- 1 day ago
Zach Leonsis joins the show to discuss the Capitals and Wizards seasons and talk about a future basketball rebrand and Alexander Ovechkin statue.
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00:00Right now, we're going to jump on the Rude Guest Hotline and talk to our friend, Zach Liotts.
00:04Zach, what's up, man? How you been?
00:06What's up, JP? How you doing, Brian?
00:08What's up, man?
00:09I like that track you guys had. That was an old-school throwback.
00:13Oh, yeah, it was.
00:14How many people in the audience remember that song?
00:17Jeff plays it a fair amount during hoop season, but as far as people that remember when it came out,
00:23that's probably pretty slim.
00:25Very slim.
00:27Bring it back. I'm glad you're playing it.
00:28If you're listening to us, we've got Zach Liotts joining us.
00:32If you're watching us on Monumental Sports Network, you can watch Zach joining us.
00:36Dude, a lot to talk about. You guys are busy.
00:38The Caps have already played six games, and it's October 14th.
00:43Isn't that kind of insane?
00:45Well, I mean, it's the rigors of a now 84-game season.
00:49They expanded by two more games, and I'm always amazed that, you know, obviously football is an incredibly physical sport.
00:56It might be the most physical sport, but hockey is incredibly physical as well, and we play 84 games plus
01:03preseason and playoff.
01:04So, I mean, our guys are warriors, and we've had a tough schedule to start with.
01:09We're playing playoff-quality teams.
01:11We played in Carolina last night.
01:13We come home.
01:14We fly last night late into the evening, and we play a team that went to the Eastern Conference Finals
01:19last year in Montreal this evening.
01:21And so, there's no rest for the weary, and we've got to be ready to play every game.
01:26Yeah, other teams, other leagues are trying to cut games back, and hockey's saying, no, it's add to more.
01:31It's crazy, man.
01:33And, Zach, I was already – I'm already beating the drum that it's too many back-to-backs for the
01:38Caps.
01:38They get way more than a lot of other teams.
01:40I'm upset about that.
01:42So, I'm the tip of the spear complaining about the schedule for you.
01:46Don't worry about that.
01:47That's what we're here for.
01:48There are no excuses.
01:50All teams have back-to-backs.
01:51You've got to show up.
01:52You know, we've got great condition athletes, and they know what to do to prepare themselves.
01:57For sure.
01:58I was watching that thing last night.
02:00I think Protus got robbed early on.
02:02But Carolina's tough.
02:04I mean, already having a couple games against Carolina through six is also crazy.
02:07Having to go to Raleigh twice, defending cup champs for two of your first six games is just insane.
02:14But you're right.
02:15The schedule's a schedule.
02:16You can't control it.
02:17Sports is about controlling what you can control.
02:20I got to talk to your dad last week or two weeks ago at the Caps home opener.
02:25I thought the collaboration with Seth Horowitz and 930 Club for Ovi's 930th goal,
02:33that is one of the coolest collabs I've seen in this city.
02:37How did that all kind of come to be?
02:39It was pretty cool.
02:40I mean, Seth and his family are longtime Washingtonians.
02:44I mean, I think the 930 Club is an institution in Washington, D.C.
02:49And there's only one member of the 930 Club now, and that's Alex Ovechkin.
02:53So, you know, it was their idea.
02:54And they reached out and they said, you know, would you mind if we delivered sort of a commemorative gold
02:59ticket lifetime pass?
03:01And, you know, the answer was, of course, it's really cute and fun and true to D.C.
03:06And so, yeah, it was really cool to see Alex pot his first goal of the season.
03:10It only took one this year to get there.
03:12We know how Alex is, doesn't like a lot of hoopla, but as you get ready for the event.
03:16And, you know, you hear those things, it does start to hit you.
03:19I can't believe we're playing our last game in the season in a market this early in the season, like
03:22you mentioned.
03:24But, you know, I think Alex is aligned with everyone else and obviously wanting to focus just on the team
03:30and focus on winning.
03:31We're 3-3 right now.
03:33We got a win game.
