Date of Award

1-25-2016

Publication Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

M.H.K.

Department

Kinesiology

Keywords

leader development, mentoring, National Hockey League, professional sport, sport management

Supervisor

Dixon, Jess

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine who the most prolific General Managers (GMs), as mentors, have been in the history of the National Hockey League, and then illuminate factors that have led to their success. Rick Dudley, Jack Ferreira, and Scotty Bowman were identified as the most prolific GM-mentors based on how many and how efficiently, members of their hockey operations staffs became GMs later in their respective careers. A qualitative analysis of published biographies, recorded interviews, newspaper articles, magazine articles, and books profiling these GM-mentors revealed that coaching and sponsorship were the mentoring functions most frequently provided to protégés. The results also demonstrated that, within the context of professional hockey, being connected to a high-reputation leader is important to an executive’s career success. These findings provide insight regarding the factors that contribute to successful mentoring relationships among professional sport executives.

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