SUNRISE — The Florida Panthers introduced their new president of business of operations on Tuesday with Mike White saying his No. 1 priority is the fan.
White, who comes to the Panthers from the Amazon-owned robotaxi company Zoox, spent 11 years as an executive at Disney working both with the parks and with ESPN.
“There are a lot of things we want to bring to the fans here,’’ White said. “But how do we amplify some of those things? … There’s really nothing like the guest experience at Disney, but here at the Panthers, we’re going to create really extraordinary fan experiences.’’
White replaces Matt Caldwell who left the Panthers after their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship last summer to become the CEO of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx.
White will be in charge of all of the Panthers’ business entities including the team, arena, IcePlex, IceDen, and the War Memorial.
He said at his introductory press conference Tuesday at Amerant Bank Arena that he was “humbled to be here,’’ and promised to be a “steward for the brand, the team, the community, and, especially the fans.’’
White was introduced by two people he spent a lot of time talking to over the past couple of months in owner Vinnie Viola and general manager Bill Zito.
“Mike comes from a very accomplished career as a visionary,” Viola said. “He’s a creative, innovative leader. … The whole purpose of this organization is to respect our fans and give them the absolute best experience in sports both on and off the ice.’’
Added Zito: “I am excited to for what can be and for what we can do together to help. I am literally talking about hockey and the impact that Mike and his experience, his intellect, and his character will have on us. Not to mention the myriad of things that you can do business-wise for our franchise in general. ”
Although White will be working mostly on the business side of the organization, it was key he and the hockey operations department gets along as well as they did with Caldwell.
White says he and Zito hit it off right away.
That was pretty evident on Tuesday.
“Meeting Bill, it just felt natural,’’ White said. “It was one of those things where you were just like, ‘yeah, this is where I need to be’. I love Amazon. I had a great job and had no intention of leaving until they came into my life.’’
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A graduate of Ohio State who said he returns to Columbus at least once a year for a Buckeyes football game, White says he is passionate about sports.
He is in a good spot for that.
“Obviously very aware of what they’re doing,’’ White said of the Panthers. “This is a world-class organization that has won two years in a row.’’
ON DECK: GAME No. 75
BOSTON BRUINS at FLORIDA PANTHERS
