 --> 00:26:31.500 -based and everything. So yesterday we were at 00:26:31.500 --> 00:26:33.460 P -Sync dropping off some items that they needed 00:26:33.460 --> 00:26:36.339 for Boys and Girls Club. Today, each athlete 00:26:36.339 --> 00:26:39.299 was required to bring in a gift that we're going 00:26:39.299 --> 00:26:42.980 to donate later for the toy drive. But to put 00:26:42.980 --> 00:26:44.599 our little fun in it, we're going to have a wrapping 00:26:44.599 --> 00:26:47.200 contest with it as well too. So players wrap, 00:26:47.259 --> 00:26:49.700 staff judges, and we all have a little bit of 00:26:49.700 --> 00:26:51.720 fun with that. That is fantastic. Alright, one 00:26:51.720 --> 00:26:54.259 more question. So, you know, the I -90 rivalry, 00:26:54.539 --> 00:26:56.680 right? Utica, Syracuse, I'm kind of from the 00:26:56.680 --> 00:27:00.509 Utica... area. You featured that in the Toyota 00:27:00.509 --> 00:27:02.809 Frozen Dome game. So you know about rivalries. 00:27:03.049 --> 00:27:08.589 You see my hat. I'm an Ithaca College grad. You're 00:27:08.589 --> 00:27:10.289 a Cortland Red Dragon. For those of you that 00:27:10.289 --> 00:27:13.430 don't know, we are rivals. Not today. There is 00:27:13.430 --> 00:27:15.410 Kortika Jug, the biggest little game in the country. 00:27:16.990 --> 00:27:18.890 Talk to me about what that means to you, and 00:27:18.890 --> 00:27:20.970 have you ever been to one of those? Oh, for sure. 00:27:21.869 --> 00:27:25.349 Not recently, just because of the career path 00:27:25.349 --> 00:27:27.529 I've taken, but when I was there, absolutely. 00:27:27.589 --> 00:27:29.470 How can you not be, right? Exactly. The campus 00:27:29.470 --> 00:27:34.910 is empty out for all of that. I think my... I 00:27:34.910 --> 00:27:37.390 have to maybe ask Megan. We have one Ithaca grad 00:27:37.390 --> 00:27:39.549 on our staff, and I think 78... You pay them 00:27:39.549 --> 00:27:41.809 below minimum wage. 78 Cortland people. That's 00:27:41.809 --> 00:27:49.039 how I did that for her. To see the attention 00:27:49.039 --> 00:27:50.640 that's drawn on that game is wonderful and the 00:27:50.640 --> 00:27:53.640 success that both programs have had is really 00:27:53.640 --> 00:27:55.279 neat. Yeah, you guys won the state championship 00:27:55.279 --> 00:27:58.339 two years ago? I don't remember. I think it was 00:27:58.339 --> 00:28:01.319 three, maybe three, two years ago. We hired a 00:28:01.319 --> 00:28:04.079 young man the year after and that hurt him a 00:28:04.079 --> 00:28:06.380 little bit. I bet. He missed by a year. I bet. 00:28:06.480 --> 00:28:08.059 It is the biggest little game in the country 00:28:08.059 --> 00:28:09.279 and it's amazing. They're actually going back 00:28:09.279 --> 00:28:10.579 to Yankee Stadium next year. I don't know if 00:28:10.579 --> 00:28:14.400 you heard that, so maybe we'll have to go. All 00:28:14.400 --> 00:28:17.000 right, well listen, Jim. I can't think enough, 00:28:17.039 --> 00:28:19.299 I just have one last question, and not today, 00:28:19.480 --> 00:28:22.819 but do you think at some point, I've always had 00:28:22.819 --> 00:28:25.220 this dream of getting to ride the Zamboni? Absolutely, 00:28:25.259 --> 00:28:26.799 we can make that happen. And I have to admit 00:28:26.799 --> 00:28:28.240 something, so I go to Cornell. You wanna drive 00:28:28.240 --> 00:28:30.500 it or just ride it? Oh, Jesus Christ, I can drive 00:28:30.500 --> 00:28:32.180 it? I think we can make that happen, too. You're 00:28:32.180 --> 00:28:34.180 talking to the right people. Megan, can he drive 00:28:34.180 --> 00:28:36.640 the Zamboni? Yes, you can. I don't know if I 00:28:36.640 --> 00:28:38.900 want to do that. I don't know if that's a good 00:28:38.900 --> 00:28:40.559 idea. Well, have the conditioner up so you can't 00:28:40.559 --> 00:28:43.019 mess up the ice. That'll be your safety net. 00:28:43.140 --> 00:28:44.799 I live in Ithaca, so you know Cornell Hockey. 00:28:44.809 --> 00:28:46.609 It's huge there, and by the way, I've talked 00:28:46.609 --> 00:28:49.869 about it on GNY Sports. It's one of the most 00:28:49.869 --> 00:28:51.930 amazing experiences you can have, hockey experiences. 00:28:52.269 --> 00:28:54.250 But I will admit, you know, I see little kids 00:28:54.250 --> 00:28:56.009 riding the Zamboni, and I'm like, well, I'm 40, 00:28:56.049 --> 00:28:58.670 so I'm not going to ask. This is my chance. Absolutely. 00:28:59.069 --> 00:29:01.289 Oh, Jim, you're the best. Anything else you want 00:29:01.289 --> 00:29:03.950 to plug or say? Oh, that was great. I can't thank 00:29:03.950 --> 00:29:05.990 you enough for your time. That was real enjoyable. 00:29:06.009 --> 00:29:08.670 I appreciate it. I really appreciate you. Syracuse 00:29:08.670 --> 00:29:13.960 Crunch, come out to a game. Nothing else. because 00:29:13.960 --> 00:29:16.599 it's a blast and it's been a pleasure meeting 00:29:16.599 --> 00:29:19.759 you you're you're a great guy and I wish you 00:29:19.759 --> 00:29:21.539 the best of luck so thank you from good news 00:29:21.539 --> 00:29:23.339 you appreciate the opportunity yeah all right 00:29:23.339 --> 00:29:25.339 man let's go all right go crunch