Ray Lalonde Named President
March 16, 2011 - Canadian Football League (CFL)
Montreal Alouettes News Release
Montreal, March 16, 2011 - Montreal Alouettes owner Bob Wetenhall announced today the appointment of Ray Lalonde as President and Chief Executive Officer.
Lalonde has had a successful career spanning more than 20 years in professional and college sports at the league and team levels. He has held senior level posts with the Montreal Canadiens, National Basketball Association, Montreal Machine of the World League and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Mr. Wetenhall highlighted the key role Lalonde will play within the Alouettes organization.
"We are very proud to make the announcement today that we have secured a sports business executive who is a passionate leader and visionary with a proven record of success and who has extensive management experience in both professional and college sports, " said Mr. Wetenhall. "The Alouettes have been victorious on the football field, and we are confident that Ray will be a significant asset who will help us achieve our goals for the long term success of this organization. The Alouettes will first and foremost always belong to the fans, and the addition of Ray will help us reinforce the connection we have with them. As always, our most important objective is to win the Grey Cup as the best team in the CFL every year."
The Alouettes are the two-time defending Grey Cup Champions in the Canadian Football League and have made eight appearances in the title game since 1999.
Most recently, Lalonde was the Vice President and Chief Marketing and Sales Officer with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League. Brought on board to revitalize the franchise in 2001, he oversaw a large part of the revenue generating areas of the Club including marketing and branding, ticket and suite sales, consumer products, broadcast rights, digital media, special events, game production, publications and creative services. While establishing the organization as one of the model franchises in the NHL, Lalonde and his team laid the groundwork for a series of wide-ranging projects and unforgettable ceremonies that culminated with the team's extraordinary 100th anniversary celebration on December 4, 2009. Other initiatives included the opening of Centennial Plaza, the Canadiens Hall of Fame, the distribution of Montreal Canadiens postage stamps, the naming of Avenue des Canadiens-de-Montreal, and the circulation of a $1 Canadian coin bearing the Canadiens team logo. Prior to joining the Canadiens, Lalonde was recruited into the National Basketball Association in New York. Shortly thereafter, he was chosen to expand the league's presence overseas by opening its first international office, NBA Europe S.A. in Geneva, Switzerland and Paris, France. As the Director of Communications, Lalonde contributed to building the NBA business from the ground-up in marketing, communications, broadcasting, licensed products, special events and sponsorship. His success at achieving the primary objective of building the sport of basketball and raising the NBA's awareness throughout Europe was evident in the progressive growth from a single headquarter office into five satellite offices across Europe.
Before his career at the NBA, Lalonde was the Director of Football Administration and Operations with the Montreal Machine of the World League for two seasons where he contributed to the successful start-up of the Canadian franchise of the NFL's developmental league. He also spent two seasons in the NCAA with the Penn State Nittany Lions as a Graduate Assistant Coach under Head Coach Joe Paterno.
Originally from Trois-Rivieres, Lalonde received his Bachelor of Education degree from McGill University and graduated from Penn State University earning a Master of Science degree in Sports Administration.
Canadian Football League Stories from March 16, 2011
- Blue Add Canadian Receiver - Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- Ray Lalonde Named President - Montreal Alouettes
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