Cigarran said the transition of moving Henry into the CEO role was part of the management plan since hiring both of them in 2010. When the duo were hired, it was understood that Cogen would step aside in June 2016.
“We are ahead of schedule,” Cogen said. “We had a five-year plan, but we are ahead of schedule. When the call came (from Tampa), I went to Tom (Cigarran) and talked about the opportunity with the Rays. There was no guarantee that the same opportunity would be available next June.
“I found a perfect fit with the Rays,” Cogen said. “It’s Florida; I started in St. Pete with the Ringling Bros. Circus. It’s baseball, which is my true love. It’s time.”
You can read more on this in David Ammenhauser’s post this morning. The timing on this isn’t terribly awkward, and as a Rays fan…. Jeff Cogen is a great candidate to sort out that mess in St. Pete. They need a new stadium, and Cogen is a guy who can get some decision makers to the table.
So what happens now with the Preds? Some of us have disagreed with the new imagery and promotional style of the team, but that’s about the only complaint in Nashville about this organization. Henry and Cogen came in on the heels of Nashville’s playoff exit in 2010, and did whatever it took to keep the fans engaged during the lean years. Those lean years landed the team Seth Jones, Filip Forsberg, Kevin Fiala, Calle Jarnkrok, and prompted the team to change their style to better fit this market. And given how hard the Predators tried to keep filling the building while the team was struggling, it’s easy to look back and see how that built up the fan base for the current run the team is on. This is a market that’s seeing futility on the other side of the river, and an ownership that is not worthy of the fans sporting the two-toned blue.
In short, the job Henry and Cogen have done has made Titans fans realize that they deserve better. And they do.
One can’t imagine the style the organization will change much with Henry steering the ship. And he’ll be able to reap the rewards of a market that’s wrapped its arms around the team over the last half-decade.
So let’s talk about this: what was your favorite change (off the ice) that Cogen and Henry did since taking over?