03:35And these points matter.
03:37You don't want to get to the end of the season and be looking back and wishing that you had
03:42some points back from earlier.
03:44So the focus is on winning.
03:46Alex is the most competitive guy out there.
03:49And his focus is, you know, he wants us to make the playoffs and do something special.
03:53And we think we've got a team to do that.
03:56So let's see if we can get back on track tonight.
03:58Yeah, man, it's been fun to watch because the increased offensive firepower is so real.
04:04And you've got more speed.
04:05Leno, I thought, was really active last night.
04:07Some of these injuries defensively kind of stacking up early.
04:09But it's a long year.
04:11And, I mean, the fact that they added two games to the hockey regular season just shows what warriors those
04:16guys are.
04:17And I was talking to Strom before the season.
04:21And it just seems like it's like hockey's moment in a lot of ways between the gold medal game and
04:27the U.S. winning the gold medal.
04:29And this is stupid, but, like, there were two really popular, like, Netflix series based on hockey, like, dramas that
04:36I think got more people into it.
04:38It just seems like such a great time for the NHL.
04:42And then particularly with the celebration of Ovi, like, here in D.C.
04:46Do you feel that?
04:48I do.
04:49But I also think that the health of the game generally has never been better.
04:53I think that the league is in really, really strong hands with great leadership.
04:58The following of the game has never been stronger.
05:00Ratings have been up year over year on both a national basis and a local basis.
05:05And we're obviously, you know, we've been very lucky in that we've had winning teams for, you know, going on
05:11close to 25 years.
05:13We've built D.C. into a great hockey town.
05:17And Alex Ovechkin certainly has a lot to do with that.
05:20And I think that our front office has done really an incredible job of preparing us for what could be
05:25that next era of Capitals hockey.
05:28And, you know, it does start with some of the retention that you saw earlier a couple months ago or
05:36whatnot, retaining Ryan Leonard, retaining Justin Sordiff, not letting them get to the end of restricted free agency.
05:43I think the team has managed the Cap very well.
05:46We have a very thoughtful, intellectually honest group.
05:50And we're deep throughout the lineup.
05:52And it helps us be competitive today, but also tomorrow, too, because we want Cap's fans to also understand that,
05:58you know, this might be obvious last year, but we keep playing hockey and we keep wanting to win lots
06:03of hockey games, too.
06:04So one game at a time, though.
06:07Yeah, absolutely, man.
06:09I've said this before.
06:10I don't know that any athlete in any city has made the impact that Ovechkin has with hockey in this
06:20city.
06:20From when I was a kid to now, it's unbelievable how much, like, just kids playing, boys playing, girls playing.
06:27This is a hockey town.
06:29And when I was a kid, it was niche, man.
06:32We've been the second fastest growing market for youth hockey in the United States.
06:37Wow.
06:38Only behind Los Angeles.
06:39And you can imagine why it was Los Angeles, because the L.A. Kings won two Stanley Cups and the
06:44Anaheim Ducks won a cup back in the early 2000s, too.
06:47So winning a championship, bringing fans to the mountaintop, you know, inspires the next generation of fans.
06:53There's no doubt about it.
06:54And so call the Ovi effect, call out the 2018 Stanley Cup run.
06:59It certainly ignited sort of a next-gen of a fan base here.
07:03And so we're very, very fortunate for that, obviously.
07:07Yeah, man.
07:08And you guys have poured gasoline on the fire appropriately, right?
07:11Like, as much as it is Ovi and having this megastar, like, the team being good, being in the playoffs
07:17consistently.
07:17And I want to ask you about this potential Wizards rebrand, but, like, the branding around the Caps, the in
07:24-game experience for the Caps, the in-game experience for the Caps has been the best in this city for
07:2925 years.
07:30I mean, just even, like, Unleash the Fury, all these things that have been created, some of it organic, some
07:35of it team-driven, it all fits so well to an excellent experience.
07:40I appreciate that, and I totally agree.
07:43I think it starts with winning.
07:44I think it starts with our players and having players that you draft and develop and that fans can have
07:51the opportunity to fall in love with because they see them grow.
