2012-13 Media Guide - NHL.com

Goddard came to San Jose from Minnesota, where he completed a 23-year term of service at the Met Center,finishing as vice president of Met Center Operations. While at the Met Center, Goddard was involved in all aspects of themanagement and operation of the facility, working with promoters, tenants, concessionaires and suppliers to ensure aconsistent level of superior service was enjoyed by everyone involved with the building.Goddard attended the University of MinnesotaFRONT OFFICEMICHAEL T. LEHREXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTMichael Lehr enters his 12th season in the San Jose Sharks organization and histhird as executive vice president of business development for Sharks Sports& Entertainment (SSE). He also serves as the Worcester Sharks Governor to theMAmerican Hockey League Board of Governors. From 2001 thru 2011, Lehr oversaw SharksMinor Holdings, LLC as president and chief operating officer for the Worcester Sharks andCleveland Barons, the Sharks top affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).Lehr currently is responsible for various parts of SSE operations including the SAP Open ATP men’s tennis event(San Jose), and the men’s ATP World Tour event and the WTA international women’s tournament in Memphis, TN – aswell as the Racquet Club of Memphis (a 188,000 square foot, full-service racquet, swim and fitness club. The club alsofeatures an elegant restaurant and bar, as well as extensive banquet facilities) and the exploration of new opportunitiesin domestic and international properties. Lehr also oversees Sharks Merchandise, assists in identifying and negotiatingspecial events for HP Pavilion, and is responsible for developing new business ventures that fit within SSE’s corebusiness philosophy.In addition to the above, SSE operates the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks, the management of HPPavilion at San Jose and select HP Pavilion events.SSE also manages all or parts of several ice facilities in the Bay Area, including Sharks Ice at San Jose (the San JoseSharks official training facility), Sharks Ice at Fremont and Oakland Ice Center operated by Sharks Ice\Thru his involvement in the Sharks merchandising division, Lehr has helped drive sales to impressive numbers,consistently near the top of the NHL. As a member of Senior Management he plays an intricate role in the structure andshape of the organization working with the other executives and ownership in running the organization day to day. Inaddition he co-chaired a major project of converting all the SSE properties to a one-platform software – SAP Businessby Design.Over the past six seasons, Lehr has guided the Worcester Sharks to become one of the top regarded franchises inthe AHL. Along with current Worcester President Michael Mudd, Lehr was instrumental in developing and producing theWorcester bid to the AHL Board of Governors in order to secure the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic for the city of Worcester,the first time in 50 years the AHL All-Star Classic was held in Massachusetts. The 2009 AHL All-Star Classic was atremendous success, with all four events filled to capacity and showcased the city of Worcester to host such an event.As the San Jose Sharks primary player development affiliate, the team in Worcester has consistently helped moldand prepare the organization’s prospects for the jump to the National Hockey League. The organizations commitmentby players, coaches and staff to the community was Lehr’s a top objective in moving the franchise to Worcester, whichis now truly “Sharks Territory”. Lehr also handles all contract negotiations with the City of Worcester and is the liaisonbetween the city and the Sharks.Before joining SSE, he served as managing partner and co-founder of Power Plant Studios, a full-service marketing,management and communications group whose clients included Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr.Lehr successfully worked in Major League Baseball and for several regional sports networks. He served as theregional director of programming and network operations for SportsChannel Ohio in Cleveland and Cincinnati from 1991-93. Under his direction, SportsChannel captured its first local Emmy Award for “Outstanding Sports Coverage” of IndiansBaseball. He also spent time in management roles with Prime Cable of Chicago and Westinghouse Broadcasting, Inc.In 1993, Lehr became director of broadcasting and entertainment for the Cleveland Indians. During his tenure withthe Indians, he oversaw the creation of the Indians Radio Network, negotiated broadcasting contracts and successfullyengineered the formation of ballpark entertainment at Jacobs Field.In 1996, he joined the Baltimore Orioles as vice president of marketing, sales and broadcasting. While with theOrioles, Lehr was responsible for overseeing many facets of the organization including marketing, broadcasting,advertising, corporate partnerships, luxury suite sales, retail operations, on-line ventures, ballpark entertainment,publishing, fantasy camps, spring training operations, promotions and ticket sales. Under his leadership, the Oriolesmore than doubled their corporate sponsorship and broadcasting revenues while setting a franchise high in ticket sales.He was a member of both the marketing and advertising committees for Major League Baseball.Lehr’s commitment to the community has followed him in each city he has lived. He has been active for such charitygroups as Big & Little Brothers, Cleveland Indians Charities, Orioles Foundation, American Lung Association, Grant-A-Wish, American Cancer Society, YMCA, Special Olympics, Cleveland Sports Commission, the Worcester Chamber ofCommerce, the San Jose Chamber of Commerce and several other youth sports organizations.A native of Chicago, Lehr earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and political science from the University ofWisconsin-Madison.12 2012-13 SAN JOSE SHARKS ORGANIZATION GUIDESAN JOSE SHARKS