February 19, 2024 • 43 mins
Immerse yourself in an engaging episode of Beyond the Blueprint, as we sit down with Sal Ibellito, a Pacific Northwest sports enthusiast, to discuss the allure of professional sports and the transformative stories of individuals in real estate and sports. This episode, sponsored by Emerald City Floor Ball, explores Sal's inspiring journey from a sports fan to a pioneer in sports business and his experiences interacting with fans and players.
Witness Sal recounting his love for hockey from the vigorous 80s, working with multiple teams, and his contributions to the marketing side of the game. This episode is a compelling exploration of dreams realized, setbacks overcome, and boundaries pushed. Whether you are a sports enthusiast aiming to turn your passion into your profession or someone seeking inspiration, this episode is a must-listen.
Delve deep into the remarkable journey of a man who not only found love online but also birthed a sports legacy. Get to know Sal's Emerald City Floorball, a groundbreaking initiative borne out of his passion for hockey and the need to provide training facilities in Seattle. Despite the challenges posed by the global pandemic, Sal and Emerald City Floorball continue to inspire a new generation of children to discover the joy of the sport.
Embark on this remarkable journey chronicling the creation of Emerald City Floorball, the power of resilience demonstrated, and the impact of the initiative on the kids involved. Learn how Sal, driven by his passion, launched Cascade Street Hockey, a unique street hockey league for kids, supported by the National Hockey League and the Seattle Kraken Hockey Club.
Discover Sal's grand vision of creating more hockey-centric schools, parks and clubs across the country, and his commitment to promoting the sport. Follow the exciting journey of Sal as he works tirelessly and overcomes numerous obstacles to make hockey a major sport for children. Be inspired by his mission to bring about a positive change in children's lives through the power of sport.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
You've been searching for a podcast that can
motivate you inspire you and teach
you about business and life all at
the same time well we've got you covered
this is beyond the blueprint with matt whether you're seeking to unlock the
secrets of real estate success or seeking guidance in the world of marketing
(00:24):
and coaching you're in the right place helping to educate and motivate you through
real-life experiences with work and life.
We'll uncover stories like how a family's homeowning dream turned into their
living truth, or how a struggling rookie transformed into a top realtor.
You'll find there's always a way forward, pushing the boundaries of what's possible.
(00:46):
This is Beyond the Blueprint with Matt, and now your host, Matt Sochi.
All right, welcome to Beyond the Blueprint.
My name is Matt Sochi. I'm your host today, and I have a good friend with me
today, Sal Ibellito. How are you, buddy?
Hey, Matt. How's it going? Thanks for having me, man. Besides the weather,
(01:07):
you brought Seattle with you. Yes, I brought the Pacific Northwest with us, yeah.
Today, we have an exciting episode. We are actually going to have a conversation
with Sal here, who I've known for the last couple of years. I think we met through a Facebook group.
Yeah, pretty much. I think I met Melissa first, and then she introduced me to
you, and then off and running.
(01:29):
Awesome, awesome. Yeah, I remember then. Last year, we actually got to meet,
and we got to go to the DeSantis rally, which was a lot of fun,
and we got to go to an Everblades game.
Yeah, the Blades game was a blast. Can't beat that, right? Can never go wrong
going to an Everblades ECHL hockey game. That's it.
So Sal has a very, very extensive background in hockey and just really excited
(01:53):
to hear about your story and just really, you know, what you're doing out there,
which I think is a really awesome thing, especially with the kids.
And I can relate to that as my son is into roller hockey here in Naples, Florida.
So excited to hear about that. So this episode is sponsored by Emerald City Floor Ball.
All right. So very excited. That's one of South's companies up in the PNW area, which what is PNW?
(02:19):
PNW just stands for Pacific Northwest. All right. Is that just Washington or is that?
No, that really encompasses all of Washington, Oregon, and really parts of like Idaho and Montana.
So mostly identified with Washington and Oregon though. Okay.
Okay. I think in my head, sometimes when I see PNW, I'm like Seattle.
(02:39):
Yeah. Yeah. Well, when you, when somebody says PNW, the first thing that people
think of is Seattle, but you know, but the PNW encompasses that whole region of the country.
Awesome. Well, we're excited to have you here and thank you for taking the time
out of your day before you leave to come to the show.
So Sal, tell us a little bit about your story, a little bit about yourself and
(03:00):
how you kind of got started with things and maybe where you grew up and and et cetera.
Yeah, I mean, so, you know, I grew up on Long Island, New York,
and for my Long Island people, on Long Island, New York, not in Long Island.
So, yeah, so, but I grew up on Long Island, New York, and I became a hockey fan at a very early age.
You know, I was fortunate enough to be a New York Islander fan.
(03:22):
And for people who don't know the New York Islanders, they had won four Stanley
Cups in the early 1980s. And I basically became a hockey fan from that point
on, really up until this very day.
What age were you when you kind of gravitated towards hockey and said,
this is my sport, I love this sport?
Once they actually won the Stanley Cup, which was, like I said,
was really back in 1980, 80, I started really becoming a huge hockey fan and
(03:46):
loved the game and started playing in the street and got more involved in just
being a part of the sport.
Yeah. I think, you know, I'm from Connecticut and a lot of people know that.
I still remember going back to my youth. We had a place called Ram's Pasture
and every year they still do the Christmas lighting with the tree.
When we're up there for my brother's wedding, we actually got to catch a glimpse
(04:07):
of it and they had a pond on there.
And that's where we used to actually play hockey. And it was a lot of fun as
kids, you know, everyone just getting out there.
And it's a lot different, obviously, in the world that we live in today,
where technology, unfortunately, has taken over life.
So being in the sports and stuff like that, I think that's really awesome.
So Long Island. So how long did you live there for?
(04:30):
Basically from birth until I was about 30 years old.
Okay. And then what What happened? I actually moved to South Florida.
I always had a passion for hockey and I wanted to work in the business.
So I moved in 1999, like late 1999, and I went to broadcasting school in Fort Lauderdale.
And I wanted to get into the broadcasting business and as a hockey announcer, if you will.
(04:52):
So ironically, I moved out in 1999, went to the Connecticut School of Broadcasting, ironically.
Does that have something to do with ESPN? Only because I know ESPN is out of
Connecticut. No, actually, this place was called the Connecticut School of Broadcasting.
They had locations in Connecticut, New York, Florida at the time.
So I don't know if they're still in business or not, but I'm pretty sure they are.
(05:15):
But yeah, I went to the Connecticut School of Broadcasting and I wanted to get
into the business. So that's how I wound up in Florida.
Okay. Did you go to college or anything? I did not. No, no. I just went to some
community college on Long Island.
You know, I wasn't really positively sure what I really wanted to do.
I just knew that I loved hockey and that was ingrained in me,
(05:36):
like I said, since I was eight or nine years old.
I think a lot of the kids, at least these days and mine own too,
is they don't know what they want to do.
You know? And so it sounds like you took that passion of hockey and you wanted
to bring it to the next level, right?
Yeah, absolutely. You know, and you're right. There's a lot of kids,
you know, 15, 20, 25 that don't know what they want to do because there's so
(06:02):
many options out there, especially today.
There's more options than ever, but I always knew hockey was a part of my life.
And so, you know, ironically, I had applied for jobs after I went to broadcasting school.
Didn't get any of them. And then the funniest thing happened.
Funny story. I'm working at the Home Depot in Coral Springs,
Florida, and I'm in the flooring department.
(06:23):
And the guy comes in and I recognize him.
He's the assistant coach at that time of the Florida Panthers. All right.
Talked to his wife and go, I played a little coy there. And I'm like,
your husband looks awfully familiar. And she's like, yeah, he's a hockey coach.
And then she introduced me to him. His name was George Kingston at the time.
He was the first head coach of the San Jose Sharks of the NHL back in the early 90s.
(06:44):
So she introduced me to George and we connected and I told him what I was doing.
And I'm like, could you connect me with some people with the team?
And lo and behold, he did.
And about six months later, I got an internship with the team.
And that's how I got my first foot in the door. Wow.
Awesome. For the Florida Panthers out of all of them, right?
I've been to one game, great stadium. And I don't know if it was different back
(07:07):
then or the same, but it was awesome.
And I remember taking Jace, I believe it was for his Christmas present.
And we stayed at the hotel, I guess, and I don't go to malls or anything like
that, but by the mall. Sawgrass. Right.
Cross street. Yep. So we were there and I had no clue, even though I played
it off like I did, that the Tampa Bay Lightning was staying there.
(07:29):
And I guess that's where the away teams stay at that hotel.
So we get there and there's all these stanchions. my brain triggers and goes
there's the leggings here so we go up to the room walk around the property a
little bit and all of a sudden.