07:54They see them go through the trials and tribulations, they see them make mistakes, and then they see them succeed
08:00and break through, and the fans feel like they were a part of that journey.
08:04But, you know, we've got an amazing team here at Monumental.
08:07They do care about every component of the customer experience.
08:11It's part of the reason why we're pursuing this, you know, giant transformation of our building over the last three
08:16years.
08:17These are not easy things to do.
08:18They're not easy on our staff.
08:20They're not easy on our business.
08:21They're not easy on our fans.
08:22We totally are sympathetic to that.
08:24But they're all worth it because all the little things matter.
08:28And so I agree.
08:29The impact that Alex has made on our community is outstanding.
08:33And, you know, I heard there was a conversation happening about, you know, when the Alex Ovechkin statue will be
08:39debuted.
08:40And the question was, how big will it be?
08:43And, you know, I subscribe to that conversation.
08:45And so, you know, we'll figure out the right way to honor Alex.
08:51I'm sure he will be getting a statue.
08:53About how much is left for all of the different things they're doing at the stadium?
08:59You know, I would say we're a little over halfway there.
09:02Okay.
09:02You know, I think when people are showing up to the arena these days, they're seeing a lot of scaffolding
09:06around the building.
09:07And that's what it's going to look like for the majority of the year.
09:10When they walk into the building, they see a cleaned up space.
09:12It's obviously been patched up and whatnot.
09:16But as the season goes on, parts of the exterior facade are going to be revealed.
09:21And I think by the time we get to April or May, the exterior will be very close to done.
09:25Next summer is our last summer closure.
09:27And that's when a lot of the concourses are going to be overhauled.
09:31And that is when I think fans are really going to be able to walk into the building and start
09:35to say, like, oh, wow, I see some of this change and that it was worthwhile.
09:39I see that concourses have expanded.
09:41I see that the F&B concession opportunities have improved.
09:47I see that there are more places to hang out.
09:50I see that there are improved and more bathrooms.
09:51I see that the gallery place entrance has become a much better and bigger experience and place to hang out.
09:58I see more LEDs, the visible, the improved F Street lobby and entrance.
10:03The exterior facade is really a performer being lit up and really providing energy for our community.
10:10And, you know, this is I've been calling it the pardon our dust season.
10:15And, you know, we're dealing with different operational challenges and whatnot right now.
10:21But I think we're still very well equipped to host 20,000 people in the building on any given night,
10:26obviously.
10:28It's a huge project.
10:29I make no bones about it.
10:31This is hard.
10:32It's a lot easier to do a brand new build because it happens on the side.
10:36And you don't have to deal with it until it's done and it's clean and you just walk in.
10:41It's challenging to be renovating a building and operating it at the same time.
10:45But I think our team is really doing a masterful job of it.
10:48Dude, I agree with you.
10:49So I've been over there twice now since it reopened.
10:52I was there for the first night of Garth.
10:54And then I was there for the Caps opener, whenever that was, last week, two weeks ago.
10:58I'll be there next week for the Wiz opener.
11:01And walking around outside versus once you get inside, it's hard to, like, put those two together.
11:07Because there's so much work going on outside.
11:09But once you get in there, it's the arena.
11:11You know, and it's operational and the staff's all smiling.
11:14And I think the finish line is going to be so worth the effort that I'm, I mean, take the
11:21scaffolding down, maybe mid-April, hosting some playoff games on the ice and the hardwood.
11:27Could be pretty damn exciting.
11:29Well, I am dreaming of a day when the building is completed in, you know, say a year plus, and
11:38we hopefully have three playoff quality teams, three teams that can compete for championships.
11:43Not just the Capitals, but the Wizards being a playoff caliber team, and the Mystics being a playoff caliber team,
11:49and them playing more games in Capital One Arena.
11:52I know that there's been a lot of conversation about Mystics playing in Capital One.
11:57That's our plan.
11:58We want them to be playing games in Capital One Arena.
12:00We want to be hosting playoff games in Capital One Arena.
