PRESIDENT DEY STEPS DOWN AS FULLTIME EXEC
Returning to Hawaii, but will stay active with the NYI
9:45 am: Effective at the end of this season, Islanders president Chris Dey will no longer be with the team on a fulltime basis. Dey, who has lived in Hawaii for most of his adult life, is returning home to be with his wife and children and to run his many local businesses.
The team has yet to make a formal announcement, and possibly never will. Dey’s step down has no effect on the on-ice product, and is also not a surprise. Since his arrival in 2007, because of his roots in Hawaii his tenure was never expected to be fulltime long-term. (He made the cross-country flight regularly). There is no word from the Islanders if he will relinquish the title in the team directory. Dey is expected to still have an active role with the team, including stewardship of the Islanders Children’s Foundation.
With Dey’s departure as a fulltime leader, veteran Islanders and Charles B. Wang executives will manager specific departments. Senior VP and longtime Wang friend and colleague Paul Lancey, who directed the PR and marketing for the Lighthouse Development Corporation, is now running ticket sales. Bridgeport Sound Tigers president Howard Saffan, who took a more active role with the NHL club this season, oversees administration.
Art McCarthy, the CFO of the franchise for more than 20 years and an alternate governor, is in charge of all matters related to finance. Ralph Sellitti, an Islanders employee since the early days of the franchise, manages ticket distribution. Tim Beach runs the operations department, which figures to be an even more time-consuming task now that the Islanders operate the arena. General manager Garth Snow is in charge of hockey operations. Wang, a very hands-on owner, has essentially always been the team president and has final say on all hockey and non-hockey decisions.
Dey, Wang’s son-in-law, is well-regarded by many fans for his personal touch. This blog has received emails from readers about acts of kindness by the out-going president. For example, several fans who wrote to complain about the signal of the team’s radio network received complimentary satellite radios from Dey.
Although Chris and I often disagreed - almost all the time very respectfully! - when I worked with him, I can assure you this: there’s no way he was the mastermind of the fan-unfriendly decision to hit season ticketholders with an April 1 deadline before interest changes kicked in. Not his style.
On a personal note, it was Dey who conceived the idea of having this former employee write about the Islanders on a fulltime basis last season to fill the team’s press coverage void. That door-opener helped me get started in my chosen career as a sportswriter. I thank Chris for being the founder of Islanders Point Blank and wish he and his family the best in the future.
This is a one-comment-per-reader thread. More later.
72 Responses to “PRESIDENT DEY STEPS DOWN AS FULLTIME EXEC
Returning to Hawaii, but will stay active with the NYI”
Please Wait
First Good move
Good luck Chris! Thanks for all the success! No, wait … well, thanks for being there.
there seems to be a lot of negativity toward this man. But in all honesty, does anyone really know what he did/didn’t do. Most of his work took place behind closed doors. The work that he has done that is public, all seems very positive. Just wondering where the bad reviews of this guy is coming from.
Let’s not kick him in the butt as he walks out the door. Best of luck to Dey in his life.
Best of luck to Chris in all his future endeavors. Great story about him helping some fans with satellite radios.
I smell a job opening for DP….
CB- I believe you meant 9:45am
Hmmm . . . still an “active” employee of the NY Islanders, and living full-time in Hawaii. I think Chris Dey now has my dream job.
Charles in Charge! So, what else is new?
First class gentleman and a really nice guy. I’ll miss him.
Does this mean we get a better radio deal next year and hire a good play by play person to work with Chris King. How about a better radio station.
Wish him the best. He was so approachable and certainly helped me with issues I was having. This is a step back for the organization from a customer service point of view for sure.
Chris, Do you think is is the first of many moves in the ISLES front office and could this be a signal that the lighthouse project is on life support? Or is this just over analyzing one simple move?
When IPB might have been on the fritz before the beginning of this season I wrote Dey and he responded the next day with a personal response.
Have to say the entire Islanders organization seems to be a pretty reachable bunch.
Good luck Mr Dey.
Does this mean we will get our Goal Song back? I miss Rock N Roll Part 2.
Great decision and all the best of luck!
Best of luck to Dey and his family. And thanks to him this blog got extended and CB got to prove his worth in the hockey world. There is no other place like IPB and I hope to be reading and posting on IPB for many years.
