Continuing our summer series of checking in with various members of the Admirals family, today we’re proud to present some Q&A with El Presidente himself, Mr. Jon Greenberg.

Read on to find out some of his highlights from last season, how he has spent his summer vacation, and a bobblehead giveaway that you should expect in November.

AR:  Going back to the way last season ended……As someone who is so personally and professionally invested in the team on a daily basis, are your highs extra high and your lows extra low?  I imagine there were plenty of both over the last three weeks of the season. 

JG:  I learned very early on in my career in sports which will enter year 29 that you have to be even keel. I certainly enjoy each and every game but I know that there will always be a next one. These are long seasons so you get yourself on an emotional roller coaster when you work for a team. It’s certainly fine when you are a fan and I love the passion of our fans who live on the edge of their seats with our games. Even when we got knocked out of the playoffs, while disappointing, it just meant that it was time to start planning the upcoming season.  All of that being said, I would love to have the feeling of winning a championship. That would certainly be a high worth celebrating!

AR:  I’m sure everyone will remember the all-hands-on-deck brawl of April Fools Day 2012.  What are some other events from the season that stand out for you as you look back on it, either on or off the ice? 

JG: The sellout crowd on January 27 was a major highlight for me. It was a magical and memorable night and one we hope to duplicate this season. Having a coaching change with a successful team was a first for me. When Kirk left after 17 games, it certainly caught me off-guard.

Being able to watch the development of our players over the last month of the season when we had to push to get into the playoffs was a lot of fun. Finally, just being able watch this business grow with our largest average attendance in a decade was a very rewarding.

AR:  So the season ended.  Players went home.  Coaches went home.  Fans shifted to baseball.  And you got to go to league meetings.  Tell us a little bit about your travels so far this summer – what are the different meetings for, and is there anything specific you were able to get out of them?

JG:  The season ended in April and then we had a quarterly AHL Board of Governors meeting in May in Chicago. That was just a one-day meeting where we discussed some divisional realignment. We were able to get Grand Rapids in our division which geographically is great. I’ve always enjoyed our games with the Griffins. In mid-June, we had our league’s Annual Meeting in Hilton Head, South Carolina. That’s five days of
meetings both as a full board and on specific committees. I represent the Admirals as a member of the league Sales and Marketing committee. In the general session we get to hear a lot of presentations from different partners of the league as well as vote on league rules and by-laws. We play a lot of golf and get to spend quality time with folks from other
teams as well as some of the NHL people who are at the meetings.

Then, right after the 4th of July I was off to Rochester, New York for four days of AHL Marketing meetings with four members of our staff. We are able to share lots of great ideas and learn some new things that are going on around the league. There is also a vendor showcase so we can see the latest in promotional ideas. I think we get a lot out of that
meeting and we have some fun too.

AR:   If a new collective bargaining agreement does not get worked out at the NHL level, how would that affect things at the AHL level at the start of this season?

JG:  It doesn’t affect us a ton. We will still be playing our regular schedule. The home opener is Friday, October 19. We, along with the other 29 teams, may have a few NHL players on our teams as players with a certain contract status can still be sent to us to play. This same thing happened for the 2004-05 season.  So, we might see a few guys that we wouldn’t have expected to see but other than that it doesn’t affect us other than we will be the best league playing until they come back.

AR:  What were your first impressions of Coach Evason?

JG:  I have enjoyed my interactions with Dean. He is a pretty funny guy and fun to be around. I can see the intensity that he will bring though. I think he’s going to be a fantastic addition to the Admirals family.

AR:  What kind or presence will the Admirals have at Wisconsin State Fair this year?

JG: We will be prominent as always at the State Fair. We will have our booth in the Expo Hall where you can come shoot pucks, learn more about season tickets, pick up some Admirals gear and talk some hockey with our staff. We are also proud to join Saz’s in presenting the Famous Racing Pigs again this year. Those shows are a lot of fun and, of course, Roscoe will be appearing in the State Fair parade every day.  I encourage fans to wear the 2012 version of the Get Caught shirt on the grounds. If we see you , you can get a free ticket to a 2012-13 game.

AR:  The scheduler was fairly kind last year, with a very high percentage of home games on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.  As the schedule gets worked out this summer, are you hopeful that you’ll get a similar amount of games on those prime days?  Anything you are at liberty to share about the schedule-making process in general?

JG:  I am hopeful that we can get a schedule that looks a lot like last year’s. The schedule plays such a vital role in our success. Last year’s schedule allowed us to accomplish a lot from a business standpoint. We are one of five teams in the league who shares a building with an NBA team so we have to wait for them to get their schedule out. (Editors note:  Jon responded to these questions shortly before the NBA schedule did come out)  I know that the folks in the league in the AHL office are feverishly working to get it done. We are as anxious to get it out as our fans are to see it.

