NHL Journal

Day 1 (8/4/08)

                Today was the first day of the internship and I was really happy. I was like a little kid in a candy store, or on Christmas morning with the type of smile I had on my face. I smiled through the paperwork and everything that came our way. We first started with the HR director Josie Russell filling out paperwork for the duration of time. This period exposed us to what everyone has to go through before being employed by the NHL. After the paperwork, Michelle Fluhr, who is the International Business and Events Asst. and is our lead person, took us on a tour of three out of five floors. Out of the very interesting tour, we met people like Andy Crawford (Office Service), Frank Macina (Events), Paul Conway (Creative Services), Aliya Ansari (Events), and Rich Villani (Apparel/ Consumer Products). We learned what they did on a daily basis and they also shared life lessons for us because we are going off to college in a few weeks and many of them are not too far removed from that stage. Many of the people who work for the league did not major in anything sports related in college. Many of them are lawyers, etc. We also had lunch with Ken Yaffe (International Bus.) and talked more about the foundation and life which was very interesting. I LOVE this league and LOVE hockey I’m very thankful to be taking advantage of this opportunity. This is my first time in New York, first time on the subway and I am really enjoying myself learning new things.

Day 2 (8/5/08)

                What an action packed day. Going places and meeting people you never thought you would ever meet. Ken Yaffe met us over at ABC/ESPN International to meet Russell Wolff (Executive VP Managing Director) at the headquarters. He gave us a lot of positive insight and OFFERED US INTERNSHIPS!!! That’s a BIG opportunity for us. You don’t get to meet people like him on an everyday basis. His main task is to brand ESPN globally. Once we got back to the office we met Mark McCrary (Game Presentation) who has a rather cool job. He gave us a very interesting story on his background and how he got where he is now. We also met Jessica Tomao (Manager NHL Images) who told us about her job and also about Getty images partnership that the league and the rights to photos. Later that day, we partook in an experience that is going to be fulfilling. Going to Yankee Stadium in its last of existence is one of the most memorable things that I have done. We met with Michael Tusiani (Sr. VP, Corporate Sales & Sponsorships) and he gave us some very great insight on his job, sponsors for the team, and Yankee history. He had some business to attend to, but he called upon Evan Nielsen (Coordinator, Corporate Sales & Sponsorship) and a 2000 NHL Draft Pick of the Atlanta Thrashers. He gave us the historic tour of Yankee stadium where we went on the field, Monument Grove, Dugout, and other areas. This is something that I will never forget because I’ve always wanted to come to Yankee Stadium. This day brought a lot of very life lasting experiences, what will tomorrow have in store?

Day 3 (8/6/08)

                Another day packed with things to do. We started out with talking to club services and learning about their department. This department is new to the league. The first professional league to develop a program such as this is the NBA, and other leagues have followed. Jeff Morander (VP Club Consulting & Services) gave us insight. It’s a small but interesting department. Thirteen employees offer service to 30 teams and 4 people manage 7-8 on a stronger relationship.  Later on in the day we got the chance to meet Eric Haugen (SR Manager -Regional Television) and Emily Nasits (SR Manager- National Television) of the broadcasting team and they explained the markets that they cover and what their job titles mean. They also took us on one of the most interesting tours of the week and that was to the broadcast studio for the NHL XM network channel in the studio that overlooks the NHL store which was very cool. We sat in the same chairs that the radio personalities sit, and played around with the equipment. After we left the studio we went to the control room and met Eric Eisenberg (Producer?) saw the operation in a more in depth look. We saw what controls controlled the camera and what controls make transitions on television and how the graphics are made. They best part is……Tristyn learned a little about the system through actual interaction with the programs. The people in the room were amazed at how fast we picked up what they were giving us. After we left their department we were done for the day so we made our way through and enjoyed a Mets game. This was a very great experience because we visited both New York stadiums that are very historic and are in their last season of existence and is something that I will never forget as long as I live. I got to see Yankee and Shea stadium, two of the oldest current and arguably most historic ballparks in the history of baseball in person with my own two eyes.

Day 4 (8/7/08)

                Many people don’t get the chance to sit on a live show and see it developed from the ground up. We sat in the “Hockey Show,” an internet based show on NHL.com for hockey fans to watch. The head person over this department was (                    ). She explained the process and it starts in the broadcast room where the host does their part. Then the video is sent to the editing suite to be patched up and added in a system that is being placed between b-roll that is already edited. Simultaneously, the producer who is receiving the video is making sure it’s going to run online, sending emails to create traffic to the show on the website and also pushes the final button to put the video up for display. Later on, we go the chance to work with the PR (Public Relations) department and I was so happy because I was with people that I knew from the All-Star game in February. Nirva Milord and Clare MacClellan were so helpful and we so anxious to see me because we kept in contact since All-Star and waited no time with telling us about their jobs. We also got work experience in PR as well.

Day 5 (8/8/08)

                Day 5, the last day at the office….tear! We have done so much thus far and don’t want to leave. Everyone is so use to us now and love us being in the office. The first thing we did was meet with Events and Entertainment. Some of the point person in this department we talked to was Dean Matsusaka. Dean talked about events more to us because had been hearing about events whole week but now we see what it really is. We also got the chance to offer insight on the 2008 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field in Chicago. He showed is diagrams of sight  lines in the ballpark of where the ice will be and what the best angle to align the ice and what section should they charge the most. It was cool being to help make those decisions. After events we met with Brad Holland (NHL Connect) and he helped us post blogs online. He showed us how to set up our account and also featured us on the main page of NHL.com, the largest portal for hockey on the internet. Many people found me on the site and said congratulations and added me as a friend and seem like cool people. This concludes the week, saying our last goodbyes, getting our last pictures in and soaking in the NHL office, it was time to go to the NHL store one last time and shop before heading home.  New York was very rewarding and I am thankful that I got the chance to explore this great city and create some new relationships that will impact my future.