Landon’s Hall induction about passion, not longevity

Date: 11/21/2014

SPRINGFIELD – A modest Bruce Landon would tell you his recent induction into the Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame is about his longevity in the game.

Anyone who has been around Springfield hockey for the past several decades knows better.

Landon, the architect of a now 21-year-old professional hockey franchise in a city that seemed doomed to lose professional hockey for good in 1994, was honored first and foremost for his love of hockey, but even more so for his love of hockey in Western Massachusetts.

“He is the reason there is hockey in this area. You hear the clichés, that he’s Mr. Hockey in Springfield, but it’s very, very true. I don’t know of anyone else at that time [when the Springfield Indians were sold and moved to Worcester], when hockey was looking pretty bleak in the area and attendance was down, that would step up and take a risk,” Damon Markiewicz, who worked for the Falcons in various roles from 1996 to 2002, then again as media relations director from 2005 to 2012, told Reminder Publications.

“I know in the 20-plus years since, there have been multiple options where he could have easily sold the team to outside buyers and this thing could have moved away a handful to times, but he was always committed to keeping it here, no matter how many losing seasons there were and how many affiliates we went through and how it looked with the financials. He was always very loyal to making it work here,” he continued.

In his tenure as part-owner, president and general manager of the team, Landon faced seemingly every obstacle a professional franchise could, but his passion never waned.

“He’s a hockey nut; he’s a hockey guy. But with that said, he’s the hardest working person you’re ever going to meet,” Markiewicz said. “You couldn’t beat him to work, and I tried many, many times. He was the first one in and the last one to leave and that never went away, no how many years went by. He worked Christmas morning, on Thanksgiving, all the holidays. He lived and breathed it, 24/7.”

Why such dedication from a transplant to the area from London, Ontario?

“This is my home now,” the 65-year-old Landon, who broke into professional hockey with the Springfield Kings in 1969, said. “I’ve been here since I was 20 years old and I’ve always thought of this as my home.”

After retiring due to a career-ending injury at 28 years old, Landon joined the Indians’ front office. He rose quickly in the ranks to general manager, helping the team achieve two Calder Cup championships before it disappeared a short three years later. His story became hockey legend late one night in 1994 when he called longtime partner Wayne Lachance and determined they would find a way to put an ownership group together to save hockey in the city.

While the area can thank Landon for hockey, Landon in turn said he has hockey and the region to be grateful for; helping drive him through difficult times and many instances when it might have been easier to move on.

“On the professional side, I just had such a passion for what I believed in, and that is hockey here in Springfield. It’s given me a lot personally and I’ve been able to enjoy a good life because of hockey and hockey in this area,” he said. “My wife is from here and we raised our family here and we have grandchildren now here in the area. I’m a family guy and staying close to family was important to me and that affected a couple of decisions I’ve had to make throughout my career.”

Landon always found ways to stay connected to the fan base. He could often be seen at home games milling around the concourse, talking with fans, and sitting with Lachance in the stands with the ticket holding customers.

“He wasn’t hiding in the press box or in a private area. Ninety-nine percent of the games, he was in the stands,” Markiewicz said. “I think the way he treats people as a whole is something I wish people could understand about him. It’s second to none. He’s not only willing to engage fans, he’s honest, and that’s a very rare quality, especially for someone in his position as owner and GM. It’s a pretty rare commodity.”

Those qualities, Markiewicz added, extended to the way he treated his staff, keeping them in the loop especially when things might have looked bleak.

“We would read the rumors about ownership that were out there, especially once social media kicked in, and he was always honest with his staff, probably giving more info than he should have,” he said. “He did not want us looking over our shoulders or wondering what was going to happen. That made us able to relax and do our jobs and knowing we had that kind of respect, we wanted to run through a brick wall for him.”

Landon’s tenure as the head of the organization culminated in trying to find someone to take the reins and keep the team local, an arduous, almost 18-month process that was eventually successful when Charlie Pompea came on board.

“I saw him every day and he was turning over every rock in the area to find a local buyer,” Markiewicz said. “He could have easily taken the safe route and said, ‘I did everything I can’ and found an outside buyer and hockey would have been a distant memory here.”

Now in a reduced role as the director of hockey operations, Landon said his nights tend to be a bit more restful, but his thoughts are never far from the team.

“When you’re not a decision maker when it comes to budget and staff and all the things that go into running a business, certainly a lot of the pressure goes away,” he said. “Certainly there’s less stress and that’s one of the things I wanted to get rid of, but I’m still concerned about the franchise and making sure people don’t take it for granted.”