Ryan Crelin, ECHL Commissioner – Work In Sports Podcast - a podcast by Brian Clapp - Work in Sports

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast.If you’ve ever heard me talk before about networking, you know that I believe there are 5 types of people you need in your network. One of those people I call the connector. They are the person who knows everyone and loves to connect the dots between who they know. This is a special attribute within some people. They are naturals at getting to know people and then figuring out ways their connections should get to know each other.  For me, connectors are an extremely valuable part of my network. I need them. When i have my sights set on a guest for this show, the first thing I seek is… which of my connector friends may know them. A little over a month ago, I read a story on Ryan Creelin, commissioner of the ECHL. The story explained how he was an intern at the ECHL, and over 17 years worked himself up to eventually become the commissioner. That kind of story gives me tingles. Seriously -- isn’t that all of our dream? Get an internship at a great organization, then get hired, then advance, then become the boss. It sounds like something out of a cheesy movie on Lifetime, but this is real life. I had to land Ryan as a guest. My first guess was… Bill Guertin. Bill is a former guest on the podcast, he’s a sales trainer, one of the best in the business...and he is the very definition of a connector.I knew Bill did a lot of sales training with minor league hockey teams and leagues… so the chance he would know Ryan was solid. So I reached out. Within 30 minutes, Bill was connecting Ryan and I for today’s interview.Networking is more than just knowing the right people to help you get a job. It’s having advisors who can help you through tough decisions, connectors who can introduce you to the right people, insiders who know what’s happening in the industry at all times, idealists who see the potential in everything, and realists who keep you grounded when you need to be.Today's guest Ryan Crelin as I mentioned is the commissioner of the ECHL, a minor league hockey league with 26 teams spread across the US and Canada -- the teams roughly equate to a Double-A baseball team. A minor league feeder system for the NHL. As a reminder -- this interview was conducted before Coronavirus became a thing when their league was in operation and games were being played… so there is no mention of their suspended season or how it will affect them moving forward… but there is a ton of knowledge personally about Ryan advancing through the organization to become commissioner, and on how a minor league can survive on the sports scene…Questions for Ryan Crelin, ECHL Commissioner1: There something I really love about your resume. You graduated from Seton Hall in 2006, been working at the ECHL since 2005. There something really endearing about that.I talk to people who jump all over the place during their career- heck I’m one of those people – why has it been important for you to get into the ECHL and stay there?2: To start as an intern and develop into the league commissioner almost sounds like a lifetime movie script, a feel-good story, that seems somewhat farcical – but you are very real.What was your mentality and approach when you first started out in the ECHL – did you envision this?3: Give us a little bit of insight into your path – we know you were an intern, and we know you are now commissioner – but what specific skills did you refine, and roles did you take on, during your ascension?4: When you look around now, at the teams in your league, at your league offices – are you looking for people, like you, that have that extra drive and focus?

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