AR:  You speak to the audience on mic at games several times a year.  Do you get nervous before they open your mic, or did you get over any public speaking fears a long time ago?

JG:  I took public speaking courses in college and have done so many radio and television interviews over the years that it doesn’t really affect me at all. The hardest part is always making sure to get all of the material in during the allotted time without a script. I hate to leave something out that I want to share but I also can’t hold up the game.

AR:  Are there any new promotions or giveaways or jersey themes or plans or concerts for the new season that you can (wink wink) leak some information about at this time?

JG:  We have five guaranteed dates from the league that I can share. Obviously there’s the home opener on Friday, October 19. We’ll also be home on Friday, November 2 and it will be WisPolitics.com Decision 2012 Night as fans will be able to get either a Barack Obama or Mitt Romney bobblehead thanks to Robert Haack Jewelers. There will be 2,500 of each and fans will declare which they want. It will be a highly scientific straw poll.

Also, we’ll be home on three other Fridays, November 30, December 28 and January 25. We’re planning big things for all of those so fans should get their season tickets and group tickets NOW! I wouldn’t wait another second.

AR:  One last question….what’s your favorite place to golf in the greater Milwaukee metropolitan area?

JG:  Anywhere that’s free!  Just kidding. I enjoy all of the courses here. We have so many wonderful golf courses here, most of which are too good/nice for my skill level. Golf has taught me patience and humility.

Many thanks to Greeny for this thoughtful responses and his time.

The Milwaukee Bucks have released their schedule….so now we know what days we WON’T be spending at the BMO Harris Bradley Center this year.

And more specifically….it seems that many of those days will be Saturdays once again this season….at least through the end of 2012.

The Bucks will be home the following Saturdays:

November 3, 10, 17, 24
December 1, 15, 22, 29
January 26
February 2, 9, 23
March 2, 30
April 6

So they get the arena every Saturday in November, December, and February, except for two.

Grumble.  Obviously, this isn’t a new development….but still….grumble.

(Photo credit:  Scott Paulus)

Dog days of summer….time for some fluff pieces!

Public address announcer Matt Moore.  Everybody likes Matt Moore.  Everyone misses him when he’s out of town and that ‘other guy’ fills in.  Sincerely, I believe we are very lucky to have him, and I’d put him up against any other PA announcer in hockey.  A true professional, a great voice, and a super guy.

So what’s he been up to since Game 2 of the playoff series against Abbotsford?  Let’s find out!

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AR:  How heartbreaking was it for you that the team was swept in the first round of the playoffs?  

MM:  I always like to see the season get into the month of May at least (June is REALLY nice) so it was definitely heartbreaking to see them swept.  Especially considering how well they were playing in the last 2 weeks just to get in the playoffs – didn’t expect to be swept, even by a good Abbottsford team.

AR:  What was it like being in the penalty box area during that game against Rockford with the bench clearing brawl?  What was going through your mind as it was happening?  

MM:  It was surreal for sure.  It seems like that used to happen at least once a season in the IHL days, but since joining the AHL, not nearly as often.  I actually thought it might continue further when Scott Ford was right in front of me with no official near him trying to keep it going.  After it was over, I was disappointed that I didn’t think to record some of it with my iphone.  It was definitely the first time I have seen both teams sent to the locker room before the period ended.  

AR:  I imagine the brawl game was probably pretty high on your highlights list for last season.  Any other highlights for you?  

MM:  Meeting Kirk Muller was really cool, also, the entire month of April, seeing the team come from “out of the playoffs” to the 5 seed was really memorable.  Also, I did get “caught” walking across the ice during the Badger band 4th period, and was surrounded and forced to participate by some of the band members.  There are so many interesting promotions done on a yearly basis and I am very fortunate to be able to meet and interview some great people year after year.  

AR:  What have you been up to this off-season?  Anything interesting during your summer vacation?  

MM:  I am enjoying my banker hours of 8-4 daily this summer.  I do a lot of running – did the summerfest half marathon and will be doing the madison mini marathon in August.  Will spend a week in the Minocqua area for the good ole family vacation in August as well.  

AR:  The Predators signed a defenseman named MIKE MOORE, who will probably spend some time in Milwaukee this year, and may end up being the captain.  Is it going to be weird for you to say your last name in the big announcer voice a whole lot during the season?  

