Chapter 1: What led Ryan Johnson to become the general manager of the Vancouver Canucks?
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as we broadcast live from the Kintec studio and keep your thoughts coming into our Dunbar Lumber text inbox, 650-650. We'll hit more of your questions and comments coming up in the next hour of the show, because it's time now to go back to the AbleAxis hotline and welcome in the new general manager of the Vancouver Canucks. It's Ryan Johnson, the 13th GM of the team.
And Ryan, thanks for making some time for us. Congratulations on getting the position. And how surreal does it feel that after you joined the organization 13 years ago in a small advisory role working through a lot of different regimes, and now you've found yourself in the GM spot. How do you feel about it all coming together like this?
Yeah, it's been, I think I said in the press conference, it's been really an organic experience.
Chapter 2: How has Ryan Johnson's journey shaped his leadership style?
Going from just sitting in on every meeting, listening and watching and observing and all these incredible people that i got to be around and pick their brains and um take little bits of you know what they brought to the table what people liked about them so it's just been been a real process and surreal so it kind of still hasn't uh fully set in but uh just really excited and honored
I know you expressed a lot of gratitude and thanks to those that were part of the process and also helping you through the AHL time as well. I'm curious, what did you learn through the process as well, as much as you were trying to pitch yourself, but were there things that you discovered that maybe you didn't know either about yourself, but also about the organization?
Well, yeah, I think every experience I had was I was molding who I wanted to be as, as a leader. And, and it, it, it took some time to sort through what I felt worked, what I felt didn't work.
What, what I, again, what I saw in, in players and staff members and trying to, how, how would I form something that's sustainable and, and that promotes people getting better and improving and not just players, but staff. So it, Every step along the way, I've learned. I've always said I've tried to sometimes just shut up and listen.
Sometimes you can really learn a lot about a lot of things if you're just attentive and observe. I'm definitely not the loudest guy in the room.
Well, and I think being in that type of situation, because oftentimes what people will point to when we're being, maybe being a little cynical or critical of being about, well, this person has been part of this organization for a long time and it hasn't gone the way people had hoped. What's the reason to believe that it will be different this time around?
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Chapter 3: What non-negotiables does Ryan Johnson want to instill in the Canucks culture?
But to your point about sitting and observing, It doesn't mean that you always agree with how things are done, or it doesn't mean that you may have different ideas about how to do different things. When you go through that observation standpoint, and of course, you're a good teammate, you always support management, and you're on the same page, like I think Daniel mentioned.
Once this meeting ends, we're going to move forward in unison, even if we may have differing opinions in the room when we're deliberating these situations. But how much do you learn from what to do and what not to do when you go through that process of observing and really taking things in over that time?
Well, I've been through, I guess you could say, kind of three regimes, right? And so many good people and so many good leaders. And yeah, anytime somebody moved on, you felt it never feels good. And that's where I tried to learn, okay, why? Or what could you have done differently? What could you have surrounded yourself with something different? Or it's all...
it's all been just banking in, in, in my mind. And, and again, trying to take the play to and kind of form what I wanted to be along the way. And I think, you know, it was getting to the point in the American league where I, I felt I had something that was working and that, that I started to trust it and the people around me started to trust it.
Chapter 4: How does Ryan Johnson view the importance of a positive team environment?
And that's hoping what I can implement here.
Obviously you want to implement your own vision, but I'm curious, like who are the influences along the way that helped form the vision that you're trying to implement now?
Oh, geez. I mean, for me to start listing individuals, I mean, we might be here all day, so I won't. And you're going to anger anybody who would leave off, you can't leave anybody off the list.
You'll hear about it too, right?
Well, if I do and my phone is going to start buzzing and I know I've pissed off somebody. So I'll just say, I mean, you guys know the regimes and the people and Like I said, you learn from people doing some things really well. You learn from people that made a mistake, and you just bank it, and you learn. And that's one thing.
It's a skill that I've really appreciated is listening to people that you think highly of, you care about, or you admire. That's one thing I've tried to do a lot of.
Well, you've obviously worked closely with the Sedins as well, because they spent a lot of time in Abbey helping with development and developmental side of things. And you guys had a relationship going back to your playing days, you've known them for a long time.
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Chapter 5: What influences have shaped Ryan Johnson's vision for the team?
But in terms of that professional relationship that we're now seeing grow into this triumvirate, right? They're the presidents, you're the general manager. How did that grow in terms of that trust? And you guys get into the point where you're the top leaders in the organization. Could you kind of see that coming in terms of your relationship the past few years when you've worked together?
