Q+A: New OHL commissioner Bryan Crawford on his debut season, so far

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New Ontario Hockey League commissioner Bryan Crawford was in London for the Knights’ season opener and the raising of the league championship banner over the weekend and plans to visit all 20 markets in the next three months. The 42-year-old former Canadian Football League player talked to LFP sportswriter Ryan Pyette during his London visit.

LFP: What have you already learned about the Knights and the Hunters?

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Crawford: “They’ve invested in their success and their people. That’s the most important thing – that you invest in the right people and that you’re constantly working at it to be better. You’ve got to show up with a plan and strategy, then execute it. They are a best-in-class organization in our league and worked very hard at that. (GM Mark Hunter) told me a great story about what he had learned going to other places, like the Quebec conference, and seeing things there and bringing them here. That’s what our league is going to strive to be with more collaboration, share best practices and ensure we’re building our businesses together. We might be competitors on the ice but off it, we need to make sure we’re supporting each other and raising up the business of the entire league.”

LFP: You’ve worked in football, golf, basketball and university sport. Why junior hockey now?

Crawford: “I’ve never been necessarily concerned with the type of the playing surface or equipment. It’s about what sports means to young athletes and people of all ages and what it can do for them. What was attractive to me in the OHL was how important of a league it is to so many communities. It galvanizes that community and speaks to that shared experience of the people that live there. Our mission is to develop young people. Developing NHLers, national team players, U Sports players, that’s all a by-product of developing young people and that’s pretty exciting. We’re in the business of developing people but at the same time, we’re selling a sport entertainment product and we need to make sure that’s an experience people want to be involved with and come back to year-in, year-out.”

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LFP: Where are you at with hiring a director of player safety?

Crawford: “We’ve gone through the search process and received all the applications. We had an outstanding response. We did a very public search and have our short-list. We’re going to start our interviews (imminently) and work our way through that and have a person who will be in place this fall, along with a number of other roles we’ll be looking to fill in the weeks and coming months. Discipline is being overseen the same way it was a year ago. That will be something that transitions into the director of player safety, who will continue to oversee day-to-day discipline and the building out of our discipline charts and processes that are consistent and transparent. Bigger issues as they relate to the league as a whole and our brand, integrity will always come through my office, of course. That day-to-day on-ice will rest with the department of player safety and the team will support working through those issues.”

LFP: Brampton is the No. 1-ranked team in the CHL right now, but the Steelheads had a league-low 2,277 for the city’s first major junior home game in 11 years. Is the Greater Toronto Area still a priority?

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Crawford: “It’s the biggest market in the country and one of the largest in North America. It’s a massive hockey market with tons of junior hockey fans and young hockey players and people who engage with our sport. Of course, we have to be in that community. The fans who live in the GTA are supporting teams around the province but also can engage with our product in their community. Brampton is a very different market than when we were last there. It has grown and expanded. The ownership group with Elliott Kerr’s team is a different one with different strategies and having a team that is quite good is part of bringing people in. You need a product people want to be a part of and then you make the game-day experience one that draws them back every game. We can utilize our strong markets like Oshawa to figure out how to capitalize in the area. Brantford’s first year (in 2023-24) was an amazing experience in establishing a brand new market that a few years ago people probably wouldn’t have expected. They weren’t even on the radar.”

LFP: There are fewer American players in the OHL than even a decade ago. How do you get them back while navigating the NCAA’s changing landscape of player sponsorship opportunity and possible eligibility of major junior players?

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Crawford: “We want to be the best development league in the world, of course, for Canadians but also players around the world. We want to attract Americans and international players. Our American franchises are some of the strongest across the board and Saginaw is a great example of what’s possible. We want to be the destination of choice for the best players and that includes the top Americans. We need to look into and consider and build out how we do that. Bottom line, are there opportunities for us to ensure we continue to be the best development league in the world? We are establishing a committee that’s going to review and propose minimum standards for the player experience. We’ll certainly work with the communities to improve the quality of the buildings we play in, which is such an important part. We’ve got a number going through renovations and a number of new buildings that will start construction in the coming years. We want to build from a tradition of establishing league-wide excellences.”

rpyette@postmedia.com

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