Stamp co comes out and point and jace is
ball and i'm and i didn't really recognize them you
(07:50):
know i'm not a huge hockey fan i love the sport i don't
know as much you know players and stuff like that he like
starts crying and i'm like what's wrong man he goes that's point
and that's coaching and the buses started coming up
and that was such a cool moment and then we
got to go to the stadium and man what a great place you go
out to the what was it like before you
(08:10):
get in there's a lot of of vendors out there and yep and great
stadium just i loved it
yeah it's a beautiful stadium and one of the things i like about that
arena in particular it's really easy to get in and out of like oh yeah it's
on the edge of the sawgrass mill so there's 20 if there's 20 000 people there
you're pretty much in parkin's easy getting out of that place is easy but back
(08:32):
to jace real quick you know i was jace 30 years ago so i used to be blown away
when i lived on long island,
Yeah, the Nassau Coliseum here, and then right across the parking lot was the
hotel where the players stayed.
And me and my friends used to go there and track the players down,
and I would do the same thing for Yaramir Yager.
Oh my God, this is Yaramir Yager, Brett Hull, Ray Bork.
(08:54):
Wayne Gretzky. Wayne Gretzky, yeah, Wayne Gretzky. You know,
Wayne Gretzky was one of the very few you can ever get your hands on because...
He was so popular, they snuck him out the back door. So him and Mario Lemieux,
the two greatest players that ever lived, they would sneak out of the back door.
So you didn't really get access to them, but you basically got access to every
other hockey superstar on the planet at that time.
And so I was Jace 30 years ago, and I would just be so giddy and try to get
(09:17):
autographs and what have you not.
And so I can definitely relate to that childhood when our kids see a hockey
player today, and they're just blown away and just overwhelmed.
And I think they're way cooler than football players.
The hockey players are pretty cool. And you can always tell because they have
no teeth. Some of them are missing them.
But the hockey players, you know, they were like, hey, waving, shaking hands.
(09:39):
We didn't have anything to sign, but just really good people,
which sometimes people might not expect because how rough and physical the sport is.
But just great people. So you went there. So what was your, like,
how long were you there for?
And would you end up here? I actually was there from, wow.
2002 to 2013. I started off as an intern and then I applied for jobs within
(10:04):
the team that I kept getting passed over.
But then one year I was simultaneously asked to do two different jobs.
So I was offered a job with the NHL as an off ice official.
And then Fox Sports Florida wanted to hire me as a statistician.
So my job was to be up in the press box, watch the game and give not only the
broadcasters, but the production trucks downstairs, real life stats as they
(10:30):
were happening. So I had a headset on just like I do now.
I was talking to the production truck. The talent was basically right to my right.
And I would pass over flashcards or post-it notes with real life stats as they were happening.
And then they would basically take that stat and put the graphic on the television
for the viewing audience. Wow. How cool is that?
One of the best jobs I've ever had. And then you got to meet all the people
(10:52):
and go to all the games, right?
Not only that, but I got to work for the visiting teams about 85% of the time.
So I got to meet so many cool teams and production crews and broadcasters.
So I made relationships with quite a few people I still have a little bit of
contact with to this very day, like Boston and Washington, D.C.
(11:15):
And the New Jersey Devils, the Islanders. And so it was a lot of fun working
for all the different teams because you just got the perspective of the different
broadcasters and what have you not.
I'll say the Devils fans, they're wild.
My roommate, he died hard, Brian Croke.
He lives up in Buffalo now, but that was my first playoff game.
(11:35):
And I think they were playing the Rangers and that stadium is just wild.
And I think that was a tipping point for me. So living in Danbury,
I think we had the triple 18, the Mad Hatters, I think they were called.
And we, cause we could walk there literally from our house and that was a really good experience.
But then going to an NHL game, man, it blows your mind just how different and
(11:58):
the energy in there is. because it sounds cool that you get to experience all those things.
Yeah, especially when the Rangers and Devils get together or the Rangers and
Islanders get together.
You know, there's quite the rivalry between the fans and the teams itself.
So, yeah, it's pretty intense. And then, as you might know, a playoff game is
just a completely different atmosphere.
(12:19):
No matter who's in the playoffs, you can be in Florida and they could be playing
New Jersey and there's 20,000 people and the atmosphere is 10 times different
than a regular season game. So, and I had the honor of doing some playoff games,
working for the New Jersey Devils when they played the Panthers way back in 2013.
And it's, it's a different animal and so much fun. Oh, yeah.
(12:40):
I wish there were more people that got involved in hockey. I think the biggest
thing is that it's so fast that they can't focus where the puck is.
Even me, I'm like, where's the puck? Where's the puck? Where's the puck? Where's the puck?
But once you get the concept of everything and how it works,
I mean, it makes more sense.
Just like, you know, I'm sure during the Super Bowl, there were a lot of people
out there like, what's a first down? You know what I mean?
But once you understand it and the speed of the game, I mean,
(13:02):
it's just incredible, you know, all the things that go on with it. So-
Now you're in Seattle. Yes. So tell me a little bit about what got you from
South Florida, you know, doing stuff with the Panthers and then the career with
that and then going to Seattle.
Well, I always had a fascination with Seattle only because my uncle moved there
(13:29):
from Brooklyn to the greater Seattle area back in like the early 1970s.
So that's my mom's brother. So, you know, while everybody else was living in
New York or Florida, you know, doing a traditional thing, my uncle was kind
of like the oddball, if you will. And he was living in Seattle.
So he's had a interest in the Pacific Northwest.
And then basically what happened was in 1999, I met Wendy, who is my spouse, met her online.
(13:55):
Funny thing on AOL of all places.
Way before, you know, you had a dating apps way before match.com and what have you not.
I always kick myself in the butt, if you will, like, man, we should have started
one of those dating apps and we'd have a house in every corner of the country,
but met her online and she was living in Seattle with her brother.
(14:16):
And so we just got to talking and then she came out to meet me.
And then I went out to meet her, lived in Seattle for about a year in 1999,
and then dragged her butt across the country back to Florida.
And then in 2013, we made the plunge and went back to Pacific Northwest.
West. So let's just keep in mind, that's a lot of miles.
So yeah, what is it about 6,000 miles?
(14:38):
It's about like 35, 3,700.
Yeah, man. I don't do things easy.
This flight alone is, you know, five, five and a half hours on way six, six and a half back.
And I've made 10 trips back and forth between Seattle and Florida the last shoot
the last four or five years alone because my family's here and what have you. So.
All right. Awesome. I mean, so that's, that's the story. And now you're here back in Florida.
(15:01):
Yeah. I, you know, again, I have a lot of friends here, you know,
you're my friend, you know, my mom and dad are still here, you know,
spread out across different places of the state, you know, a lot of friends
and connections and contacts and what have you not.
So, you know, I come back two to three times a year.
So I get on a plane and yeah, visit you guys.
There you go. At least you get to spend some time and you usually come at the
(15:24):
good times. I I mean, today's kind of a Seattle day, but, you know, it's okay.
So tell us a little bit about your business with the floorball.
Yeah, so, you know, living out in Seattle...
I had always known at the time, even though it wasn't official,
that they were going to get a professional hockey team, which in 2018,
they were granted the Seattle Kraken, which is the 32nd NHL franchise.
(15:48):
And if you ever have an opportunity to get out to Seattle, Washington,
go to a Seattle Kraken game.
The atmosphere is amazing. The arena is freaking amazing.
They do everything right. But I knew they were getting a team and there wasn't
really any hockey out there. They had a hardcore base of fans,
but there was nobody really doing any programs for kids, especially off the ice.
(16:11):
It's a lot different on the East Coast. You got tens of thousands of kids playing
ball hockey out there, and there's rinks all over the place.
But it was foreign in the Pacific Northwest.
So what's ball hockey? So just
to explain to listeners, what's ball hockey versus floor hockey? Sure.
Ball hockey is basically ice hockey without the skates, without the ice,
(16:33):
and without the heavy equipment, and without the body tracking.
So it's a very fast and competitive sport.
We play in a full rink just like you do in ice hockey.
Very fast, very physical, very talented.
But it's basically ice hockey without the skates and without the ice.
(16:54):
Guys and keep in mind like these ranks i mean it's
almost like a football field not quite as big but i mean it's it's big like
our son the first time we took him when he got into you know roller hockey i
was like are they gonna cut the rink in half i was like man that's a lot of
skating they're gonna peter out and they're not doing subs like you know every
30 seconds you know it's they're out there for a couple minutes at a time and they're gassed out,
(17:17):
So running, I could only imagine, you know, running that's, that's all stamina
and muscle at that point. You're not gliding or anything like that.
No, it's not like ice hockey. You can't get away with a crappy shift in ball hockey.
If you're not running, your coach knows it. If you're not running,
your teammates know it. And you're going to hear it when you get back to the
(17:38):
bench. So it is definitely a different animal.
And you're right about that rink in Naples.
It's a big, big rink. Yeah. Regulation size for ball hockey is a little shorter
than that, but it's still a lot of running.
And yeah, it's a grind, but it's a fun grind.
So you started your Emerald City when?
(17:58):
So I started Emerald City Floorball in 2019.
Ironically, three months before the pandemic. I started doing some drop-in classes
and I was reaching out to community pages, just trying to introduce the sports
to boys and girls of any age or background.
Around didn't really matter and i was getting about 35 kids
an event and i was like wow this was a green light
(18:20):
that i might be on to something and then the pandemic hit and that
kind of well in the pnw area you know
and yeah you know we won't get too much into it but you know everybody handled
the pandemic differently and the pnw was extremely different different and i'll
leave it at that because we all have different opinions on how everybody does
(18:42):
things but that did shut Shut me down for a good two years. Okay. I really did.
