SPRINGFIELD — As a star goalie for the Springfield Kings, beginning in 1969, Bruce Landon spent five years with the team, stopping hundreds of pucks from entering the sacred domain of the net he guarded.
But perhaps one of the greatest saves of his career was keeping the American Hockey League team in the city, during good times and bad — when there were championships, but also when there were losing seasons and dwindling attendance. And through so many team affiliations and name changes.
Recognizing his passion as a player and commitment as team owner to keeping the team on the ice in Springfield, the AHL has just created the annual Bruce Landon Award, which at the end of this season, will be given for the first time to someone among the AHL’s 32 teams who has managed their team’s hockey and player operation with distinction.
“I was surprised and humbled to have this award named after me,” Landon told Reminder Publishing. “You know it’s going to be there forever and be part of your legacy — it’s nice to know there is something that will carry on for years and years and years to come.”
Tapped in a draft
Landon, 75, was drafted as a goaltender by the Los Angeles Kings when he joined the team in Springfield. He helped the club win a Calder Cup championship in 1971. He played five seasons with the New England Whalers in the WHA before returning to Springfield in 1977, but a knee injury forced him to retire that December at the age of 28.
Landon immediately took a marketing and public relations position in the Springfield Indians’ front office, and he was named general manager in 1982. He guided the teams to back-to-back Calder Cup championships in 1990 and 1991.
In 1994, with the Indians relocating to Worcester, Landon helped organize a group of investors and purchased an expansion franchise to keep the AHL’s presence in Springfield.
He served as president and general manager of the Springfield Falcons from their inception in 1994 until stepping down in 2014 and was the club’s director of hockey operations until 2016. He also spent the 2016-17 season as an advisor with the Springfield Thunderbirds. He was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame in 2016.
Recognized by a rival
The AHL’s Board of Governors approved creating the Landon award over the summer, when Mark Bernard, president of Hockey Operations and general manager of the Rockford IceHogs in Chicago, came up with the idea.
“Bruce’s career is one of integrity, honesty, hard work and loyalty,” Bernard told Reminder Publishing. “Our league is better from having Bruce involved as he has helped make so many of us better executives. When I joined the Norfolk Admirals back in 2006 as a young inexperienced executive, I was very nervous. Bruce always made it easy for me to feel comfortable picking up the phone or sitting with him at meetings to answer my questions,” said the one-time Landon rival.
For years, AHL executives have been receiving the James C. Hendy Memorial Award, which salutes excellence in operating the business side of the franchise. At the end of this season, the award will be redefined and presented annually for outstanding achievements by a business operations executive.
The Landon award will also recognize executive excellence, but the criteria won’t center on running the business. Winners will be noted for their achievements building winning teams on the ice while developing coaches, trainers and players into future stars of the National Hockey League.
“We’re great entertainment. You can see the future of the NHL in our league. If you look at any roster in the NHL today, you’re going to find roughly 87% of the players came through our league,” said Scott Howson, president and CEO of the American Hockey League. “It’s affordable entertainment. It’s a great product. It’s exciting, it’s fast. These teams are very important to their communities.”
Landon’s career, from player to owner, has spanned nearly 50 years. He was either digging in to bring a championship to the city or keep the team in the Springfield. He led powerplays to accomplish both goals.
“Just seeing what it meant to people over the years, you come to realize this is so important to so many people. My generation, and now the younger kids are coming along to watch,” he said.
“Being in Springfield is important to so many people, we just couldn’t let it leave the city. That’s what it boiled down to,” continued Landon. “We just had to do everything in our power to make sure it stayed here. It was a grind to do it, and a lot of work, but in the end, it all paid off. And the team is here to stay.”
Landon has played in and seen thousands of hockey games in his life. Retired now, he enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren — but anywhere other than a hockey game.
“It’s funny. All those years, you work around the clock, crazy hours, and you do it because it’s a passion. But then you come to realize when you retire, there are other things to do on a Friday or Saturday night,” he said. “I stay pretty close to home.”