Wish him the best. While there are things that happened on his watch with this team that i do not agree with, there is no way you can be down on a man who paved the way for IPB. Good Luck Chris.
I have spoken to Chris Dey on a few occasions and found him to be engaging and willing to listen. I just hope this is simply a family thing as opposed to a deep dis-agreement on how to run the franchise going forward. As for Art McCarthy, he is another class individual who I have not only spoke to but who has invited me to talk in his Plainview office. He cares deeply about this franchise and seems to know his stuff.
Mr. Dey will be missed as I found him to be a fan advocate. Good luck to him and his family.
good riddance. youre over the top ideas have left this team in a financial mess. being nice isnt everything. im a nice guy too, but that doesn’t mean i should run a team if i dont truly understand how one operates.
good move for the islanders
I’d like to make Dey the scapegoat, as I have done in the past. Unfortunatly, I think it’s Charles Wang who is responsible for most of the boneheaded decisions that have sent a lot of the fan base packing. Just makes me scratch my head and wonder… What’s staggering is the realization of how many season ticket holders may not renew their packages this offseason.
Tim F #7 ….No kidding…marry a billionaires daughter, live in Hawaii and run the Islanders from there. It can’t get any better. Best of luck to him, although he seems to already have enough luck for all of us.
chris dey may have been a real nice guy but I really dont think he’s the best man for the job. can we find a highly regarded islanders alum to take the post? lets do it the right way this time!
I have met with Chris and this is defintiely a loss for the organization.
But more importantly, the fact that Paul Lancey is now working for the team is downright scary to me. Yes, it could be because there is nothing to do for the LP right now but sit around and wait. But it could also mean that the LP is on life support or worse…
CB - any thoughts on this?
Does Doug Weight get a job due to this shake up?
I guess Snow couldn’t get anything for him at the deadline…
I hope I’m wrong, but bringing in the guy who led the marketing campaign for the LHDC doesn’t sound like a step in the right direction. I guess you don’t want to waste a salary… in that case…
Can DiPietro handle these responsibilities from the rehab room?
Meet me at the NY Islanders game!
New Club President will be Rick DiPietro. Let him rehab, Play one game. Say he is fine then retire. this way his contract ends early, and does not count against the Cap.
Good Riddance! Now can we please get OUR goal song back? When the Islanders score, its a travesty. This isn’t Philadelphia. Hopefully in the next year or two the Islanders are a playoff team and the house is rocking. At that point, if the “hey song” is not played, its going to be a real dissapointment. The Nassau Coliseum is a great home ice advantage, lets keep it that way. Lets get a real president in here.
Time to get Denis Potvin involved. It’s long overdue.
Mike Sillinger for President!
Does Charles Wang ever hire any executives with whom he has no prior relationship based upon, oh, I don’t know, say an impressive resume? Because it seems as if no prior experience with a professional hockey team is necessary as long as you’re one of Charles’ buddies.
Does this mean CB comes back home??????
I did meet Chris Dey at an Islander Booster Club meeting in December. He was very nice and answered all our questions. However, there was just something about him I could not figure out.
CB’s post says it all, his wife and family in Hawaii and his many business. His mind was definitely not on the team. How many of us can juggle that and still give the Isles 100%.
Paul Lancey needs to improve on his pitch to season ticket holders. He gave me the dog and pony show the other because I complained to my broker the other day about the new price structure. I wanted no part of it because he rubbed me the wrong way. I am sure he is a good businessman, but they need a different pitchman.
Botta for President???….why not.
Maybe we can get a radio deal and Media Guide for 2010-11.
I think DiPietro should fill out an application.
This guy was a clown. Maybe now the customer service will improve.
It took a while, but now we need someone who can come in and clean up his mess.
Going into next season, our team looks even better!
Chris …to be honest I really didn’t know much about Chris Dey … My impressions weren’t favorable … but that was mainly due to the criticism he received from fellow fans … who as we both know … we can be a fickle bunch.
Also…
I had no idea he was racking up the frequent flyer miles… That must of been such a strain on his personal and professional life. That being said I think it’s in the best interest of all involed that Dey has made this wise decision.
Good Luck Mr. Dey!
Saffan is his sidekick and needs to stay away from the big club and stay in Bridgeport. He ran Iceworks into the grown and a former shell of itself and will do the same to the big club. Keep Mr. Moneybags away!
