PHOENIX — In the world of professional sports, the President and CEO of the Arizona Coyotes, Xavier Gutierrez, is all by himself. Not only was he the first-ever Latino to become CEO of an NHL team, but he's also currently the only Latino President or CEO of any major league sports franchise.
"How does that make you feel?" asked ABC15's Javier Soto.
"I'm very fortunate to sit alongside the only Latino owner in the history of the National Hockey League and I'm sitting here because he bought the team and said, 'You are the person that I want to sit in this chair.' I think it's unfortunate. I think you need more diverse voices at the seat of the decision-making," said Gutierrez.
Considering where he's come from, Gutierrez has climbed to the top untethered.
"I'm an undocumented immigrant to this country. I've been blessed from the vision that my parents had for myself and my three siblings," said Gutierrez.
"You touched on your parents momentarily, but they had no education, and you took that as a challenge?" asked Soto.
"Not only a challenge, but also you know, really a blessing that they had the vision to inspire myself and my three siblings to all go to college. And I think, you know, my background a little bit. I've been very blessed to have some of the best academic institutions, having attended Harvard and Stanford Law School, having worked on Wall Street, having now, you know, been at the helm of a professional sports league. I feel honored. I feel like I've been able to live my American dream," Gutierrez replied.
In order to help others live their American dream, he knows you have to build from the bottom. That's why the Arizona Coyotes organization has made an effort to reach out to young Latinos, starting things like the "Los Howlitos" program. It's the first Spanish Language learn-to-skate program.
"When you have Maricopa County, that's 43% Latino, when you have three out of every five kids that are in K-12 in Maricopa County who are Latino, I need to have them become Coyotes fans. I would love them to be hockey fans as well, but I need them to be aligned with our organization. So, it's up to us," said Gutierrez.
But Gutierrez knows this is bigger than sports. It's about adding benefits to lives.
"We just signed one of the largest ball hockey, street hockey sponsorships in the history of the National Hockey League. Why? Because we partner with Equality Health who wanted to be in Latino communities, with Latino families talking about health and wellness. For us, it's been innovative. It's been inclusive and it's really been purpose-driven," said Gutierrez.
He's also hoping to use his platform to open up a pathway for others.
"One of the things that Alex and I talk about is, we are proud. We are honored. We are blessed to be sitting in these chairs, but it's our responsibility to ensure that there are so many more that come after us. We know that we can be door openers and that's why I'm very proud that we have one of the most diverse front offices in the NHL."
Still, Gutierrez knows the pressure is on for him and the Arizona Coyotes to also be the best and win.
"How soon do we see that Stanley Cup here in the Valley?" asked Soto.
"When we signed our coach and GM for an extension and they promised Alex Morello it will come within their contract," said Gutierrez.
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To learn more about "Los Howlitos" and the Coyotes' other community programs, click here.