12:03And we want to give them that competitive advantage.
12:05And when the building is done, I mean, it's obviously going to benefit all of our teams and the competitive
12:09standing for them.
12:10We want a loud building.
12:11We want a building where fans are really excited to come to all the time and cheer our teams on
12:18to victory.
12:18That does make a big difference to our competitive standing.
12:22For sure, man.
12:23Talking with Zach Lianzis here, president of Monumental Sports and Entertainment.
12:27Caps are already underway.
12:28Wiz open next week.
12:31So, Zach, we just had Josh Robbins on, who covers the Wizards for The Athletic.
12:34I'm guessing you know Josh.
12:35I heard.
12:36I was listening.
12:36Okay.
12:37And B and I asked him, because I think there's more excitement for this Wiz season than in a long
12:43time.
12:44I'm curious.
12:44No doubt.
12:45For you, what your excitement level is.
12:48I don't know if expectations are fair in a team that we haven't seen on the court yet together.
12:53But, like, just, you know, they're going to tip that ball next week.
12:56And we're off and running.
12:57I can't wait for it.
12:59Listen, I'm excited just like all of our fans because, just like them, I think we've all been patiently waiting
13:07to take this next big step.
13:08And I think that our commitment organizationally has been to be patient and thoughtful and not take shortcuts, not skip
13:15steps, do this the right way.
13:18And to make it count, because, you know, a few seasons of basketball where we're focused on player development as
13:25opposed to, you know, competing for a playoff spot isn't exactly the most fun thing in the world.
13:32But it is the right thing if you want to be building towards a longer window of contention.
13:38And that's what we really want to do.
13:39We want to build a team that can eventually contend for a championship, not just qualify for the playoff.
13:45And this season is a step in that right direction.
13:50And our team still needs to learn how to win.
13:52But we've got some great vets who have won before and are going to be helping to teach our younger
13:58players the way and how to do it.
14:00And so, you know, I think people were obviously really excited to see AJ in Summer League.
14:06I think people have been very excited by what they've seen during preseason.
14:10I think Trey Young has looked like an amazing facilitator.
14:12And A.D. has been a great contributor.
14:16I think the dancer has been pretty electric.
14:20Ethan Jordan has come back bigger and stronger.
14:23Alex Saar is healthy in playing.
14:25Our younger guys who are coming off the bench, like Bilal, Will Riley, Bub Carrington.
14:29I mean, everyone feels like they've got something to prove.
14:32And they all believe in each other.
14:34They love each other.
14:35We've got a really, really good locker room on the Wizards.
14:38These guys are serious and focused on one thing only.
14:41It's basketball.
14:43That's what you really want in a team.
14:45Everyone wants to get better.
14:46And so, I'm excited for the real thing.
14:50It's been exciting to watch all the guys on the court at the same time for once.
14:54I'm excited for the real thing.
14:56You and me both.
14:57Can't wait.
14:58I haven't told this story publicly, but I ran into you in the office over there maybe the day or
15:03two days after the A.D. trade.
15:05And our brief conversation.
15:08In the bathroom.
15:08Yeah.
15:08I was going to say the hallway, but yeah, it was in the bathroom.
15:11And our brief conversation changed my thought process with A.D.
15:16That this was not like we're going to buy this condo and try to flip it.
15:20This is part of what we're building here.
15:22And it's part of the excitement.
15:25And I just can't wait to see it on the court.
15:27I did want to ask, though.
15:29So, Robbins had the story in The Athletic where he talked to Jim Van Stone and Lachman over there about
15:35a possible Wiz rebrand.
15:38Obviously, you guys are slammed busy right now with the building.
15:42But they're talking about maybe next year when the building's done, a Wizards rebrand is a real possibility.
15:47What does that mean?
15:49What does that look like?
15:51Well, I think that Jim and Hunter, I'm really glad that they participate in that conversation because there are plenty
15:57of rumors and things out there that sometimes you don't want to comment on to give it credibility.
16:02But I think that's something where we hear our fans.
16:06I think it's important for our fans to know that we hear what they are wanting.