MM:  Weird, No.  Awesome?  Heck Yes.  If he ends up in Milwaukee I think I really will enjoy announcing that name.  Its a great name.

AR:  Are you afraid you may call him “Matt” at some point?

MM:  I’m hoping that I can avoid that…..

AR:  I hear that the Chicago Wolves PA Announcer resigned.  Did you know him at all?  You wouldn’t ever pull a Haydar and go work for them, would you?  

MM:  I never did meet him, but I have been to a handful of games in Rosemont over the years and always thought he did a good job.  My dad was a Chicago native….. but no, I would not pull a Haydar.

AR:  Are you practicing names already, or will it be a few weeks into the season before you’re happy with the way you announce some of the names of the players?  

MM:  I won’t practice names until at least after training camp.  So many will come through for camp but won’t make the team.  I hear there may be some really good names for me to learn this year though.

AR:  What’s the most embarrassing moment you’ve had on mic?  

MM:  During an interview a couple seasons ago,  I kept calling Ryan Flynn “Matt Flynn” as in the former Green Bay back up QB.  I interviewed him after a first period goal, screwed up his name a couple times, then he was first star of the game so I had a chance to redeem myself and STILL got it wrong.  He gave me a look that said, “what the heck to I have to do here for you to get my name right?!?”

AR:  Are you superstitious?  Will you wear the same suit if the team is on a winning streak?

MM:  I am not particularly superstitious.   In the past, there have been some games where I will decide to stand up for the entire 3rd period if the Admirals are behind – or at least until they score a goal – but that is about it.  The suit idea is good though.  Maybe I will go with that from now on. 

AR:  How long have you officially been with the Admirals?  Which hats have you previously worn?  

MM:  I started in 1999 and did the roaming PA for three seasons until 2001-2002.  Have been the PA since then so I guess this will be my 15th season with the Admirals.

AR:   And finally, how does one get to be a member of Dean The Dream’s Little Dreamers?  Are there any other running gags that are a little more under the radar?  

MM:  The Little Dreamers is a very exclusive club, but there are no membership requirements so all are welcome.  For those that don’t know, Dean the Dream is the Admirals timekeeper.   He is currently accepting applications for enrollment in the group.  Other running gags?  One game there was a Ric Flair group – fans all said “woo!!!” after I announced it, so I decided it needed to be a group at every game – at least announced.  Also, I generally do not introduce myself as the PA announce but rather some other noteworthy sports figure.  Many fans have noticed and will come to me before games to give suggestions, or ask who it will be.

It’s a lot funnier if this is how you picture the Preds ownership getting together and discussing the plan.  (Which one would David Poile be?  Gene?  Allen?  Richard?  Betty?  Probably not Brett or Charles….I’d probably go with Gene.)

But the Preds got their man.  Shea will stay a Predator.

Congrats to the organ-eye-zation.

Now let’s get that CBA taken care of.  Although I figure that discussion is more like…..

“Owners are going to try to steal….”

“And now, if the players win, they will get to play FAST MONEY.”

“Survey SAYS?”

Taking a break from Shea-mania…

The AHL shared this picture, as they are putting the schedule together.

 

 

Now before you kick in with the “Looks like they’ve only done the Eastern Conference so far…..the AHL obviously has an Eastern Conference bias” comments…do keep in mind that there aren’t any arenas in the Eastern Conference with NBA teams.  So while Milwaukee and several teams in the west have to wait for arena availability to get sorted out, the Eastern Conference doesn’t have that problem, so the schedulers can go to town.

Final schedule should be coming out in mid-August.

(Photo credit:  Scott Paulus)

Goaltender Jeremy Smith re-signed with the Predators today.

He was a restricted free agent, and everyone pretty much figured the official announcement was going to come at some point.

Today ended up being the day.

It’s a two-way one-year deal.  According to capgeek.com, he’ll be a restricted free agent again next off-season.

Smitty led the AHL in minutes last season.  Do you think he’ll come close to that again this year with Magnus Hellberg also likely to be on the roster?

Anyway.  Yay for Smitty.  Nice to have it official.

They’re on a mission from God.  Or…maybe rather….Wendell.

Our neighbors to the south in Joliet Rosemont have re-signed forwards Darren Haydar and Brett Sterling.

Squirrel-Face is probably waiting by the phone….waiting for them to call him up and tell him he’s not alone.

They were both signed to AHL contracts….these aren’t two-way contracts with Vancouver…these are AHL deals.  Much like the ones that Scott Ford, Jeff Foss, Mark Van Guilder, and Joel Champagne had last year with Milwaukee.

