Ah, the mystery president. For years, we’ve been hearing about the mysterious world of the NHL general managers. From endless speculation to ridiculous rumors, there has never been a clear idea of what a GM’s daily schedule looks like. That is, until now. One GM’s daily schedule has been made public thanks to Scott Gomez, the new president of hockey operations for the Montreal Canadiens.
Gomez has made an interesting choice. He’s not only made his daily schedule public, but he’s also embedded reporters in the seats next to him at the GM meetings, so that anyone interested can follow along. This unprecedented move could completely change the way we think about our favorite sport.
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Everyday Routine
GMs are mostly known for their role in negotiating contracts, making trades and dealing with disciplinary issues. While those duties remain unchanged, Scott Gomez has made today’s GMs look like school principals. Day to day, his schedule is filled with meetings, phone calls and emails. Even the most mundane aspects of running a hockey team have been taken over by technology. It’s amazing to see how far hockey has come in such a short time.
From 9am to 5pm, Scott Gomez’s day is structured. A little over an hour and a half before the start of the team’s practice, Gomez sits down for a 30-minute meeting with his head coach, Peter Beekman. After a short break for lunch, he has an hour-long meeting with his assistant coach, Sylvain Lefebvre. This is followed by an hour-long meeting with general manager Benoît Groulx. Finally, after another short break for dinner, he heads to the stadium to watch the Habs play a home game.
Hockey Operations
This year is the 100th anniversary of hockey operations. The position that Scott Gomez has been elected into was created in 1967, when Ned Harkening, at the time the vice president of hockey operations, got the job that is now known as the president of hockey operations. This was before the term ‘hockey operations’ existed. That is, before 1967. So, to celebrate, we can learn a lot about the inner workings of a hockey team from history.
The position of president of hockey operations has three main duties. The first is to set the league’s salary cap each year. Second, he nominates coaches and trainers for the Norris and Lady Norris trophies. Third, he has to supervise the hiring of scouts and the setting up of a scouting network. So, although things have changed a lot since then, the position has not lost its importance. In fact, the need for an organized, efficient and functional hockey operations has increased after the expansion draft of 1967-68.
Impact At This Level
What is truly unique about Scott Gomez’s schedule is how much it has changed the way we think about hockey. Up until now, the only public information about a hockey team’s activities came from occasional scrums and press conferences. Now, thanks to Scott Gomez’s decision, we might get a chance to see how things really work behind the scenes.
We already know that Scott Gomez loves his technology. He is a Twitter and Instagram junkie, and he often gives the media live tweets during team practices and games. He has also made his daily schedule available in an easily accessible Google spreadsheet. This has made it possible for us to follow along and get an idea of what a typical day looks like for the head of a professional hockey team. And it’s not just about the technology either. The sheer volume of phone calls and meetings that Scott Gomez has to handle on a daily basis means that some sort of administrative assistance is necessary. This, in turn, could lead to a career in sports administration for the 43-year-old.
A Bold Move
Is Scott Gomez’s schedule a bold move? Absolutely. While we might learn a lot about hockey from history, it’s also important to look at this from a modern standpoint. GMs have always been a mysterious lot. This is a rare opportunity to see the inner workings of the general management team of a professional hockey team. And what is even more exciting is that there is always something new to learn. It is not easybeing the president of a hockey team. There is a lot of responsibility that comes with the position, and it’s not a simple job. But, on the other hand, it is an engaging one.