I have worked in and around the NHL for nearly 40 years — two NHL teams, the NHL and its top corporate partner (HNIC) for a long, long time. I have been in the presence of owners in social settings, around boardroom tables and in quiet one on one environments.
So when I was asked to sit down with Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz, I jumped at the opportunity. I have been around men of the same status but the very private Katz has rarely, if ever, given interviews. His privacy, almost reclusive by nature, has created an aura or mystery about the man. Mystery that projects myths.
Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect.
Watch: John Shannon’s 1-on-1 with Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz during Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey on Sportsnet
I had been in Katz’s company more than half a dozen times but never introduced. That is when assumptions of a very private person…no, a very protected person…get blown out of proportion. They become bigger than life and stories get told, that quite frankly, take on a life of their own. Perhaps, like many, when I don’t know what to expect, my imagination runs wild. How eccentric? How demanding? What makes a billionaire tick? Will he be willing to be frank about his team? The new project? His friends?
We were told we’d get 25 minutes to talk with Katz. The interview turned into almost an hour of trying to get inside the head of someone who did something that every hockey fan could only dream about: He bought the team he loved as a teenager.
He called his ownership of the team “very personal” and paid a great deal of respect to a rabid, and hockey-smart fan base who have endured every game, win or lose. He admitted that some called him crazy to design a project as vast and expensive as the Ice District in Edmonton. But that actually drove him to be even more successful.
He also believes he’s still “the No. 1 fan” of his beloved Oilers and smiles when he talks about watching Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Kevin Lowe and others win those Stanley Cups. How many of us get to befriend the star athletes of our youth?
Well, from the first moment Katz and I met, I felt at home. There was no “air” but rather a healthy handshake and a brighter smile. From the outset, there was a directness, an honesty, that was endearing. He said he wasn’t use to having cameras around, and really wasn’t sure he should be doing an interview. But he knew this was the right time.
His team, his project and his hometown were days from the opening of the best arena in hockey. Rogers Place is a state of the art facility that hopes to spark a re-birth in downtown Edmonton. And how involved was Katz? Almost everything.
He wanted the arena in the shape of an oil drop, chose the exterior textures of stainless steel, the glass and the tone on tone colours of the concourses, as well as the upholstery in the suites, and the uniforms for the game day staff.
He admitted that in the eight-to-10 year struggle to have the new arena built, he wondered if it would ever get built. He was also quick to give credit to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman for mediating between the city and the Katz Group, and getting the project back on the rails. His knowledge of the game was much greater than anticipated. His understanding of his team, its needs, and the foundation that Lowe, Bob Nicholson and Peter Chiarelli have created finally has the team going in the right direction.
Was he engaged? Totally. Was it enjoyable to be in his company? Yes, beyond expectation.
There is no doubt the Oilers hold a special place in the business world of a man than owns multiple companies. The two-part interview debuts Wednesday night and gives insight to man driven to success. A man who loves challenges yet is very private but proud of his city and the face-changing project he created.
Beneath it all is a regular man who still believes in the game and is loyal to its fans and its greatest players.