Maybe Wang will bring Mike Milbury back.
Good luck back at the isles CB. I am sure gonna miss the blog.
My choices are (with NO sarcasm):
a) Chris(topher) Botta
b) Isles Veteran (Boss, Trotts, etc)
c) DP (a little sarcasm)
Now that Chris Day is going out the door, I would like to give him a big shout-out of thanks for his service to the Islanders.
I was one of those who received a complimentary XM Satellite radio last year after sending him a letter on the lack of local radio coverage in Brooklyn.
He didn’t have to do so, but he did and I do appreciate his act of kindness to a lowly season ticket holder.
Thanks.
ps: “The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.”
No reason to bring hockey minds (Potvin, etc) into the role of president (which controls sales and stuff). Not all on-ice hockey greats will be great in roles that require business acumen. I think this is a good move, though. Maybe the next president can get the radio broadcast back and attached to a station that reaches farther. I liked when the Isles were on Bloomberg because I could hear them all the way up in Ulster county.
Wang wants to keep the Islanders on the Island. Which one? The Big Island? Wang and Betman have reached a deal bring hockey to all the fans in Hawaii and now closer to play more games in China. Introducing the Hawaiian Islanders. No longer will we have Kool-aid, Hawaiian Punch will be the official beverage of the Hawaiian Islanders.
Sorry Chris, I couldn’t resist.
Right on IslesUlster1992 (#42)! I too miss games on Bloomberg radio, the games came in loud and clear at night up in Plattsburgh!
I hope that the Isles next president will make getting Islanders games on a real Metro-New York radio station and not on a neighborhood station that barely reaches the Coliseum parking lot.
Won’t miss him. The guy seemed to just get his ideas from other teams and try to do it here rather than building on something original (ie. us chanting “you suck” during OUR GOAL SONG that i miss so much). maybe he’s a good businessman in hawaii, but that doesn’t always translate into the sports world. I’ve met Lancey and Saffan before too at games, and wouldn’t want them in charge either.
Hopefully the first of many happy Islanders stories this off-season.
I don’t know Chris Dey personally or much of what he’s done with the team, but I do have three requests. Can we bring back the goal song next season, can we get Denis Potvin involved with the organization and can we get the Islanders back on the radio in a professional way. And Tim (#7), great post!
I’m sorry that Chris Dey is going, but totally understand. From Nassau County to Hawaii is a heckuva commute.
To those of you who were not at the Booster Club meeting, the reason we don’t have better radio coverage is $$$$. Now that the entire arena is under Mr. Wang’s control and all the revenue is incoming and going into his coffers, perhaps we can again afford real radio coverage.
Enjoyed the personal touch, as Mr. Dey tried contact all who reached out to him. Got a phone call last year from him re-upping then, as opposed to no response to my letter to the person who sent out this years’s letter. It’s like he didn’t care.
Fortunately, one of our bank cards came up with some interest-free (or at least less than usury offered by the front office) so we can pay out our tickets. Sorry folks, we are not the 100 or 200 group that can up w/ the big bucks up front.
Again, sorry to see Chris go. Mr. Wang is fortunate to have a really nice guy for son-in-law.
i could careless about this beneficiary of nepotism…under his watch the coliseum got crappier, they eliminated fan giveaways, and the customer service reps sucked big time….
Chris Botta For President!
I agree that it was a nice gesture for Dey to send the satellite radios to some of those who complained. However, once they got the radios, they had to listen to the TV simulcast, which is, as we all know…painful. Early on, I had my computer w/ me when I knew there was a game so that I could listen to it online. However, after 5 minutes, I turned on the opponent’s radio broadcast.
What CW crony takes that role needs to fix the radio situation quick.
Not familiar with what this guy did or didn’t do. That said, the radio broadcast debacle and the late filing for making the royal blues the standard uni’s in 2009-10, occured on his watch.
Maybe minor in the grand scheme of things, but inexcusable, nonetheless.
This clears the way for the return of Mad Mike…cue the nightmares.
Never met him, but this guy was clearly ZERO value add to the org.
We hardly knew the Door Man.