Financials weren’t disclosed….Haydar’s last two-way contract was back in 09-10, when he earned 200k at the AHL level.  Sterling’s two-way contract last year with the Blues paid him 200k at the AHL level.  Figure either of them were offered a couple extra bags to sign AHL deals with the Wolves?

Good work if you can get it, I suppose.

Who is excited to see Brett Sterling another 12 times this year?!?!?  Anybody?  Anyone at all?

If you are like me, then your 4th of July took a strange turn of events this year.

Here I was sitting in the car on way back from visiting our family’s cabin, when hot off the presses, I get a buzz in my email account with the headline Predators G.M. David Poile is going to have media availability. Like anyone in my line of work, seeing something like that means stopping to find out what was going on.

Turns out one of the most bizarre moments in NHL free agency history had just occurred. Fellow American Olympians, Ryan Suter and Zach Parise each signed matching monster contracts to play for the Minnesota Wild. Simply put I was left just about speechless, which it seems Poile just about was. Despite the ownership mess in New Jersey, I thought Parise would resign for the short term and try for one more run. Meanwhile, I was just about sure that Suter was either going to Detroit or staying in Nashville.

So what does this mean for the Nashville Predators as an organization going forward? Losing Suter means a lot of things as it does to a lesser extent losing Francis Bouillon. Every defender within the organization moves up a level or two. Currently I read the depth chart as: Shea Weber, Hal Gill, Kevin Klein, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, and Jonathon Blum. Not a bad group mind you, but its a much thinner corps than in previous years.

That’s a pretty significant career boost for Ellis and Blum, who each played in Milwaukee for part of last season. Notably, Blum is going to have every chance to make Nashville out of training camp this September, when it looked like his career was headed in the wrong direction.

Going forward I would expect Poile and assistant G.M. Paul Fenton to continue shopping for some depth defensemen, because all of sudden Nashville really needs some blue liners who are NHL capable and that’s even if Weber resigns with the Predators.

Interesting days are ahead for sure.

So Roundtable . . . What was your reaction to Suter signing in Minnesota and Bouillon in Montreal? Is Blum ready to hack it in the NHL full time? Are there any depth defensemen available that you would like to see join the organization?

Two days after Scott Ford signed with the Blues, the Predators signed another veteran defenseman who will likely have a leadership position with the Admirals this season.

Please welcome Mike Moore to the organ-eye-zation.  He’s a 27-year-old left handed shot from the blue line, who has spent most of the last four seasons with the Worcester Sharks.  He did play in six games for the San Jose Sharks in the 10-11 season, and then he spent all of last season in the A.  He had been the captain of the team for about 1 and a half years, and was an “A” before that too.

I’ve been reading up on the guy at the website for the Worcester Sharks Booster Club.  Moore sounds like a great guy in the community (AHL man of the year for the Sharks on multiple occasions), good with the season ticket holders (has been voted best defenseman and fan favorite by the booster club….plus he was honored with a bobblehead giveaway), and a guy that’ll go to bat for his teammates.  Judging from the videos on hockeyfights.com, I don’t think he should be considered a heavyweight….(maybe he just needs to stop fighting Michael Haley) but sometimes a guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do…..and sometimes that’s going back after the same guy after your first five minutes are up.

(Editor’s note…..listening to the play-by-play guy in this video should be a reminder to all of us how lucky we are to have Aaron Sims at our microphone…..)

He did miss about a month of last season after leaving a November game with a head injury.  The report from the Worcester Telegram…

Moore’s head hit the glass in the Sharks’ defensive zone, and the impact gave him a headache, which in the new era of concussion awareness is one of those symptoms that teams try to deal with immediately.

How long Moore will be out for is unknown, as is normal for head injuries these days. He said his memory of the play is clear, which is a good sign that perhaps the injury won’t mean too many games on the sideline.

Another hockey player with a high IQ….Moore graduated from Princeton (mechanical and aerospace engineering).  And he played in Worcester with Admiral forward Kevin Henderson too.

If Moore ends up as our captain, I think we’ll be good with that.  Welcome to Milwaukee.

Now, PA announcer Matt Moore is going to have to come up with a fancy way of saying his own last name in the big arena voice.  We’ll check in with Matt later this summer and see how it’s going…

Here are some links if you’d like to know more about Moore.

– A great and very thorough interview from Fear The Fin that touches on a wide array of professional and personal topics…including his time as a volunteer fire fighter, his annual holiday toy drive, his first NHL goal, trying to get a pilot license, and his appearance in EA Sports’ NHL 12.

– Worcester Sharks Booster Club Player Notes Page

– Moore on Hockeyfights.com