Roadrunners Event Operations Manager Ryan Lothman joined Jonathon Schaffer and Kim Cota-Robles on this week’s Happy Hour Show. For the complete conversation and to hear about where Ryan’s brother works, download this week’s show below.
Listen to “The Man Who Runs The Show” on Spreaker.
Ryan, what does a game day look like for you? When are you getting to the office? When are you leaving the arena? What all goes on behind the scenes?
For a typical game day, I’m at the office from 9:00 or 10:00 AM up until I go over to the arena around like 3:00 P.M. for a 7:00 P.M. puck drop. I can kind of walk through my game day checklist. Overall, what I explain to people when they ask me what exactly my job entails is basically: I’m kind of in charge of all the entertainment in the arena that is in the actual hockey game. There are stoppages, intermissions, media timeouts; that’s what I’m handling. So, all the fun and games that there are when you’re not actually watching the hockey game. That includes our in-game hosts including Beef, Krystal and Yas. As well as all of the events set up and the games set up as well. I’m kind of the liaison to the Tucson Arena. I’m handling all the operations of the game: parking lists, ticket requests from my staff, photo request lists, scheduling, rally runners, production staff, that includes my technical director, camera operators, replay operator, making the format for the game and the rundown and the exact timing of when everything happens, Kim’s PA and writing those out and printing them out. So definitely a lot of things that even if I try to list it all out, I will probably forget to mention some things, but that’s the rough overview of everything.
Tell us about your hockey background and how you got this position with the Roadrunners.
I grew up in Southern California. So, I got my start and introduction into hockey with the Anaheim Ducks being in Orange County and going to their games. I started playing hockey at the age of 6, and I actually started out playing roller hockey. I played roller hockey before I started doing any ice hockey. The first rink I ever played on was right around the street from my house at a park. It was concrete with wooden boards and chain link fence for the glass, but that’s where I started out playing. Then eventually I switched to ice and then got the invite to come up to San Jose State, just to do the try out. It’s club hockey, so it…
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