COLUMBUS, Ohio — Bob Buczek stood on the main concourse of Nationwide Arena with his 21-year-old son, Noah, on Saturday when he spotted a familiar face walking in his direction. It was Columbus Blue Jackets president and general manager Don Waddell.
After stopping to chat briefly with two fans just a few feet away, Waddell turned his attention to the Buczeks, first with a handshake and then a short but powerful conversation. Three days later, Buczek was still excited by the interaction, which took place during the second intermission of a game against Minnesota.
“I’m a Knicks fan,” Bob Buczek said. “I’m a Giants fan. I’m a Mets fan. Those GMs are untouchable.
“They’re not walking in the crowd, shaking hands and talking with fans. That just doesn’t happen. I can’t tell you how cool he was, either. Just really down-to-earth.”
Waddell, 66, was hired to run the Blue Jackets in May, and it’s already clear he plans on running the organization differently than his predecessors. Doug MacLean, Scott Howson and Jarmo Kekäläinen were always willing to stop and chat with fans who recognized them.
But Waddell goes a step further.
Rather than remain in his press-level booth during the first and second intermissions of Blue Jackets’ home games, Waddell instead roams the main and upper concourses, as well as the suite and club levels, meeting fans and stopping to chat if they’re so inclined.
“What else am I going to do between periods?” Waddell joked with The Athletic.
It’s nothing new, Waddell said. He started doing his intermission walks in 1999 when he was GM of the expansion Atlanta Thrashers and continued when he joined the Carolina Hurricanes in 2014, first as club president and later as GM.
So far, he’s been spotted during each intermission of the Blue Jackets’ three home games this season. The only time he doesn’t walk among the masses, he said, is when there is a pressing need within the club, like a pending trade, a serious injury, etc.
Waddell often ends the conversation by sharing his email address, he said, and many fans — probably 150 or so already in Columbus — have taken him up on his offer to stay in touch or share their questions or concerns about the club.
He’s an early riser, usually awake at approximately 5 a.m. each day. And his first task is to “clean out” his inbox, saying he “responds to every email.”
“I enjoy meeting the people,” Waddell said. “They’re so invested in the Blue Jackets. I’ve met so many people who are season-ticket holders from Day 1, and you go back and see how much money they’ve spent through the years, the passion they have … we want them to feel a part of it.
“We’re all in this together. Everybody plays a part. The players play on the ice, the staff has to do their jobs, and the fans … if they don’t come, the puzzle can’t ever be completed. They’re the ones who pay our salaries. If they stop coming, we’re in trouble.”
Sahil Shah, who came up through the NHL’s learn-to-skate program and later played at Olentangy Orange High School in the Columbus suburbs, said he’s seen Waddell on Blue Jackets fans’ social media posts, including one of him relaxing at the world-famous R Bar Arena bar near Nationwide.
But Shah never expected to bump into Waddell on the main concourse during the second period of Tuesday’s 6-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Sahil and his brother, Eshan, chatted briefly with Waddell, then posed for him with a selfie.
“I told him I really appreciated the way they handled the tribute to Johnny Gaudreau (in the first home game of the season), and I told him I was excited for the season,” Sahil Shah said. “He thanked me and then he said something that stuck with me.
“He said, ‘We may not be the most skilled team in the league this season, but we don’t ever want to be outworked. That’s something we can control.’”
For Shah, the founder and CEO of a software company that has a 65-person staff and customers in 50 different countries, the interaction struck him on another level, too.
“Lots of companies stress that everybody is part of the team,” Shah said. “But for him, what’s really cool is he’s not taking that to mean only the internal team, but the whole fan base, too. He really wants to know what fans are thinking and what they want, and that’s what we want from our leaders.
“They’re going to make the decisions they make, sure, but at least listen to the fans and take some of what they say into account. That’s what a good business does.”
As chief financial officer at Double Eagle Club, the exclusive golf course owned by Blue Jackets majority owner John P. McConnell, Rick Mellen had already met Waddell a few times. But he was pleasantly surprised to do so on Tuesday with his wife, Kris.
“I sure didn’t expect to see him on the main concourse, first intermission,” Rick said with a chuckle. “You don’t really see that a lot. Usually (sports executives) are up in the box, so I was surprised to see him. It’s great that he has the vision to go out and talk to the people.
“From the first time I met him, he was interested in my thoughts, my views on the Blue Jackets, and the culture within the McConnell (businesses).”
Waddell was slightly uncomfortable with The Athletic joining him on his two strolls on Tuesday. He does it to meet fans and let them know they matter, he said. And he does it to stay in touch with what fans are thinking about the club.
It’s a real live Yelp review. It’s the internet comment section come to life. Waddell talked with so many fans during Tuesday’s second intermission stroll that he actually missed the first few minutes of the third period.
So far, the interactions have all been positive, Waddell said. The Blue Jackets are 3-3-0 heading into Saturday’s game in Nashville, but they’ve played with noticeably more pace and passion than seen for at least the past two seasons.
“I think they’ve seen a different approach and felt a different atmosphere around the players,” Waddell said. “Obviously, (coach Dean Evason) has done a great job of building expectations within the players. I tell the fans, we’re not going to win every night, but we’re going to give you a product you can be proud of.
“The people who spend the money to come to games, and take three or four hours out of their day … this is the least that I can do. But I really enjoy it, too.”
Buczek said he and Waddell had a three-to-five minute conversation, and it struck him how matter-of-fact Waddell became as they parted ways.
“He was very forthright,” Buczek said. “He said, ‘Bob, we’re going to get this turned around. It might take some time, but we’re going to get it turned around. We will get this fixed. We will.’
“And you know what? I believe him.”
(Top photo of Don Waddell with Sahil Shah, left, and Eshan Shah, right: Aaron Portzline / The Athletic)
