Recap: James Dolan on Mike Francesa (Talks Stanley Cup, Glen Sather and more)
June 3rd, 2014 5:10 pm
James DolanRangers owner James Dolan was in studio with Mike Francesa at 5:05PM on WFAN:
-What does it mean, “It’s new ground for me. Never had any team in the Finals and I am obviously excited. A little nervous but I don’t know what I will feel when the puck drops in LA. I will be there but I don’t know what it will feel like.”
-On how the Rangers handled the Marty St. Louis situation, “I think the team did come together with it. I don’t know what we did at the Garden, we did what we could to help. It was a tragedy for Marty. We used some planes and things but it was those guys that had a feeling for their teammate and what he was going through and they pulled together on it. How terrible it was for Marty and for him to play through it and like he did, it’s amazing.”On Torts, “I am pretty good friends with Torts and we got along really well and had a fun time when he was here but Glen is the one who knows and he had good reasons for what he was doing. The only thing that I asked him to do was to treat Torts as fairly and kindly as possible because we considered him a friend and I think he tried really hard. I miss him. I missed him all season and I miss him today. I love Alain and we have a good relationship but I miss Torts”
On Sather, “Glen and I got close right away, I don’t know we are kindred souls in a way but we have always gotten along and I have always respected his judgment and I always thought he would get us here and I knew he would.”
Did you lose any faith, “no. I really do believe in him. You can tell when someone knows what they are doing and Glen knows what he is doing and he has a good handle on how to handle a hockey team. He has the rings to prove it but how he runs the whole operation, he does a great job.
Do you treat both teams the same, “It depends on how they are doing and what they need, both teams know that they have as much resources as I can provided for them to be successful. The Rangers are a little easier because Glen is there and the Knicks have been not as easy but I am hoping that it will be easier now.
On the Rangers being good for business, “It’s real important to us. What we did to MSG with the transformation, to be able to crown that off by going to the Finals, it’s a big deal for us. I don’t know if you can measure it. It’s great for the organization and the city and it affirms MSG as the premiere arena in the USA and the World and worth every penny.”
Do you like hockey or basketball more, “I like winning…but no, I have been a hockey fan since I was 10 years old. I started as a Ranger fan when I was 10 and remember Gilbert and Park and we would pretend we were them while playing hockey in my basement. One of us would be Marty Glickman. I have been a hockey fan a long time. Basketball is easier to see and understand but when you get beyond the rules and strategy and how plays develop on the ice, it’s very cool to see.”
On his relationship with the players, “I am not around them a lot. It’s not a great idea for the owner to be around the players a lot. When we were in MTL I spent some time with them and I enjoy it but you never know what will happen from season to season so for an owner it’s better to have a little distance.”
What are you most proud of this year, “we started off the season with a lot of questions. Alain has a different style than Torts and whether the team could adjust and gel like that. They responded real well and I am very proud of the job that Glen has done. He has been masterful the past couple of years constructing the team.”
On the Rangers being a 365 a year job, “As soon as the season is over they are on top of the draft and how much cap room they will have and who is available and they spend a lot of time on it.”
Do you give Glen free rein, “pretty much. He is clearly the expert and the team that he has underneath him are the hockey experts.”
On watching MSG with the Rangers winning, “I don’t think I will forget winning the conference championship. Owning the Garden you are like a steward of it, your ownership is constantly being botched and looked at and evaluating. IN the end the Garden belongs to NY and they will have other owners. It feels real good.”
Do you feel good about the team, “I am really excited and hopefully and also scared to death. I have never been here before and never been in this position before and I just hope that we equate ourselves and win.
Did you think it was over at 3-1 against Pitt, “After that game four, I did. I didn’t go to Pitt for game five. I just didn’t…I have been on the road with the teams in the playoffs and when you lose it’s a terrible drive home, it just feels like crap and game four was a tough game and there was nothing I could do to help the team. If there was something I would have been there in an instant but I didn’t want to take that ride home. It looked really tough and I decided to watch from home.”
Do you remember 1994, “Yup. I was actually in Oyster Bay and I was in a restaurant and watched it happen and we weren’t the owners of the team at that point. I remember the place going nuts.”
What is it about this team, “They are an interesting team and you saw what happened with Pitt and the amazing comeback but I think people are recognizing that there is something with this team that was different, maybe like the old Mets, there is something you can feel.”
Do you think it’s something special, “Over the last two months, this thing grows and they believe and in each other and they are very close and I think that is part of their strength.”
Do you have a rivalry with the owner, “We are competitors….it’s not a big thing but Phil owns AEG and we compete on a lot of different levels. There is a business rivalry more than a hockey one.
On the ticket demand, “Are we really going to fill Yankee Stadium twice in the Winter and then we had the cold snap and I came to the first game and I was amazing. The place was packed and mostly Ranger fans and New York loves hockey.”
“Go Rangers.”
6/3/2014 3:00 PM