16:11And we have to be conscious and thoughtful of a process that the league requires to get certain things done.
16:19And so, typically, any team, the process is a multi-year one.
16:23You have to get ahead of it.
16:24And so, the soonest that we can sort of do anything is likely ahead of next season.
16:30And so, we don't have anything to announce today.
16:33But I think, you know, what you guys can take away is that, you know, we hear the fans.
16:37There are things that we want to do right away, but we can't.
16:41And, you know, I think we've got great colors.
16:44I think that our players are really energized.
16:48And, obviously, our focus is, you know, having a successful season this year.
16:52And, you know, as we get through the building transformation and head into next season,
16:56hopefully, we'll have something to share with our fans that proves that we've been listening.
17:01As a fan, my vote, just clean.
17:06Less stripes.
17:07Just give me the red.
17:08Like, I know the name's not coming back, but the Bullets unis were clean.
17:12You know what I'm saying?
17:13Like, it was just the logo, and it was easily identifiable.
17:17But, listen, whoever's in charge of all the cap skier, put them in charge of the rebrand.
17:22It'll be dope.
17:22I'm confident in that.
17:25J.B.
17:25I hear people giving them jobs.
17:27I mean, I heard the previous conversation about, like, well, what jerseys are the Wizards going to wear this evening
17:33or whatnot?
17:33And, you know, the league and Nike do have their own strategy in terms of, you know, the multiple jerseys
17:39that we wear.
17:41I'm just speaking for myself.
17:42I do like it on the NHL side where it's pretty predictable, what you can expect and whatnot.
17:47But I will say, I have been a fan of our current jerseys with the red, white, and blue stripe.
17:53I mean, it's an homage to the jerseys that Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes wore when we won, you know,
18:00the NBA championship back in the 70s.
18:03But, you know, those other jerseys that you saw with sort of the Chris Webber era bullets are up between
18:09and sweet, too.
18:09So, you know, I think there's an opportunity.
18:13And, you know, we'll look forward to seeing if there's something to announce next year.
18:17I look forward to it, too.
18:18And let me be clear.
18:19I don't dislike any of the current gear.
18:22I just don't know that I know what to expect night to night.
18:25And to your other point, a lot of that is league-driven because there's so many alternates.
18:31You got the NBA Cup games.
18:33Like, it just often looks different.
18:35But I think it's exciting.
18:37And I give you guys credit.
18:38I had no idea how significant the fan discussion surrounding a Wizards rebrand was on social media.
18:47And I give you guys credit for listening.
18:50I appreciate that.
18:51And we want to be responsive to fans.
18:54And we take customer service issues in our building really seriously.
18:59We take customer service issues around streaming and our app really seriously.
19:03We have people following up with phone calls with certain customers or in person in the arena to a sways
19:10an issue to find out more.
19:11Sometimes we can solve it on the spot.
19:13Sometimes we can't.
19:14So the same is true with branding and the like.
19:16And, you know, I think we do need some patience here.
19:20Some of these things just take a while.
19:22No, they take longer than you want.
19:25Just like sometimes rebuilding a team.
19:27Sure.
19:27I think that patience is a virtue.
19:29And, you know, sometimes we've got to be patient.
19:32I've said it to Winger, dude.
19:33I'm all in on the rebuild.
19:34I'm really excited for competitive basketball this winter.
19:38Two last things from me.
19:40I want to make sure I get this in because I know personally, just following you on Instagram and being
19:44buddies, I know how much stuff you do with DC Central Kitchen.
19:48And I know that's not like something you do to gloss over, to make your resume look better, like you
19:54put the actual work in.
19:56What is going on with DC Central Kitchen now?
19:58Are there any big pushes coming up?
20:01Oh, man, I appreciate you asking.
20:03That's really nice of you, JP.
20:04I love DC Central Kitchen.
20:05I'm on the board.
20:06And, you know, for the last couple of years, I've volunteered on a monthly basis, bringing some of our employees
20:11nearby.
20:12They are pursuing a big doubling up campaign right now.
20:15They're doing a big expansion of their footprint at the Klein Center.
