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Brian McKenna is in his fifth season as Commissioner and was the creator and continues to be the driving force behind the ECHL’s identity as the Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League.
The ECHL raised its average attendance for the third straight year in 2005-06, averaging 4,372 per game which is an increase of more than nine percent from 2004-05 and the largest per-game average since 1999-2000. The league had six teams surpass 200,000 fans and nine teams averaged 5,000 per game for the first time since 1999-2000 as the league welcomed 39 sellout crowds and 13 of the 22 returning teams raised their average attendance from a year ago.
The league enjoyed its third consecutive successful postseason highlighted by Alaska selling out its last nine games in the playoffs, breaking its ECHL record of seven consecutive postseason sellouts set the previous year. The 2006 All-Star Game in Fresno again showcased the top young players in the ECHL as it was televised live on NHL Network and NHL Center Ice as well as being telecast on OLN.
McKenna oversaw the expansion of the ECHL to include six former west coast markets and three new teams in 2003-04, giving the league a national footprint and in 2006-07 the league welcomes the Cincinnati Cyclones and the Texas Wildcatters back to the ice.
The ECHL remains the leading source of talent for the American Hockey League and in 2005-06 the league had affiliations with 21 of the 27 teams in AHL and provided almost 80 percent of the AHL roster additions, clearly continuing to position the ECHL as the premier professional development league to the AHL and the NHL. This is consistent with the ECHL philosophy of providing fast-paced and affordable entertainment for its fans while providing a top-notch hockey environment for the best young players not in the AHL or NHL. In addition, the league just completed negotiations for a three-year extension of the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) bringing labor peace and an opportunity to work jointly with the PHPA to continue to grow the sport at the ‘AA’ level through the 2008-09 season.
McKenna continues to lead the ECHL through a period of transition as the league rationalizes markets along the lines of both geography and size. In 2005-06, the ECHL welcomed the Phoenix RoadRunners under the ownership of the Phoenix Suns group led by Robert Sarver and playing in America West Arena, the Stockton Thunder owned by Michael Reinsdorf and playing in the new Stockton Arena and the Utah Grizzlies owned by David Elmore and playing in The E Center, the hockey venue for the 2002 Winter Olympics. The ECHL boasts 15 arenas less than a decade old providing state-of-the-art facilities to showcase its on-ice product.
McKenna came to the ECHL Office from the Trenton Titans where he served as President and General Manager from the team's inception until prior to the 2002-03 season. He was named ECHL Executive of the Year following Trenton's inaugural season in 1999-2000, a season that saw the Titans average more than 7,000 fans per game during the regular season and advance to the Northern Conference Finals in the postseason.
Before he joined the Titans, McKenna was Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Carolina Monarchs in the American Hockey League, the AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers, who in 1997 set a single-game AHL attendance record of 20,672. Prior to joining the Monarchs, McKenna was the Director of Hockey Operations for the Ottawa Senators in the National Hockey League from 1992-94, including serving as Governor for the Senators' AHL franchise. Active in hockey since 1980 for numerous teams at various levels, McKenna was the Director of Sales for the Senators from 1990-92.
McKenna earned a bachelor's degree in business administration at the University of New Brunswick. A native of Prince Edward Island, Brian and his wife, Marlene, reside in New Jersey with their two children. | 