Posted on WorkInSports.com: 8/21/2006
By: SportsBusiness Journal Staff
Young sportswriter makes transition into hockey front office
At 25, Chris Snow has already put together an impressive resume that includes stints at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, the Boston Globe and now the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. Snow started his professional career covering the Wild for the Star Tribune before returning to his hometown of Boston. Now he returns to Minnesota as the director of hockey operations for the Wild, making him one of the youngest executives in professional sports, in a role that he describes as something different from anything he has done before.
Age: 25
New title: Director of hockey operations, Minnesota Wild
Previous job title: Red Sox beat writer, Boston Globe
First job: Selling lemonade at Fenway Park
College education: Bachelor of science, magazine journalism, and bachelor of arts, policy studies, Syracuse University (2003)
Resides: St. Paul, Minn.
Grew up: Melrose, Mass.
Executive most admired: My father, Bob, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, Somerville, Mass., public schools
Favorite vacation spot: Merrymeeting Lake, New Durham, N.H.
Last book read: “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote
Favorite musician: Goo Goo Dolls
What will be the biggest challenge in your new position?
No. 1 will be learning an entirely new business, and No. 2 will be closely related to that. It will be proving myself inside a business that I have not worked in before, to very accomplished people who have put in a long time and a career. Both of those are going to take some time.
What career advice do you have for people wanting into this industry?
You have to work hard and try and earn the belief and trust of good people. If you can get one, two or three people who are in a position of influence to really believe in you, then you have a good chance.
What is one story you are continuing to watch in sports today?
Steroids in baseball. I just find it hard to be a fan of the game sometimes because you have questions when you can’t test for some substances. … You hate to think that way when you step back and want to be a fan. You really want to believe in the sport.
What is one element that you would like to change about the sports industry?
A greater understanding between the players and the media. In the short time that I’ve worked here in management I have a better appreciation for the demand on the players. As a writer, I would have liked to have had more of that perspective. Conversely, I don’t think the players often have a great enough understanding of a writer’s job.
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