And it was a really frustrating time, but I kept going and doing an occasional
event here or there to anybody that would allow me to do it.
We had to wear masks, of course, for two years.
While playing hockey. Yeah. Yeah. While playing hockey. It was a little rough.
What's the name? Like, tell us about the name Emerald City. What does that mean?
(19:04):
Well, I wanted it to encompass the entire Pacific Northwest.
So Seattle is known as the Emerald City.
So that's where I got the word Emerald from. And then I just called it Emerald City Floorball.
Had people ask me, why don't you call it Seattle City Floor Ball?
And I'm like, well, that doesn't encompass an entire area.
And I wanted people to, I just wanted to be covering a more broad area in the
(19:30):
minds of people and not just have people think it was just in Seattle. Right.
So how'd you come up with like the whole idea?
Like, what was that moment where you're like, this, this could be something,
you know, big, you know, to help the youth and the kids and,
you know, all this stuff. Well, you know, I have a really good friend back in
New Jersey. His name is Anthony San Rocco.
(19:50):
He's in his early thirties and he started a ball hockey league about four years
ago for adults called the National Ball Hockey League.
And four years later, you have 180 teams around the United States.
They have sponsors. It's in tie with USA Ball Hockey.
The finals actually get broadcasted on NHL Network. work
(20:11):
so i actually came out
of retirement back in 2020 to play
ball hockey for the first time in over 20 years wow and so i played on a team
in seattle called the seattle cold snacks and we had a division in pacific northwest
so we were competing against other teams in our area and a few teams in portland
(20:31):
because you travel i mean there's sometimes you're in this seems like the northeast East.
So, yeah. So what happened? Or taking a ferry somewhere.
Well, so Seattle doesn't have many ranks or really any ranks.
The only rank where we have in the greater Seattle area is on an island called
Bainbridge Island, which is beautiful.
But you got to take the ferry over there. So you got to drive to Seattle in
(20:52):
the morning, get up at like 435 o'clock in the morning, get to the ferry at
like six, jump on the 615, 620 ferry, and then get out to the island.
And that's where we would play most of our games. So the little travel in there,
and then we play a whole block of games in Portland.
So we would have to do weekend trips and play a bunch of games in Portland,
(21:13):
sometimes three or four in the weekend.
And then when you, when you division, you have the right to go to Philadelphia
to play in the nationals.
So that's why you've seen me in Philadelphia each of the last three Septembers
playing in the national ball hockey championships since we had one on division.
Okay. Awesome. Why, why do you think the area doesn't have more ranks?
I'm almost curious for here as well. Why is there not more?
(21:35):
You see 400 baseball fields or softball fields, which are not necessary.
Pickleball, they need to definitely add more of that here because it seems like that's the sport.
But I always think Jace wanted to play ice hockey, and it's all the way in Fort Myers.
And yeah, that's not far. But if you're dealing with traffic at 4 o'clock,
actually, we just came home from Blue Ridge. It was backed up from Immokalee
(22:01):
Road to Hertz Arena at three o'clock in the afternoon. Like I'd be like, it's impossible.
Right. So why do you think some of these towns or cities or states,
why do you think it's not a bigger thing?
I just think the concept hasn't reached enough people yet. I still think it's
really foreign to a lot of people. Oh, hockey and sneakers.
(22:21):
What the hell is that? You know, people don't really know.
So there's just not enough awareness out there
it's not like northeast where you again you have
tens you go to your local pond and you could throw game up
you know yeah yeah so it's i think for like
the greater seattle area it's still a relatively unknown concept and then same
thing in lots of areas of south florida it's it's just the concept of hockey
(22:47):
and sneakers for adults or kids is relatively unknown so i think that's the
only thing you're really dealing you know it's crazy like Thank you.
I could even think back to when I was in elementary school and living in Connecticut.
And I remember like my favorite part of gym was, hey, guys, we're going to play floor hockey.
Right. And we have those plastic, flimsy red and blue sticks.
(23:09):
And that was fun. And I know Jace now, even in sixth grade and going through
elementary school, they still do that.
Right. So it is a thing as part of the scholastic side of things at school.
But when it comes to i'm trying
to remember when jace was like i want to play floor hockey or roller
hockey and it started with getting you know
the rotor blades and everything else but man it went
(23:31):
from like nothing that i even knew he was somewhat interested in
to like he's pumped up you know
like and it boggles my mind that
this is not a bigger thing than what
it could be yeah and it sounds like you have
to be the voice to get the
word out there and to be able to to grow it a great sport that's not only good
(23:54):
for your you know your your health and physicality but it's just you're outside
where you are i mean you're in the outdoors too yeah uh your physical health
mental health the game of hockey will teach you so many lessons.
Lessons um so yeah you're right it's just
the sport will teach you so much it taught
(24:14):
me a lot even playing in my sneakers for 25 years
you know competing at a high level and
learning how to lose you know learning how to win i'll tell you when the kids
lose i never see so many helmets and tears in my life and of course i mean this
is like peewee level you know and i the passion but but it does teach them so
(24:36):
much. It teaches them the discipline.
And I think that's a big thing too. It teaches you that.
You know, comparable to life that things aren't always going to get,
go your way. You're going to lose games. You're going to lose tough games.
I've lost championships in overtime, traveling on the road that will actually
soul crushing. And when I was younger, I didn't know how to handle it either.
(24:57):
I would take the stick and crack it over me and have tantrums and break it over the boards.
And now you can't do it because these sticks are like 200 bucks.
Right. So, you know, you really can't do that anymore.
You know, apparently get pretty pissed off if their kid took a stick and hammered
it it over the boards because he was frustrated because he had a bad shift.
So what's your, like, so you're doing good things. And if you guys haven't,
(25:20):
you can follow Sal on Facebook and Instagram.
How can they find you? Yeah, they can find me actually at Emerald City Floorball
on both Facebook and Instagram.
So I have a Facebook business page and then I have a page on Instagram.
And I always see the pictures where the kids are always happy and excited.
So with your program, so how, like, how is it ran? Is it ran after school, weekends?
(25:43):
Camps so basically it is for the most part right
now it's an after-school enrichment program so i will
go into a school after like i said like directly
after the bell rings and i'll do a class roughly
from 3 30 to 4 30 like a one hour class kids actually have to sign up for it
so i work in conjunction with the schools directly with the schools mostly with
(26:04):
the pta boards and so we organize the class we set up the registration and all
that we do a little bit of marketing i do a a free PE class to market the class to the kids. Oh, cool.
And so, yeah, I'll go in for like one day and I'll... Like during,
while they're in school.
Yeah, during an actual normal school day, I'll actually go in there and do one
free PE class. And what we'll do is we'll...
(26:25):
The class will already be set up. So we'll get the kids flyers to take home
in their backpacks with the QR code.
Mom, dad, this was incredible. I wanted to play.
Scan the QR code. Boom, they sign up. Now, do they play actual games or is it
kind of like scrimmage, learning, teaching, and then maybe that's the next level?
Well, I believe the thing that kids want to do most and have is play.
(26:49):
And so what I do do is I teach them skills. skills i spend the first half of
the class doing skill development whether it's passing shooting.
Stick handling i'll make it a little fun i'll
mix it up i'll do some relay races i'll do some target shooting and then usually
the last 25 minutes of the class i'll break them up into two teams and scrimmage
the scrimmage they love that they love it at the end of jace's they're always
(27:13):
about the scrimmage and it's like that's all they're waiting for you know as opposed to the drills,
but you need the drills and do the practice to get better.
So when you do scrimmage, et cetera, that it's, you know, they're developing at the same time.
So what's your vision with this, let's just say over the next five years?
You know, we've gotten to the point to where I really believe I have a model
(27:35):
that's scalable. I really do.
I want to give kids a place to go to after these classes.
So one of the things I run into right now is I do these incredible classes,
right? But when the session is
over, when the six or eight week session is over, they have nowhere to go.
They have nowhere else to let their energy burn.
So I have a partner now and we're starting our first ever kids street hockey
(28:01):
league called Cascade Street Hockey.
This is a program that is in conjunction with the National Hockey League and
their NHL street program that they're rolling out all across the country.
And then it is also supported by the Seattle Kraken Hockey Club.
So we're starting the first ever street hockey league. That's going to start somewhere in 2024.
(28:22):
Target is April or May. You know, if you ever started a league, it's a ton of work.
So we're, we're in a, well, if you start in any business, it's not work.
It really is. It really is. So we're doing all the unfun stuff right now,
like insurance and figuring out registration portals, getting websites set up,
finding places to play, which is a big challenge in the Northwest,
(28:44):
finding space that is consistent.
So, so yeah, I see this sport growing at exponential levels.
And if I could grow a program where I'm in schools and more parks and recreation,
or Boys and Girls Club, the YMCAs, and roll out programs with boys and girls of all age,
regardless of experience, age, race, background, financial status,
(29:08):
what have you, and have them start playing this game, this wonderful game,
and then take those skills and translate them into a league,
I think you'll see the sport grow.
