Fallen named new USHL President/Commissioner

CEDAR RAPIDS - Bob Fallen remembers the phone call.

His son, Tommy, was in his first season with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders but wasn't playing. With head coach Mark Carlson, you've got to earn your time on the ice.

That's a tough lesson for players to learn.

'He was giving his sport coat a tryout sitting up in the stands those first eight to 10 games,” Fallen said. 'My wife and I had a rule that we don't call him, he calls us. It was kind of nerveracking watching his stat line and realizing he wasn't playing. He called after two weeks and was a frustrated young man.”

Dad's response to his frustrated boy was direct.

'I just said ‘It's a little bit of tough love here, son, but the guy who controls your playing time is Coach Carlson. I suggest you call him,'” Bob Fallen said. 'It was one of those things where it was an evolution. He went to that league as a boy and came out a man, and I credit Mark and his coaching staff and all the great players in that league for turning him into a better hockey player, a much more complete hockey player than he was when he left home.”

Tommy Fallen went on to play two full seasons in Cedar Rapids (2009 through 2011), won a national championship at Yale in 2013 and will be the team's captain in 2014-15. Bob Fallen was officially introduced Monday as the new president and commissioner of the United States Hockey League, taking over for Skip Prince, who has stepped down after six years.

'It's a real privilege to follow in the footsteps of Skip and the others who helped build the foundation of what I consider to be the greatest junior league in the country,” Bob Fallen said in a media teleconference. 'Actually, in North America and the world, really.”

Fallen has an extensive hockey background. He most recently managed the United States trade marketing efforts for Reebok-CCM Hockey, the world's largest hockey equipment manufacturing company.

According to the USHL, his career in hockey also includes endeavors in retail and event venue graphics, magazine publishing, corporate sponsorship and event management. The league believes those experiences, as well as being the parent of a former player should be a boon.

'We need a strong commissioner who can be a consensus builder. Someone who brings people in the hockey world together, whether those people are corporate business partners, USA Hockey, the NHL or others.” said Brad Kwong, one of the owners of the Dubuque Fighting Saints and the internal chairman of the USHL's board of directors. 'We also saw a need for someone who could promote and tell the fantastic story that is the USHL. What better person to do that than someone who has lived and breathed the USHL as a parent, a business partner, an executive and an advocate of our league. Bob brings a depth of experience that really was unmatched by any other candidate.”

'I have had the privilege of being a part of this league as a member of the media, as a fan, a parent and as a sponsor partner,” Fallen said. 'I really look forward to getting the opportunity to build upon that foundation … It's just a real privilege to be part of a league that stands for what it does.”

Fallen was asked about other specific league subjects Monday. Below are his answers.

(On whether the league's partnership with the United States National Team Development Program will continue)

'That's a subject that we're obviously going to be talking about in great detail with our partners at USA Hockey. First and foremost, having the National Team Development Program as part of the USHL we consider to be a real asset. Obviously they are some of the best players throughout the United States. To have them play in the nation's only Tier I junior league is outstanding for us and a great opportunity for the kids playing for Team USA. We know that there are a number of different paths you can take to developing young players. Having the National Team Development Program as part of our league is important to us, and we look forward to expanding that relationship in the future.”

(On the future of fighting in the league)

'It's something we are taking into consideration with our player safety initiative and having lengthy discussions with our partners at USA Hockey. We've actually made some recommendations and continue to have those discussions as far as what to do now and in the future. It should be noted that the USHL has been working on the player safety initiative, with fighting as a component of it, for quite a few years now. The level of fighting in our league has actually decreased dramatically in recent years to the lowest amount in any junior league in North America.

'As far as where I stand on it personally … you know that Tommy Fallen is not a fighter.”

(On the possibility of more league expansion. Madison, Wis., and Bloomington, Ill., will field teams in the 2014-15 season while Indiana will go dormant while it seeks a solution to its arena problem.)

'That's a fair question. I will tell you I want to be careful, as leader of the United States Hockey League, in considering expansion. Expansion comes with a lot of potential pitfalls. The key to me would be the dilution of talent. We want to be very careful. It's not just about the depth of player talent but also the depth of coaching and officiating and having the right type of market in the United States Hockey League.”

(On whether there will be an increase in the number of foreign players each team will be allowed to have. Right now, that number is three.)

'Those are some of the things we are going to look at. Those are part and parcel of some of the things we are discussing at the USA Hockey annual congress coming up later this week and at our board meetings. Those are all matters we are considering.”

(General feelings on the USHL and its fanbase.)

'Being through the league now as a parent, it gives me a greater appreciation for all the work done at the team level. The billet families, the community involvement to get behind these teams, the fan engagement. I went down a couple of weeks ago to the Clark Cup final game and was reminded of the tenor of the Waterloo crowd. It felt good being there without a Cedar Rapids jacket on because it can get testy sometimes because the fan bases are extremely passionate about their clubs. It's everything pro hockey is without paying the players. It's an incredible experience, an incredible development model for kids.”

'To those of us who watch hockey, look no further than what we saw last night with Alec Martinez and Patrick Sharp. Former USHL players who battled to win for the right to win the Stanley Cup. Alec played in Cedar Rapids, Patrick in Thunder Bay. It's all about the American development model. We consider the USHL to be the absolute lynchpin step in that path for developing players.”

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