Well, I don't know if I could see this coming. I just knew there was a real respect to how we felt people should be treated. I think they really enjoyed the environment that was built there in Abbotsford. I could see it in the smiles on their faces when they got out there and how we operated.
So did I ever think or did we ever sit and have a beer and go like, hey, one day, you know, you guys be... No, not even... But... I think we want to do good work. We have mutual, I think, values, and we really care about the organization.
I mean, the three of us, along with some other real great team, I mean, we bled together in this arena trying to win a Stanley Cup, and here we are years again willing to do it again.
My big takeaway from the presser with the three of you was talking about the culture and the environment. And you just mentioned the word there, values.
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Chapter 6: How has Ryan Johnson built trust with the Sedins in his new role?
And I think you used the term non-negotiables as well in the presser. And you detailed like, hey, the environment starts today. As much as this day one on the job, you want to build that environment now.
Can you detail kind of like what are those non-negotiables you are, is it a slogan or like what values are you specifically looking for immediately on day one that you want to instill in being a Vancouver Canuck?
No, and I think somebody had a question about, like, is it softness? No, it's the environment. There's so much intent to the environment that I'll create in the sense of the professionalism, the having a plan to every day. And this isn't just players. This is all of us. I mean, all of us fall into this. It's so much on focus of the process, the practice. I always say,
I put so much value on how you walk into the facility at 8 a.m. as opposed to 7 o'clock at puck drop. Those are two complete different things, but that falls into, again, that professionalism and how you're approaching the day.
Chapter 7: What strategies will Ryan Johnson use to evaluate player performance?
When I say quality teammate, people don't tend to go, okay, what, you just be a bunch of nice guys? It's actually the opposite. It's the responsibility to... uh, to compete and to push each other. Like we have to, to be a winning team, you have to win practice and that's hard.
Uh, and it's, it's competitive, but, and again, I, I come back to room awareness and, uh, being cognizant of your teammates of how are they doing? How are they off the ice? What's their emotion? You know, I always say there's internal and external, uh, the internals are, well, I had one-on-one last night. I'm good.
Uh, the external is a, I was minus two last night and I wasn't very good, but look at, look at my teammate over there with his head in his hands. Maybe I could go spend a moment with him and maybe we both get out of this. And that's, those are things that players that have played the people that aren't willing to commit to it or decide to do it. They stick out like sore thumbs.
Chapter 8: How does Ryan Johnson plan to navigate potential changes in the front office?
Uh, and it'd be, makes my job easier of, who's helping this cause and who's hurting it.
When I hear that talk about like the environment you guys want to create amongst the three of you, and I guess there was some talk like the idea of like empowering each other, right? Ownership empowering Daniel and Henrik and them empowering you, you know, in your guys' discussions of how this is all going to work out, like who gets to make the final decision on roster related ideas?
Well, at the end of the day, I'll exhaust whether it's, you know, call up, sending somebody down, trade. You know, those are all things that I will present to Daniel and Henrik. And at the end of the day, it's something that they're going to have to agree with or feel that aligns with what we're doing. So it's very simple. But as far as
The day-to-day and dealing with players or the agents and all that type of thing, that's stuff that I'll be doing. But any decision will go into their hands to make sure that we are aligned. And more importantly, that we're staying to the vision of what we want to build.
I liked how you answered the question about how sometimes empathy can be viewed differently in terms of how somebody approaches their job. And I think oftentimes people confuse toughness with being rude or being a jerk, and it doesn't always have to align that way. You can be tough without crossing lines. But obviously when you get into this position,
you do have to make a lot of tough decisions and you are dealing and working with people that you've been colleagues with, you work closely with, and you might have to make some tough calls on that. How are you going to go about navigating that potential changes in the front office, potential changes within the organization, bringing new people in and, and making those tough calls?
Uh, people, people are well aware of how important it is for me to, to treat people that I am empathetic, but, but I have a responsibility to, um, to improve the organization at any opportunity I have. I mean, there are a lot of players that have dealt with it.
Yeah, they'll tell me he's caring, he's empathetic, but he has blown the doors off me plenty of times because he expected more from me or he knew I was making some decisions that were hurting my career. And there's always going to be some tough decisions. And I think even when it comes to those points,
uh, now down the road that people will understand, um, that I'm making them because I feel like the best interest of the Vancouver Canucks.
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