Nationwide? Nationwide, I really do. Yeah, I mean, and let's be honest,
doing this in Florida, which i think is growing and the
(29:28):
kids could do it in florida they could do it anywhere in this country because florida
has obviously got the worst weather for outdoor sports
right i think and that's why probably most of the stadiums are
indoors right and i think that's great and i think for the kids i mean they
need that you know i think sports kept my ass straight you know through growing
(29:49):
up and hanging out with the right people versus the bad people And I think doing
something like this is really just powerful and instills that,
you know, into them and teaches them also, you know, the respect and discipline
and everything else that they need. Yeah.
And I also just recently started working with ice hockey kids.
So while most of the kids I work with are boys and girls with little to no hockey playing experience,
(30:15):
I started to push into the ice hockey community, which is a really great skill
developer because the reality is these kids can only be on the ice for so long.
There's only so much ice available to practice, to play, what have you not.
So they have so much time when they're not on the ice to practice.
To burn off some more energy. So they can transition into floorball.
Sure, they can transition to floorball, ball hockey, which is basically the
(30:39):
same thing, and develop their skills while they're off the ice and play at a
highly competitive level.
And I've done some classes, and watching the ice hockey kids go on it is really,
really cool, really special.
And yeah, it helps them.
I had a group tell me last week, two weeks ago rather, that I had them go at
it for a good 90 minutes, and they said to me after the class, As I said,
(31:01):
we felt like we came together better as a team and we bonded together better
as a team because they were doing stuff off the ice as opposed to just on. That's awesome.
That's awesome. And that's huge. And I love the vision where it's going and
it's going to take a lot of work to obviously get there.
But when it does kick off, I think that's going to be huge.
(31:22):
And you're changing people's lives. That's the biggest thing is you're changing people's lives.
And I mean, I'm 38 years old. I still remember my little league coaches.
I still remember them in Newtown, Connecticut, you know, and they're still around,
you know, that's small town area, but they taught us so much to have fun.
(31:43):
And obviously you're going to get your ups and downs when you lose games and stuff like that.
But I think that's great that you're doing and you got a plan in place to grow it.
What would you say your biggest obstacle has been, you know,
be growing this? Like, what do you think your biggest obstacle has been and
maybe has set you back, but you're overcoming it? What do you think that would be?
(32:06):
One, finding space to play. There's only so much space to play in the Pacific Northwest.
Weather is not really conducive to playing outdoors for a good seven,
eight months out of the year.
You needed like an indoor type situation. Yeah, you know, I fight,
constantly fight for gym space, to rent gym space. and I'm dealing with that
right now with the league as
we speak, just trying to find a place where I can do consistent 10 weeks.
(32:30):
But tying into that is that since the sport is so unknown still and foreign
to a lot of families and boys and girls, I'm dealing with competition from other sports.
So mom and dad, the kid loves the sport, but he's already rolled in basketball.
So when basketball season is in, then they'll play.
(32:50):
Same thing with soccer. soccer one thing about the
pacific northwest that a lot of people don't know is that soccer was
uncommon 25 years ago and then the seattle sounders came
out there which you wouldn't think would be a hotbed in the northwest but soccer
is massive over there it's like the nfl yeah and they were just granted games
for the next world cup in seattle at lumen field where the seahawks play so
(33:13):
wow so there's so many soccer leagues out there now and there's an there's a.
I can plug them. It's all cool. They have a company called Little Kickers where
they have kids playing soccer at a really early age, transform them into a more
advanced level, and then they go and play in leagues.
And that's kind of similar to what I see, a similar model where I can get boys
(33:35):
and girls starting off with the skill development, going to a little more advanced
program, and then hopping into a league and playing competitively.
So do you think the reason why you're not getting gym space because they have
basketball and all the other different things going on yes yeah there's no hockey
rinks for kids to play on and anywhere really really anywhere yeah i mean there's
(33:56):
there's nothing you know even ice hockey we don't have a whole lot of ranks
i bet you the state of florida probably has what.
Less than 10 rinks where it could where
you could go to right well when i used to
live in south florida i ran the south florida
inline hockey league in western florida and there was
three rinks there alone at the well that's a lot yeah it's a lot yeah i mean
(34:18):
at the ymca and that back then was tied in with the florida panthers and so
with the ymca but there are definitely more rinks here than there is there gotcha
because you know obviously the lightning have been here since since 93,
Panthers since 94.
So hockey's grown so much over the last 30 years.
So there's more access to it here in South Florida than there is in Seattle at the current moment.
(34:42):
I bet you if the NFL, excuse me, the NHL, if the NHL backs this,
and you know how the NFL does have a program with the kids and they get to meet
the players and stuff like that, I think it will grow exponentially. I think it will.
I, 1,000. Even just a little taste, you know?
Yeah. Because when the kids do the class, they absolutely love it.
(35:03):
They, they want more. They tell mom and dad, they want more.
You know, when I do a class in the free PE class in the gym,
they literally take that flyer home and.
Mommy, daddy, look at you. Yeah. I mean, this, I, I'm doing a program in Linwood
right now and did a free PE class. We will only do one class.
We sold out the class in 24 hours. So we actually had to open up a second class,
(35:26):
which is almost near to full capacity as well.
So when you, when you strike the iron while it's hot, if you will,
and you have something set up in place for them to go to, then they want more.
And that's what I want to do with the league.
So once the kids finish a incredible six, eight week class at a,
at a school parks and rec, Hey, here's a leak now for you guys to play on.
(35:49):
And hopefully we can get a rink out there for them because, like you said,
there's a million basketball courts, there's a million soccer fields, football fields.
Skate parks, and there's so much money out there and so many big businesses
out there and there's no excuse not to have one, not to have two,
not to have three as community initiatives.
(36:12):
That's awesome. That's awesome.
Sal, you have a great story. I know it's just kind of getting started.
I mean, just like any other business It just takes time to grow it.
And I know this is more than just a business for you. This is your passion.
You could see it all over. You have your hockey stick right here.
And, you know, and I think it's a really great thing. And, you know, just keep it going.
(36:35):
And, you know, just like anything else, you're going to have setbacks.
But you know what? Yeah. That's just a learning opportunity.
Yeah. You know, I just want to give back the childhood that I was afforded on
Long Island because I had an incredible childhood playing hockey.
And I made a ton of friends over the years. People that I'm still friends with.
To this very day. So if I can give that to kids in the Northwest and maybe someday
(36:57):
in South Florida and beyond and grow this program and scale it into other states and regions,
yeah, we'll, you know, you'll see tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands
of happy kids playing this sport.
And that would definitely be my post playing legacy, if you will,
that if I can leave something something behind, that would be it. I love it. Love it.
(37:19):
Yeah. So if you guys are in the PNW area, right.
And I'm sure you might have connections down here or anywhere in the country.
Sal's a great person to reach out to. This is his biggest passion and he's doing a great job with it.
And he's a great coach. And I could tell by his skill sets with the hockey stick
(37:40):
earlier that he could definitely teach the kids and how to get better and all
those different things. So So that's awesome.
So if somebody wanted to get more information, why don't you share with everybody
the different ways they could contact you?
Yeah, basically they can go on either one of my, my Facebook page,
the Facebook business page. They can send me a direct message there.
They can go to my Instagram page, do the same thing there.
(38:02):
Or they can basically just contact me at my phone number, which is 425-420-0685.
I have parents that text me all the time. I'm out of the blue asking me more
about- Yeah, right before we did this, so you were getting messages.
Yeah, I was getting a few messages. When are you coming home, Sal?
Yeah, I actually have a big event on the 24th when I get back and that's a drop-in
(38:25):
event, but I have people asking me about that event and what have you now.
So yeah, so Facebook, Instagram, basically by my phone number,
I answer my text messages all the time.
And as you know, being successful in your business.
I answer my text messages. Oh, yeah. You know.
And there might be people out there, honestly, that might be kind of,
you know, I know I was when I was asking questions about, you know, roller hockey.
(38:47):
I'm like, my son doesn't know anything about hockey except for we play Xbox
and he whoops my butt every single time we play, right?
So I think that's a great open line of communication.
Parents out there, if you have questions or concerns or anything,
just reach out to Sal and, you know, you could go look at his page and you could
see the different events that they do and stuff like that and get your kids
(39:08):
out there, you know, being stuck behind the Xbox and stuff like that.
I know it's reality and what world we live in, but even if they could just get
some energy and learn some skill sets and have fun while doing,
I think that's a great thing.
Yeah. You know, once they get out there, Matt, they forget about their laptop.
They forget about their iPad. They really do. Oh yeah, I know.
(39:29):
They instantaneously forget about all that and they go out there and they play
and they kick butt and they have a blast and parents love it because the kids go home.
And they're sweating and they're tired. And they're petered out.
And they're petered out. And mom and dad are like so thrilled that that kid
is going to go to bed and fall asleep without any problem whatsoever. Right.
Well, Cy, I appreciate you. And again, thank you everybody who has watched and listened.
(39:53):
Again, this episode is sponsored by Emerald City Floorball.