When does the radio disaster get fixed? Dey should’ve “stepped down” or been fired just for that. Who’s in charge of marketing now? Ya know, the function to reach out to acquire new fans and bring back disgruntled ones. NYI’s main weakness is marketing (besides bad teams).
Dey gave complimentary satellite radios to a few for a 1 year subscription that XM gave NYI but the start of year 2 had to be paid for to get XM so 1 still got screwed on the radio coverage. Truth in disclosure.
He’s probably leaving because the LHP fell through…Im not sure why theres so much negativity towards the guy…He seemed like, nice enough man, a good PR guy…
Its nice to read that so many talked to Dey and found him to be helpful and a nice guy. I can understand wanting to be near his family in Hawaii.
Chris, I haven’t liked most of the things going on this past year with PR/Advertising/Customer relations, both within the organization and also with regard to the Lighthouse group. I don’t want to blame Chris Dey if he is not to blame. I suspect there is either a void in that area of the company or the people actually working these areas are whacked out.
Its probably asking too much but I’d love to get some insight on how things work (or at least worked when you were there) and if there is a lot of overlapping of jobs, or, or, well basically what is up over there???!!? I can’t figure out a nice way to say it.
Best of luck in your future endeavors Mr. Dey!!
PEACE OUT !!!!!!!
This is a NO BRAINER, Bring back Botta!!!! CB if given the opportunity would u be willing do continue this site as well as doing your old job? Can it be done??
Charles Wang makes me cringe when he talks about the game of “ice hockey”
The most telling/sad sentence in this article is that Charles Wang is making hockey decisions! God help us!
I wish Mr Dey all the luck in the world, but he was clearly miss-hired for the Isles marketing gig. Under his watch, the website was so beige, no color no life. The radio deal is horrible. I live within 10 miles and cannot get a clear signal unless I steal my husband’s car with XM. Call me crazy, but is it not easier to be on a radio station most of your supporters can listen to than buy the ones who complain an XM? Can we get someone who truly knows and loves hockey to help this team. The disregard for the fans this year was unacceptable, taking advantage of our love for the team by shafting us at every angle. All we want from management is honesty and respect, maybe now we can try and get it.
First off, much as we’re all Chris Botta fans, he said right in this post that being a sportswriter means he’s pursuing the career he wants. He’s not coming back to work for the team.
That said, if CB is going to vouch for CD, that’s enough for me to believe he did a good job running the business end of things.
Also, are people seriously STILL going on about the “you suck” song? Whining about the goal song is sooooo 2008.
Mr. Dey was great and will be missed. When I won the sticks for steaks dinner with Nate Thompson for my son last year I met Mr. Dey at the dinner we spoke. I told him we were from Westchester and it was difficult to get to the arena often. I told him we went to a lot of Sound Tiger games. He said next time you are coming to a game let me know. He gave me his email. I did not think much of it and did not want to cash in, just not my style. However my son had such a blast with Nate Thompson (another amazing story) I felt I would send an email letting him know we were coming out. 5 Minutes later I get a call from his secretary who arranges for my son to see Nate after the game downstairs by the locker room. That is why Mr. Dey will be missed. Good Luck Mr. Dey.
Chris Dey is a classy guy who tried to treat the fans well. That speaks volumes in Islanders Country.
Comments thread closed.
Sounds like a good guy and I wish him well, but that said if you want an Islander running the Isles, probably best to have a guy from Long Island, rather than Hawaii.
I originally thought Mr. Dey was real customer service and fan friendly when I brought to his attention issues with the sales department staff. I spoke with home over the phone and through email. He really seemed to care and do what was right. Once they had my deposit for season tickets everything changed.
I went through three sales persons, because not one of them had the courtesy, professionalism or respect that my original salesman had Mr. C. I had to put up with serious attitude problems and sales people that just did not want to be bothered. I requested to cancel my season tickets and be removed from their database. I contacted Mr. Dey over 20 times, by phone and email and he never returned my calls or emails. I was continually harrassed by the sales staff asking me to come back as a season ticket holder. I asked Mr. Dey to remove my information from their database, client list. Every other night I received a phone call from another sales rep at 6pm looking to sell tickets. Chris Dey did absolutely nothing to rectify this matter. I am so glad he’s gone, I will come back once they get rid of Cornils, Saffan, Sellitti and the rest of the goof troop they call sales reps.