Schulman dons cap for Ducks

Michael Schulman dons a title most tax attorneys could never dream

of: CEO of a National Hockey League franchise.

After Henry and Susan Samueli of Broadcom Corp. purchased the

Mighty Ducks of Anaheim from Disney Corp. in June, Schulman, the

family’s tax attorney and overall right-hand man, found himself

placed at the helm of the enigmatic hockey franchise.

“Am I qualified?” he asked himself with a grin. “Probably not.”

Of course, Schulman is not in charge of the hockey decisions. But

he was pivotal in hiring the man who is -- Ducks General Manager

Brian Burke.

“My first and foremost job was [to help the Samuelis] find a GM,”

he said. “I talked to anyone who knows anything in North America. We

started with this massive list and we started narrowing it down from

there.”

As the manager of the Samueli’s estate, Schulman has done business

from his Corona del Mar office with a multitude of organizations,

from private enterprises to philanthropic organizations such as the

Ocean Institute in Dana Point, the Opera Pacific and Orangewood, a

center for abused children.

“I get involved in a lot of interesting deals,” he said.

Schulman’s responsibilities expanded even further when the

Samuelis purchased the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim out of bankruptcy in

December 2003, and then Schulman served as chairman of the board of

the Pond.

The purchase of the Pond got the ball rolling on Schulman’s

unlikely foray into the world of sports management.

Disney was pushing to get the Ducks a new owner, and word spread

that a new owner could lead to a team relocation, which would be a

financial blow to the Pond.

“As a landlord, we needed to keep our primary tenant in house,”

Schulman said.

So the Samuelis stepped in and bought the team, despite the

uncertain times that the NHL was going through at the time. During

the whole purchasing and collective bargaining process, Schulman

described himself as the Samueli’s “eyes and ears on a daily basis.”

“We bought the team and there was no cap, no season, and we had to

get it approved while the league was on the ropes with the union,”

Schulman said. “We looked to some people like idiots.”

But a cap was agreed upon. And now the Ducks, with Schulman at the

helm, are looking to return to the excitement of 2002, when the Ducks

reached Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

“I wouldn’t have guessed I would be here a few years ago,”

Schulman said.

Now, Schulman serves as a liason between Ducks management and

ownership from his Corona del Mar office, staying in regular contact

with both. And, as CEO, Schulman is finding his law background a

handy tool.

“I’m probably as much the general counsel for the Ducks as I am

the CEO,” he said.

But, as head of a major sports franchise, Schulman always has his

eye on the bottom line.

“Law teaches you how to think clearly and soundly,” he said. “You

need that to run any business, and the Ducks are just another

business. This will be run like any other business, and this will not

be run over time at a loss.”