And I look forward to doing more of these. And then I also talked to Sal before
this that we are going to do a follow-up on this in a year from now,
or maybe sooner when you come down on your progress
and everything and definitely reach out and thank you
everybody if you haven't make sure you share this episode with your
(40:14):
friends family and co-workers get the kids out there get the kids out there
if they're inspired whether it's chess hockey football whatever it might be
is get them out there because it's it's definitely a life-changing experience
for everybody and they'll never forget it so everybody thanks for to listen
to Beyond the Blueprint.
(40:34):
You've been listening to Beyond the Blueprint with Matt.
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Helping to show you there's always a way forward.
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(40:56):
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this is beyond the blueprint with matt whether you're seeking to unlock the
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(00:24):
and coaching you're in the right place helping to educate and motivate you through
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(00:46):
This is Beyond the Blueprint with Matt, and now your host, Matt Sochi.
All right, welcome to Beyond the Blueprint.
My name is Matt Sochi. I'm your host today, and I have a good friend with me
today, Sal Ibellito. How are you, buddy?
Hey, Matt. How's it going? Thanks for having me, man. Besides the weather,
(01:07):
you brought Seattle with you. Yes, I brought the Pacific Northwest with us, yeah.
Today, we have an exciting episode. We are actually going to have a conversation
with Sal here, who I've known for the last couple of years. I think we met through a Facebook group.
Yeah, pretty much. I think I met Melissa first, and then she introduced me to
you, and then off and running.
(01:29):
Awesome, awesome. Yeah, I remember then. Last year, we actually got to meet,
and we got to go to the DeSantis rally, which was a lot of fun,
and we got to go to an Everblades game.
Yeah, the Blades game was a blast. Can't beat that, right? Can never go wrong
going to an Everblades ECHL hockey game. That's it.
So Sal has a very, very extensive background in hockey and just really excited
(01:53):
to hear about your story and just really, you know, what you're doing out there,
which I think is a really awesome thing, especially with the kids.
And I can relate to that as my son is into roller hockey here in Naples, Florida.
So excited to hear about that. So this episode is sponsored by Emerald City Floor Ball.
All right. So very excited. That's one of South's companies up in the PNW area, which what is PNW?
(02:19):
PNW just stands for Pacific Northwest. All right. Is that just Washington or is that?
No, that really encompasses all of Washington, Oregon, and really parts of like Idaho and Montana.
So mostly identified with Washington and Oregon though. Okay.
Okay. I think in my head, sometimes when I see PNW, I'm like Seattle.
(02:39):
Yeah. Yeah. Well, when you, when somebody says PNW, the first thing that people
think of is Seattle, but you know, but the PNW encompasses that whole region of the country.
Awesome. Well, we're excited to have you here and thank you for taking the time
out of your day before you leave to come to the show.
So Sal, tell us a little bit about your story, a little bit about yourself and
(03:00):
how you kind of got started with things and maybe where you grew up and and et cetera.
Yeah, I mean, so, you know, I grew up on Long Island, New York,
and for my Long Island people, on Long Island, New York, not in Long Island.
So, yeah, so, but I grew up on Long Island, New York, and I became a hockey fan at a very early age.
You know, I was fortunate enough to be a New York Islander fan.
(03:22):
And for people who don't know the New York Islanders, they had won four Stanley
Cups in the early 1980s. And I basically became a hockey fan from that point
on, really up until this very day.
What age were you when you kind of gravitated towards hockey and said,
this is my sport, I love this sport?
Once they actually won the Stanley Cup, which was, like I said,
was really back in 1980, 80, I started really becoming a huge hockey fan and
(03:46):
loved the game and started playing in the street and got more involved in just
being a part of the sport.
Yeah. I think, you know, I'm from Connecticut and a lot of people know that.
I still remember going back to my youth. We had a place called Ram's Pasture
and every year they still do the Christmas lighting with the tree.
When we're up there for my brother's wedding, we actually got to catch a glimpse
(04:07):
of it and they had a pond on there.
And that's where we used to actually play hockey. And it was a lot of fun as
kids, you know, everyone just getting out there.
And it's a lot different, obviously, in the world that we live in today,
where technology, unfortunately, has taken over life.
So being in the sports and stuff like that, I think that's really awesome.
So Long Island. So how long did you live there for?
(04:30):
Basically from birth until I was about 30 years old.
Okay. And then what What happened? I actually moved to South Florida.
I always had a passion for hockey and I wanted to work in the business.
So I moved in 1999, like late 1999, and I went to broadcasting school in Fort Lauderdale.
And I wanted to get into the broadcasting business and as a hockey announcer, if you will.
(04:52):
So ironically, I moved out in 1999, went to the Connecticut School of Broadcasting, ironically.
Does that have something to do with ESPN? Only because I know ESPN is out of
Connecticut. No, actually, this place was called the Connecticut School of Broadcasting.
They had locations in Connecticut, New York, Florida at the time.
So I don't know if they're still in business or not, but I'm pretty sure they are.
(05:15):
But yeah, I went to the Connecticut School of Broadcasting and I wanted to get
into the business. So that's how I wound up in Florida.
Okay. Did you go to college or anything? I did not. No, no. I just went to some
community college on Long Island.
You know, I wasn't really positively sure what I really wanted to do.
I just knew that I loved hockey and that was ingrained in me,
(05:36):
like I said, since I was eight or nine years old.
I think a lot of the kids, at least these days and mine own too,
is they don't know what they want to do.
You know? And so it sounds like you took that passion of hockey and you wanted
to bring it to the next level, right?
Yeah, absolutely. You know, and you're right. There's a lot of kids,
you know, 15, 20, 25 that don't know what they want to do because there's so
(06:02):
many options out there, especially today.
There's more options than ever, but I always knew hockey was a part of my life.
And so, you know, ironically, I had applied for jobs after I went to broadcasting school.
Didn't get any of them. And then the funniest thing happened.
Funny story. I'm working at the Home Depot in Coral Springs,
Florida, and I'm in the flooring department.
(06:23):
And the guy comes in and I recognize him.
He's the assistant coach at that time of the Florida Panthers. All right.
Talked to his wife and go, I played a little coy there. And I'm like,
your husband looks awfully familiar. And she's like, yeah, he's a hockey coach.
And then she introduced me to him. His name was George Kingston at the time.
He was the first head coach of the San Jose Sharks of the NHL back in the early 90s.
(06:44):
So she introduced me to George and we connected and I told him what I was doing.
And I'm like, could you connect me with some people with the team?
And lo and behold, he did.
And about six months later, I got an internship with the team.
And that's how I got my first foot in the door. Wow.
Awesome. For the Florida Panthers out of all of them, right?
I've been to one game, great stadium. And I don't know if it was different back
(07:07):
then or the same, but it was awesome.
And I remember taking Jace, I believe it was for his Christmas present.
And we stayed at the hotel, I guess, and I don't go to malls or anything like
that, but by the mall. Sawgrass. Right.
Cross street. Yep. So we were there and I had no clue, even though I played
it off like I did, that the Tampa Bay Lightning was staying there.
(07:29):
And I guess that's where the away teams stay at that hotel.
So we get there and there's all these stanchions. my brain triggers and goes
there's the leggings here so we go up to the room walk around the property a
little bit and all of a sudden.
Stamp co comes out and point and jace is
ball and i'm and i didn't really recognize them you
(07:50):
know i'm not a huge hockey fan i love the sport i don't
know as much you know players and stuff like that he like
starts crying and i'm like what's wrong man he goes that's point
and that's coaching and the buses started coming up
and that was such a cool moment and then we
got to go to the stadium and man what a great place you go
out to the what was it like before you
(08:10):
get in there's a lot of of vendors out there and yep and great
stadium just i loved it
yeah it's a beautiful stadium and one of the things i like about that
arena in particular it's really easy to get in and out of like oh yeah it's
on the edge of the sawgrass mill so there's 20 if there's 20 000 people there
you're pretty much in parkin's easy getting out of that place is easy but back
(08:32):
to jace real quick you know i was jace 30 years ago so i used to be blown away
when i lived on long island,
Yeah, the Nassau Coliseum here, and then right across the parking lot was the
hotel where the players stayed.
And me and my friends used to go there and track the players down,
and I would do the same thing for Yaramir Yager.
Oh my God, this is Yaramir Yager, Brett Hull, Ray Bork.
(08:54):
Wayne Gretzky. Wayne Gretzky, yeah, Wayne Gretzky. You know,
Wayne Gretzky was one of the very few you can ever get your hands on because...
He was so popular, they snuck him out the back door. So him and Mario Lemieux,
the two greatest players that ever lived, they would sneak out of the back door.
So you didn't really get access to them, but you basically got access to every
other hockey superstar on the planet at that time.
And so I was Jace 30 years ago, and I would just be so giddy and try to get
(09:17):
autographs and what have you not.
And so I can definitely relate to that childhood when our kids see a hockey
player today, and they're just blown away and just overwhelmed.
And I think they're way cooler than football players.
The hockey players are pretty cool. And you can always tell because they have
no teeth. Some of them are missing them.
But the hockey players, you know, they were like, hey, waving, shaking hands.
