Exclusive Interview With John Collins, The Man Who Led Darche To Long Island
John Collins was in charge of leading the search for the club's next general manager.
ELMONT, NY — Following Mathieu Darche’s introductory press conference, we caught up with New York Islanders operating partner John Collins, who was tasked with finding the club’s next general manager.
Here’s a little more information on Collins’ background.
Collins became the Islanders’ operating partner in June of 2023, overseeing the team’s business operations. Before joining the Islanders, Collins served as the COO for the NHL. He’s held senior executive roles at the NFL, also serving as president of the Cleveland Browns.
He is the CEO of On Location Experiences, a leading experiential hospitality business affiliated with the NFL, and sits on the board of Super Group, the parent company of Betway and Spin.
Let’s get to the interview.
Stefen Rosner: What was the hiring process like, especially with this being your first GM search?
John Collins: “I thought it was different. I've done a lot of CEO or senior management searches, but this one was different. It was fun because it gave me a chance to renew a lot of relationships that I had in the league from my nine years at the NHL. I used to go to the GM meetings. I didn't say anything then either, but I had a lot of relationships. I knew a little bit about some of the guys. I knew Mathieu because, even though we hadn't really ever worked together on anything, he was with the Players Association on the CBA negotiating committee, and obviously, I was at the league, so I knew the name. He had been in a couple of meetings, but we didn't really have any interactions. So I think that was it. I think the thing that was most rewarding was really just how it gave us the opportunity to rethink the organization and how we want to work together. And how do we do it, not in sort of an ego-driven way. What do we want to do from a hockey standpoint? What do we want to do from a business standpoint? What do we want to do from a community standpoint, and then how do we put it all together? Right? It’s always kind of been in the silos, which is definitely not the way to take advantage of what you have.”
Rosner: You mentioned Darche’s business acumen. He obviously has that background, working for Delmar as the VP of Sales and Marketing after his NHL career. Are you going to pick his brain or vice versa when it comes to business decisions for the organization?
Collins: “Absolutely. It starts like, ‘Hey, here's what we like to do,’ and then it's Mathieu saying, ‘Well, I got a better idea,’ or that sounds great, or we can't do that, or I got to talk to the coach. It should be fluid, right? It should go both ways. It was his idea to call season ticket members. It was his idea to call Delmar and say, ‘Hey, man, I know you're a sponsor, but like, I'm here now], you know? He’s already got those chops, but he's here to lead the hockey organization. Everybody loves him today, but now he's on the clock, so we don't want to distract him from what he really needs to do.”
Rosner: You saw a litany of candidates. You had experienced candidates with a lot of managerial experience at the NHL level, and then you had Mathieu, who was very, very different. What was the, I guess, the single greatest asset he brought to the table that made you say, “Yeah, this is our guy”?
Collins: “With any first-time person, and by the way, there's been a lot of success, not just in the NHL, but across sports with first-time GMs, if they're ready. So, it was really just the projection as to how he could handle this. It’s a big management job. Could he handle it? That was where we took a lot of stock in the scope of responsibilities that he had working for Julien (Brisebois) because he wasn't in a lane like ‘I'm only doing player negotiation, the salary cap. I'm only managing the AHL team. I'm only doing player development.’ He kind of saw everything that Julien did. Obviously, Julien was the guy, is the guy, but he was very generous in terms of the way he prepared him. That was the other thing, too. People were like ‘well, why is he interviewing for all these GMs?’ I talked to Julien. Julien is like, ‘Hey, look, you know what? He's great. He's done exactly what I asked him to do. I don't really want him to leave, but he's going to get a job’ and so that’s what it is.”
Collins continued: “By the way, Mathieu’s the first limb from Julien's tree, right? Like all those guys talk about their tree, right? Ultimately, we want to be an organization that is world-class in every aspect, so I don't know if I'll be here, but the next succession should be a succession, right? Ideally, we wouldn’t be going outside the organization, and that would be true whether it's him or the CFO or the leader of hockey, or the coach. Why wouldn't you want to stay inside your organization? It's like players like you know what your players are and aren’t. So, you can pine around that. So, I think that's the culture I’m trying to build.”
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Boqvist RHD signing at around minimum is a great deal. Hopefully he plays well in a bottom pairing. As a seventh defenseman he has the versatility to play forward also. Huge roster benefits from that ability he brings. He knows he is going to get a chance to prove himself with the Islanders. The signing is a win either way. Palms at 4.75x2????Yes, the wings are a mess and obviously Patrick loves him. This means one of two things, Mitch Marner is not coming to the Island. Or there are some major trades pending. It will be interesting to see what happens. Oh just found out Lou inked these before not getting renewed. If Palms is vintage Palms okay. Darche most likely would have passed on Palms and signed Boqvist. On the way out Lou made it a touch harder for Darche lol! Obviously we have to move on from Lee JG Palms Mayfield in the next year and a half.
Collins is no joke! He got it right. Darche was the right match for Patrick also!