20:18If you haven't been, it's in the southwest quadrant near Audi Field.
20:23And it, frankly, is an unbelievable place to volunteer.
20:28The DC Central Kitchen used to be located in the basement of a homeless shelter.
20:33It was dark and a windowless space.
20:37And the new building that they're in now is so bright and cheery and uplifting and expiring, not just for
20:46the people who volunteer,
20:47but for the classes of chefs and waiters and waitresses that go there and who graduate.
20:53And as they describe over there, not only learn nice skills, but learn life skills.
20:58And they're doing a big campaign that people can support to expand that space.
21:04They're institutional, I think, from a philanthropic standpoint.
21:08So we're really proud to support them as well as all the other initiatives that we do.
21:12I think from a larger organization standpoint, you know, our goals are simple.
21:16We want to build teams that can be competitive and win championships.
21:20We want to build a prosperous and thriving business.
21:24And we want to give back and champion a double bottom line in our community.
21:27And I firmly believe that all three of those goals support each other.
21:32If we're not going back and giving money and our time in our community,
21:36people won't believe that the work that we're doing in our business side is genuine and focused on our fans.
21:42People won't show up.
21:44People won't support our team.
21:46So giving back is really critical and important to who we are.
21:50And I think it's just, frankly, the right thing to do for our business and the community at large, too.
21:55So I encourage all your listeners, if they're ever looking for a way to give back,
22:01D.C. Central Kitchen is a great way to do it.
22:04Most people, yes.
22:05You say, well, you care about community service.
22:08You want to give back?
22:08And people say, yeah, yeah, sure.
22:10And then they go, ah, I just, I didn't sign up.
22:13I didn't think about doing this.
22:14I didn't, it wasn't top of mind.
22:15So I always try to just build it into my calendar.
22:18And that's how I, that's how I've gotten into it.
22:20When you guys do the monumental events, it's always when B, Mitch, and I are on the air.
22:24Just for the record, I'm just saying, we have to be here.
22:28Well, maybe we could do it sometime.
22:29That'd be fun.
22:30I'd like to see you chop some onions.
22:31Yeah.
22:32I'm not going to go.
22:34I can't handle onions.
22:36I can chop some carrots or something.
22:38I'm better at serving drinks, water, whatever they're, whatever we got.
22:42Zach, last, last one.
22:43I know you're busy.
22:44What'd you think of the commander's tie?
22:47I mean, I was watching, I think we were playing the Kraken at home on Sunday.
22:52It was the five o'clock, right?
22:55Listen, there's so many things that happened during the heat of battle that we're not privy
22:59to that certainly I'm not privy to ties.
23:02Ties, I think, in the NFL do feel odd.
23:05We're not privy to have ties anymore in the NHL.
23:07I mean, how many ties happen annually in the NFL?
23:10One?
23:10Usually one.
23:11Maybe two.
23:12One?
23:13No, I mean, we've seen ties before.
23:15Hey, it's better than a loss.
23:17So, I still got faith.
23:18It don't feel like it, does that?
23:23It does not feel like it.
23:24I got faith.
23:25I got faith.
23:26I'm a commander's fan.
23:27I know you are.
23:28I got to stick with it.
23:29I know that one had to drive you crazy.
23:31You're being very diplomatic right now.
23:34Dude, thank you for the time.
23:35Always great to catch up.
23:36All right, man.
23:36Appreciate you.
23:36Appreciate you talking about the Wiz stuff on the record with us.
23:40Appreciate you guys.
23:41Take care, man.
23:42Zach Leonsis joining us.
23:43You can give him a follow at Zachary Leonsis.
23:47Obviously, you know, check out a Wiz game.
23:48Check out a Caps game.
23:49The building's going to be super dope when they get done.
23:52And being able to walk around kind of some areas, maybe not all fans see.
23:56You can see the vision and where that thing's going.
23:58And having been in Madison Square Garden where they had to do the same thing
24:01and rebuild it while they were playing in it and being at the garden now,
24:05which is just awesome, it's going to be super dope.