(09:39):
We didn't have anything to sign, but just really good people,
which sometimes people might not expect because how rough and physical the sport is.
But just great people. So you went there. So what was your, like,
how long were you there for?
And would you end up here? I actually was there from, wow.
2002 to 2013. I started off as an intern and then I applied for jobs within
(10:04):
the team that I kept getting passed over.
But then one year I was simultaneously asked to do two different jobs.
So I was offered a job with the NHL as an off ice official.
And then Fox Sports Florida wanted to hire me as a statistician.
So my job was to be up in the press box, watch the game and give not only the
broadcasters, but the production trucks downstairs, real life stats as they
(10:30):
were happening. So I had a headset on just like I do now.
I was talking to the production truck. The talent was basically right to my right.
And I would pass over flashcards or post-it notes with real life stats as they were happening.
And then they would basically take that stat and put the graphic on the television
for the viewing audience. Wow. How cool is that?
One of the best jobs I've ever had. And then you got to meet all the people
(10:52):
and go to all the games, right?
Not only that, but I got to work for the visiting teams about 85% of the time.
So I got to meet so many cool teams and production crews and broadcasters.
So I made relationships with quite a few people I still have a little bit of
contact with to this very day, like Boston and Washington, D.C.
(11:15):
And the New Jersey Devils, the Islanders. And so it was a lot of fun working
for all the different teams because you just got the perspective of the different
broadcasters and what have you not.
I'll say the Devils fans, they're wild.
My roommate, he died hard, Brian Croke.
He lives up in Buffalo now, but that was my first playoff game.
(11:35):
And I think they were playing the Rangers and that stadium is just wild.
And I think that was a tipping point for me. So living in Danbury,
I think we had the triple 18, the Mad Hatters, I think they were called.
And we, cause we could walk there literally from our house and that was a really good experience.
But then going to an NHL game, man, it blows your mind just how different and
(11:58):
the energy in there is. because it sounds cool that you get to experience all those things.
Yeah, especially when the Rangers and Devils get together or the Rangers and
Islanders get together.
You know, there's quite the rivalry between the fans and the teams itself.
So, yeah, it's pretty intense. And then, as you might know, a playoff game is
just a completely different atmosphere.
(12:19):
No matter who's in the playoffs, you can be in Florida and they could be playing
New Jersey and there's 20,000 people and the atmosphere is 10 times different
than a regular season game. So, and I had the honor of doing some playoff games,
working for the New Jersey Devils when they played the Panthers way back in 2013.
And it's, it's a different animal and so much fun. Oh, yeah.
(12:40):
I wish there were more people that got involved in hockey. I think the biggest
thing is that it's so fast that they can't focus where the puck is.
Even me, I'm like, where's the puck? Where's the puck? Where's the puck? Where's the puck?
But once you get the concept of everything and how it works,
I mean, it makes more sense.
Just like, you know, I'm sure during the Super Bowl, there were a lot of people
out there like, what's a first down? You know what I mean?
But once you understand it and the speed of the game, I mean,
(13:02):
it's just incredible, you know, all the things that go on with it. So-
Now you're in Seattle. Yes. So tell me a little bit about what got you from
South Florida, you know, doing stuff with the Panthers and then the career with
that and then going to Seattle.
Well, I always had a fascination with Seattle only because my uncle moved there
(13:29):
from Brooklyn to the greater Seattle area back in like the early 1970s.
So that's my mom's brother. So, you know, while everybody else was living in
New York or Florida, you know, doing a traditional thing, my uncle was kind
of like the oddball, if you will. And he was living in Seattle.
So he's had a interest in the Pacific Northwest.
And then basically what happened was in 1999, I met Wendy, who is my spouse, met her online.
(13:55):
Funny thing on AOL of all places.
Way before, you know, you had a dating apps way before match.com and what have you not.
I always kick myself in the butt, if you will, like, man, we should have started
one of those dating apps and we'd have a house in every corner of the country,
but met her online and she was living in Seattle with her brother.
(14:16):
And so we just got to talking and then she came out to meet me.
And then I went out to meet her, lived in Seattle for about a year in 1999,
and then dragged her butt across the country back to Florida.
And then in 2013, we made the plunge and went back to Pacific Northwest.
West. So let's just keep in mind, that's a lot of miles.
So yeah, what is it about 6,000 miles?
(14:38):
It's about like 35, 3,700.
Yeah, man. I don't do things easy.
This flight alone is, you know, five, five and a half hours on way six, six and a half back.
And I've made 10 trips back and forth between Seattle and Florida the last shoot
the last four or five years alone because my family's here and what have you. So.
All right. Awesome. I mean, so that's, that's the story. And now you're here back in Florida.
(15:01):
Yeah. I, you know, again, I have a lot of friends here, you know,
you're my friend, you know, my mom and dad are still here, you know,
spread out across different places of the state, you know, a lot of friends
and connections and contacts and what have you not.
So, you know, I come back two to three times a year.
So I get on a plane and yeah, visit you guys.
There you go. At least you get to spend some time and you usually come at the
(15:24):
good times. I I mean, today's kind of a Seattle day, but, you know, it's okay.
So tell us a little bit about your business with the floorball.
Yeah, so, you know, living out in Seattle...
I had always known at the time, even though it wasn't official,
that they were going to get a professional hockey team, which in 2018,
they were granted the Seattle Kraken, which is the 32nd NHL franchise.
(15:48):
And if you ever have an opportunity to get out to Seattle, Washington,
go to a Seattle Kraken game.
The atmosphere is amazing. The arena is freaking amazing.
They do everything right. But I knew they were getting a team and there wasn't
really any hockey out there. They had a hardcore base of fans,
but there was nobody really doing any programs for kids, especially off the ice.
(16:11):
It's a lot different on the East Coast. You got tens of thousands of kids playing
ball hockey out there, and there's rinks all over the place.
But it was foreign in the Pacific Northwest.
So what's ball hockey? So just
to explain to listeners, what's ball hockey versus floor hockey? Sure.
Ball hockey is basically ice hockey without the skates, without the ice,
(16:33):
and without the heavy equipment, and without the body tracking.
So it's a very fast and competitive sport.
We play in a full rink just like you do in ice hockey.
Very fast, very physical, very talented.
But it's basically ice hockey without the skates and without the ice.
(16:54):
Guys and keep in mind like these ranks i mean it's
almost like a football field not quite as big but i mean it's it's big like
our son the first time we took him when he got into you know roller hockey i
was like are they gonna cut the rink in half i was like man that's a lot of
skating they're gonna peter out and they're not doing subs like you know every
30 seconds you know it's they're out there for a couple minutes at a time and they're gassed out,
(17:17):
So running, I could only imagine, you know, running that's, that's all stamina
and muscle at that point. You're not gliding or anything like that.
No, it's not like ice hockey. You can't get away with a crappy shift in ball hockey.
If you're not running, your coach knows it. If you're not running,
your teammates know it. And you're going to hear it when you get back to the
(17:38):
bench. So it is definitely a different animal.
And you're right about that rink in Naples.
It's a big, big rink. Yeah. Regulation size for ball hockey is a little shorter
than that, but it's still a lot of running.
And yeah, it's a grind, but it's a fun grind.
So you started your Emerald City when?
(17:58):
So I started Emerald City Floorball in 2019.
Ironically, three months before the pandemic. I started doing some drop-in classes
and I was reaching out to community pages, just trying to introduce the sports
to boys and girls of any age or background.
Around didn't really matter and i was getting about 35 kids
an event and i was like wow this was a green light
(18:20):
that i might be on to something and then the pandemic hit and that
kind of well in the pnw area you know
and yeah you know we won't get too much into it but you know everybody handled
the pandemic differently and the pnw was extremely different different and i'll
leave it at that because we all have different opinions on how everybody does
(18:42):
things but that did shut Shut me down for a good two years. Okay. I really did.
And it was a really frustrating time, but I kept going and doing an occasional
event here or there to anybody that would allow me to do it.
We had to wear masks, of course, for two years.
While playing hockey. Yeah. Yeah. While playing hockey. It was a little rough.
What's the name? Like, tell us about the name Emerald City. What does that mean?
(19:04):
Well, I wanted it to encompass the entire Pacific Northwest.
So Seattle is known as the Emerald City.
So that's where I got the word Emerald from. And then I just called it Emerald City Floorball.
Had people ask me, why don't you call it Seattle City Floor Ball?
And I'm like, well, that doesn't encompass an entire area.
And I wanted people to, I just wanted to be covering a more broad area in the
(19:30):
minds of people and not just have people think it was just in Seattle. Right.
So how'd you come up with like the whole idea?
Like, what was that moment where you're like, this, this could be something,
you know, big, you know, to help the youth and the kids and,
you know, all this stuff. Well, you know, I have a really good friend back in
New Jersey. His name is Anthony San Rocco.
(19:50):
He's in his early thirties and he started a ball hockey league about four years
ago for adults called the National Ball Hockey League.
And four years later, you have 180 teams around the United States.
They have sponsors. It's in tie with USA Ball Hockey.
