Brett Peterson becomes first ever Black assistant GM
There hasn’t been a whole lot of positive news out of the National Hockey League in recent weeks with a start date for the upcoming season still not confirmed. The proposed January 1st start date seems increasingly unlikely as the league and players’ association continue to argue over details.
However, the uncertainty of the 2020-21 season hasn’t stopped the Florida Panthers from doing business and getting things in order. On Tuesday, the team made history by announcing Brett Peterson as their assistant general manager. The appointment makes Peterson the first ever Black assistant general manager in league history.
“It’s exciting whenever you get a chance to kind of reignite a boyhood dream of chasing the Stanley Cup, being in the National Hockey League,” Peterson said in a statement via NHL.com. “Having the opportunity to be the first at something is even more exciting, something I never would have expected.”
The 39-year-old worked as a player agent since 2009 with Wasserman Media Group and Acme World Sports, with clients that included the Boston Bruins’ Tuuka Rask. He was one of just two Black player agents that had been certified by the NHLPA.
While Peterson never reached the NHL, he did spend four seasons playing NCAA hockey with Boston College before playing in both the ECHL and AHL. He would retire from minor hockey in 2009 when he became an agent.
“His substantive hockey experience as a player, significant developmental and evaluation skills, and business acumen as a negotiator combine to form an elite skill set that is very difficult to find in our sport,” said Florida general manager Bill Zito in the team’s official statement. “There are many who can excel in one of those disciplines, but few who excel in all three.”
The Panthers were in fourth place in the Atlantic Division when the season was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Florida was eliminated in the play-in round when the league did start back up again in July, losing to the New York Islanders in the best-of-five series.
The franchise is hoping that Peterson can bring a fresh perspective to the table as they look to make some noise in the very competitive Eastern Conference. While it’ll be a completely different experience for the new assistant general manager, he seems excited to get started.
“There’s something about taking a player on a journey,” Peterson said. “That’s what’s exciting about this, you’re taking a team on a journey now. Having a chance to help manage a team and chase a Stanley Cup is just a completely different extreme I can’t wait to take part of.”
Florida has a solid young core but will need help reaching the next level. It’ll be interesting to see how Peterson’s influence shapes the team going forward.
“I think they’ve got some good young pieces; they’ve got a good core team in there,” Peterson said. “It’s our job, and everyone involved in the hockey ops job, to help it come together and make something pretty special. So that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