The finals actually get broadcasted on NHL Network. work
(20:11):
so i actually came out
of retirement back in 2020 to play
ball hockey for the first time in over 20 years wow and so i played on a team
in seattle called the seattle cold snacks and we had a division in pacific northwest
so we were competing against other teams in our area and a few teams in portland
(20:31):
because you travel i mean there's sometimes you're in this seems like the northeast East.
So, yeah. So what happened? Or taking a ferry somewhere.
Well, so Seattle doesn't have many ranks or really any ranks.
The only rank where we have in the greater Seattle area is on an island called
Bainbridge Island, which is beautiful.
But you got to take the ferry over there. So you got to drive to Seattle in
(20:52):
the morning, get up at like 435 o'clock in the morning, get to the ferry at
like six, jump on the 615, 620 ferry, and then get out to the island.
And that's where we would play most of our games. So the little travel in there,
and then we play a whole block of games in Portland.
So we would have to do weekend trips and play a bunch of games in Portland,
(21:13):
sometimes three or four in the weekend.
And then when you, when you division, you have the right to go to Philadelphia
to play in the nationals.
So that's why you've seen me in Philadelphia each of the last three Septembers
playing in the national ball hockey championships since we had one on division.
Okay. Awesome. Why, why do you think the area doesn't have more ranks?
I'm almost curious for here as well. Why is there not more?
(21:35):
You see 400 baseball fields or softball fields, which are not necessary.
Pickleball, they need to definitely add more of that here because it seems like that's the sport.
But I always think Jace wanted to play ice hockey, and it's all the way in Fort Myers.
And yeah, that's not far. But if you're dealing with traffic at 4 o'clock,
actually, we just came home from Blue Ridge. It was backed up from Immokalee
(22:01):
Road to Hertz Arena at three o'clock in the afternoon. Like I'd be like, it's impossible.
Right. So why do you think some of these towns or cities or states,
why do you think it's not a bigger thing?
I just think the concept hasn't reached enough people yet. I still think it's
really foreign to a lot of people. Oh, hockey and sneakers.
(22:21):
What the hell is that? You know, people don't really know.
So there's just not enough awareness out there
it's not like northeast where you again you have
tens you go to your local pond and you could throw game up
you know yeah yeah so it's i think for like
the greater seattle area it's still a relatively unknown concept and then same
thing in lots of areas of south florida it's it's just the concept of hockey
(22:47):
and sneakers for adults or kids is relatively unknown so i think that's the
only thing you're really dealing you know it's crazy like Thank you.
I could even think back to when I was in elementary school and living in Connecticut.
And I remember like my favorite part of gym was, hey, guys, we're going to play floor hockey.
Right. And we have those plastic, flimsy red and blue sticks.
(23:09):
And that was fun. And I know Jace now, even in sixth grade and going through
elementary school, they still do that.
Right. So it is a thing as part of the scholastic side of things at school.
But when it comes to i'm trying
to remember when jace was like i want to play floor hockey or roller
hockey and it started with getting you know
the rotor blades and everything else but man it went
(23:31):
from like nothing that i even knew he was somewhat interested in
to like he's pumped up you know
like and it boggles my mind that
this is not a bigger thing than what
it could be yeah and it sounds like you have
to be the voice to get the
word out there and to be able to to grow it a great sport that's not only good
(23:54):
for your you know your your health and physicality but it's just you're outside
where you are i mean you're in the outdoors too yeah uh your physical health
mental health the game of hockey will teach you so many lessons.
Lessons um so yeah you're right it's just
the sport will teach you so much it taught
(24:14):
me a lot even playing in my sneakers for 25 years
you know competing at a high level and
learning how to lose you know learning how to win i'll tell you when the kids
lose i never see so many helmets and tears in my life and of course i mean this
is like peewee level you know and i the passion but but it does teach them so
(24:36):
much. It teaches them the discipline.
And I think that's a big thing too. It teaches you that.
You know, comparable to life that things aren't always going to get,
go your way. You're going to lose games. You're going to lose tough games.
I've lost championships in overtime, traveling on the road that will actually
soul crushing. And when I was younger, I didn't know how to handle it either.
(24:57):
I would take the stick and crack it over me and have tantrums and break it over the boards.
And now you can't do it because these sticks are like 200 bucks.
Right. So, you know, you really can't do that anymore.
You know, apparently get pretty pissed off if their kid took a stick and hammered
it it over the boards because he was frustrated because he had a bad shift.
So what's your, like, so you're doing good things. And if you guys haven't,
(25:20):
you can follow Sal on Facebook and Instagram.
How can they find you? Yeah, they can find me actually at Emerald City Floorball
on both Facebook and Instagram.
So I have a Facebook business page and then I have a page on Instagram.
And I always see the pictures where the kids are always happy and excited.
So with your program, so how, like, how is it ran? Is it ran after school, weekends?
(25:43):
Camps so basically it is for the most part right
now it's an after-school enrichment program so i will
go into a school after like i said like directly
after the bell rings and i'll do a class roughly
from 3 30 to 4 30 like a one hour class kids actually have to sign up for it
so i work in conjunction with the schools directly with the schools mostly with
(26:04):
the pta boards and so we organize the class we set up the registration and all
that we do a little bit of marketing i do a a free PE class to market the class to the kids. Oh, cool.
And so, yeah, I'll go in for like one day and I'll... Like during,
while they're in school.
Yeah, during an actual normal school day, I'll actually go in there and do one
free PE class. And what we'll do is we'll...
(26:25):
The class will already be set up. So we'll get the kids flyers to take home
in their backpacks with the QR code.
Mom, dad, this was incredible. I wanted to play.
Scan the QR code. Boom, they sign up. Now, do they play actual games or is it
kind of like scrimmage, learning, teaching, and then maybe that's the next level?
Well, I believe the thing that kids want to do most and have is play.
(26:49):
And so what I do do is I teach them skills. skills i spend the first half of
the class doing skill development whether it's passing shooting.
Stick handling i'll make it a little fun i'll
mix it up i'll do some relay races i'll do some target shooting and then usually
the last 25 minutes of the class i'll break them up into two teams and scrimmage
the scrimmage they love that they love it at the end of jace's they're always
(27:13):
about the scrimmage and it's like that's all they're waiting for you know as opposed to the drills,
but you need the drills and do the practice to get better.
So when you do scrimmage, et cetera, that it's, you know, they're developing at the same time.
So what's your vision with this, let's just say over the next five years?
You know, we've gotten to the point to where I really believe I have a model
(27:35):
that's scalable. I really do.
I want to give kids a place to go to after these classes.
So one of the things I run into right now is I do these incredible classes,
right? But when the session is
over, when the six or eight week session is over, they have nowhere to go.
They have nowhere else to let their energy burn.
So I have a partner now and we're starting our first ever kids street hockey
(28:01):
league called Cascade Street Hockey.
This is a program that is in conjunction with the National Hockey League and
their NHL street program that they're rolling out all across the country.
And then it is also supported by the Seattle Kraken Hockey Club.
So we're starting the first ever street hockey league. That's going to start somewhere in 2024.
(28:22):
Target is April or May. You know, if you ever started a league, it's a ton of work.
So we're, we're in a, well, if you start in any business, it's not work.
It really is. It really is. So we're doing all the unfun stuff right now,
like insurance and figuring out registration portals, getting websites set up,
finding places to play, which is a big challenge in the Northwest,
(28:44):
finding space that is consistent.
So, so yeah, I see this sport growing at exponential levels.
And if I could grow a program where I'm in schools and more parks and recreation,
or Boys and Girls Club, the YMCAs, and roll out programs with boys and girls of all age,
regardless of experience, age, race, background, financial status,
(29:08):
what have you, and have them start playing this game, this wonderful game,
and then take those skills and translate them into a league,
I think you'll see the sport grow.
Nationwide? Nationwide, I really do. Yeah, I mean, and let's be honest,
doing this in Florida, which i think is growing and the
(29:28):
kids could do it in florida they could do it anywhere in this country because florida
has obviously got the worst weather for outdoor sports
right i think and that's why probably most of the stadiums are
indoors right and i think that's great and i think for the kids i mean they
need that you know i think sports kept my ass straight you know through growing
(29:49):
up and hanging out with the right people versus the bad people And I think doing
something like this is really just powerful and instills that,
you know, into them and teaches them also, you know, the respect and discipline
and everything else that they need. Yeah.
And I also just recently started working with ice hockey kids.
So while most of the kids I work with are boys and girls with little to no hockey playing experience,
(30:15):
I started to push into the ice hockey community, which is a really great skill
developer because the reality is these kids can only be on the ice for so long.
There's only so much ice available to practice, to play, what have you not.
So they have so much time when they're not on the ice to practice.
To burn off some more energy. So they can transition into floorball.
Sure, they can transition to floorball, ball hockey, which is basically the
(30:39):
same thing, and develop their skills while they're off the ice and play at a
highly competitive level.
And I've done some classes, and watching the ice hockey kids go on it is really,
really cool, really special.
And yeah, it helps them.
I had a group tell me last week, two weeks ago rather, that I had them go at
it for a good 90 minutes, and they said to me after the class, As I said,
(31:01):
we felt like we came together better as a team and we bonded together better
as a team because they were doing stuff off the ice as opposed to just on. That's awesome.
That's awesome. And that's huge. And I love the vision where it's going and
it's going to take a lot of work to obviously get there.
But when it does kick off, I think that's going to be huge.
(31:22):
And you're changing people's lives. That's the biggest thing is you're changing people's lives.
And I mean, I'm 38 years old. I still remember my little league coaches.
I still remember them in Newtown, Connecticut, you know, and they're still around,
you know, that's small town area, but they taught us so much to have fun.
(31:43):
And obviously you're going to get your ups and downs when you lose games and stuff like that.
But I think that's great that you're doing and you got a plan in place to grow it.
What would you say your biggest obstacle has been, you know,
be growing this? Like, what do you think your biggest obstacle has been and
maybe has set you back, but you're overcoming it? What do you think that would be?
(32:06):
One, finding space to play. There's only so much space to play in the Pacific Northwest.
Weather is not really conducive to playing outdoors for a good seven,
eight months out of the year.
You needed like an indoor type situation. Yeah, you know, I fight,
constantly fight for gym space, to rent gym space. and I'm dealing with that
right now with the league as
we speak, just trying to find a place where I can do consistent 10 weeks.
(32:30):
But tying into that is that since the sport is so unknown still and foreign
to a lot of families and boys and girls, I'm dealing with competition from other sports.
So mom and dad, the kid loves the sport, but he's already rolled in basketball.
So when basketball season is in, then they'll play.
(32:50):
Same thing with soccer. soccer one thing about the
pacific northwest that a lot of people don't know is that soccer was
uncommon 25 years ago and then the seattle sounders came
out there which you wouldn't think would be a hotbed in the northwest but soccer
is massive over there it's like the nfl yeah and they were just granted games
for the next world cup in seattle at lumen field where the seahawks play so
(33:13):
wow so there's so many soccer leagues out there now and there's an there's a.
I can plug them. It's all cool. They have a company called Little Kickers where
they have kids playing soccer at a really early age, transform them into a more
advanced level, and then they go and play in leagues.
And that's kind of similar to what I see, a similar model where I can get boys
(33:35):
and girls starting off with the skill development, going to a little more advanced
program, and then hopping into a league and playing competitively.
So do you think the reason why you're not getting gym space because they have
basketball and all the other different things going on yes yeah there's no hockey
rinks for kids to play on and anywhere really really anywhere yeah i mean there's
(33:56):
there's nothing you know even ice hockey we don't have a whole lot of ranks
i bet you the state of florida probably has what.
Less than 10 rinks where it could where
you could go to right well when i used to
live in south florida i ran the south florida
inline hockey league in western florida and there was
three rinks there alone at the well that's a lot yeah it's a lot yeah i mean
(34:18):
at the ymca and that back then was tied in with the florida panthers and so
with the ymca but there are definitely more rinks here than there is there gotcha
because you know obviously the lightning have been here since since 93,
Panthers since 94.
So hockey's grown so much over the last 30 years.
So there's more access to it here in South Florida than there is in Seattle at the current moment.
(34:42):
I bet you if the NFL, excuse me, the NHL, if the NHL backs this,
and you know how the NFL does have a program with the kids and they get to meet
the players and stuff like that, I think it will grow exponentially. I think it will.
I, 1,000. Even just a little taste, you know?
Yeah. Because when the kids do the class, they absolutely love it.
(35:03):
They, they want more. They tell mom and dad, they want more.
You know, when I do a class in the free PE class in the gym,
they literally take that flyer home and.
Mommy, daddy, look at you. Yeah. I mean, this, I, I'm doing a program in Linwood
right now and did a free PE class. We will only do one class.
We sold out the class in 24 hours. So we actually had to open up a second class,
(35:26):
which is almost near to full capacity as well.
So when you, when you strike the iron while it's hot, if you will,
and you have something set up in place for them to go to, then they want more.
And that's what I want to do with the league.
So once the kids finish a incredible six, eight week class at a,
at a school parks and rec, Hey, here's a leak now for you guys to play on.
(35:49):
And hopefully we can get a rink out there for them because, like you said,
there's a million basketball courts, there's a million soccer fields, football fields.
Skate parks, and there's so much money out there and so many big businesses
out there and there's no excuse not to have one, not to have two,
not to have three as community initiatives.
(36:12):
That's awesome. That's awesome.
Sal, you have a great story. I know it's just kind of getting started.
I mean, just like any other business It just takes time to grow it.
And I know this is more than just a business for you. This is your passion.
You could see it all over. You have your hockey stick right here.
And, you know, and I think it's a really great thing. And, you know, just keep it going.
(36:35):
And, you know, just like anything else, you're going to have setbacks.
But you know what? Yeah. That's just a learning opportunity.
Yeah. You know, I just want to give back the childhood that I was afforded on
Long Island because I had an incredible childhood playing hockey.
And I made a ton of friends over the years. People that I'm still friends with.
To this very day. So if I can give that to kids in the Northwest and maybe someday
(36:57):
in South Florida and beyond and grow this program and scale it into other states and regions,
yeah, we'll, you know, you'll see tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands
of happy kids playing this sport.
And that would definitely be my post playing legacy, if you will,
that if I can leave something something behind, that would be it. I love it. Love it.
(37:19):
Yeah. So if you guys are in the PNW area, right.
And I'm sure you might have connections down here or anywhere in the country.
Sal's a great person to reach out to. This is his biggest passion and he's doing a great job with it.
And he's a great coach. And I could tell by his skill sets with the hockey stick
(37:40):
earlier that he could definitely teach the kids and how to get better and all
those different things. So So that's awesome.
So if somebody wanted to get more information, why don't you share with everybody
the different ways they could contact you?
Yeah, basically they can go on either one of my, my Facebook page,
the Facebook business page. They can send me a direct message there.
They can go to my Instagram page, do the same thing there.
(38:02):
Or they can basically just contact me at my phone number, which is 425-420-0685.
I have parents that text me all the time. I'm out of the blue asking me more
about- Yeah, right before we did this, so you were getting messages.
Yeah, I was getting a few messages. When are you coming home, Sal?
Yeah, I actually have a big event on the 24th when I get back and that's a drop-in
(38:25):
event, but I have people asking me about that event and what have you now.
So yeah, so Facebook, Instagram, basically by my phone number,
I answer my text messages all the time.
And as you know, being successful in your business.
I answer my text messages. Oh, yeah. You know.
And there might be people out there, honestly, that might be kind of,
you know, I know I was when I was asking questions about, you know, roller hockey.
(38:47):
I'm like, my son doesn't know anything about hockey except for we play Xbox
and he whoops my butt every single time we play, right?
So I think that's a great open line of communication.
Parents out there, if you have questions or concerns or anything,
just reach out to Sal and, you know, you could go look at his page and you could
see the different events that they do and stuff like that and get your kids
(39:08):
out there, you know, being stuck behind the Xbox and stuff like that.
I know it's reality and what world we live in, but even if they could just get
some energy and learn some skill sets and have fun while doing,
I think that's a great thing.
Yeah. You know, once they get out there, Matt, they forget about their laptop.
They forget about their iPad. They really do. Oh yeah, I know.
(39:29):
They instantaneously forget about all that and they go out there and they play
and they kick butt and they have a blast and parents love it because the kids go home.
And they're sweating and they're tired. And they're petered out.
And they're petered out. And mom and dad are like so thrilled that that kid
is going to go to bed and fall asleep without any problem whatsoever. Right.
Well, Cy, I appreciate you. And again, thank you everybody who has watched and listened.
(39:53):
Again, this episode is sponsored by Emerald City Floorball.
And I look forward to doing more of these. And then I also talked to Sal before
this that we are going to do a follow-up on this in a year from now,
or maybe sooner when you come down on your progress
and everything and definitely reach out and thank you
everybody if you haven't make sure you share this episode with your
(40:14):
friends family and co-workers get the kids out there get the kids out there
if they're inspired whether it's chess hockey football whatever it might be
is get them out there because it's it's definitely a life-changing experience
for everybody and they'll never forget it so everybody thanks for to listen
to Beyond the Blueprint.
(40:34):
You've been listening to Beyond the Blueprint with Matt.
Matt's passion is to talk about breaking the mold and exploring the uncharted
territories of mortgages, real estate, faith, marketing, coaching, and so much more.
Helping to show you there's always a way forward.
Thanks so much for listening to the show. We hope you've enjoyed it.
(40:56):
If you did, it, make sure to like, rate, review, and subscribe.
We'll be back soon. But in the meantime, you can find us on YouTube and Facebook
and on all the major podcast channels at Beyond The Blueprint.
See you next time.
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I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Cold Case Files: Miami
Joyce Sapp, 76; Bryan Herrera, 16; and Laurance Webb, 32—three Miami residents whose lives were stolen in brutal, unsolved homicides.  Cold Case Files: Miami follows award‑winning radio host and City of Miami Police reserve officer  Enrique Santos as he partners with the department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, determined family members, and the advocates who spend their lives fighting for justice for the victims who can no longer fight for themselves.