Globe and Mail - 24\/04\/2015<\/p>\n
Still an intimidating and skilled hockey player, British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. president and CEO Mike Corrigan knew early that he wanted more than an unpredictable NHL career.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t want to be a mediocre hockey player in my late 20s with nothing to fall back on,\u201d said Mr. Corrigan, 53. \u201cAs good a junior hockey player that I was, I learned how insignificant you can be in life, fairly quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since 2012, Mr. Corrigan has been the head coach at BC Ferries, one of the world\u2019s biggest ferry systems, with 35 vessels, 47 terminals and 184,000 annual sailings that carry 20 million passengers and eight million vehicles. He joined the company in 2003, after being recruited for a job as vice-president of business development from an executive position with Westcoast Energy. \u201cI immersed myself in the business,\u201d he said, admitting he knew little about marine operations. By 2006, he was second-in-charge, as chief operating officer.<\/p>\n
As chief executive officer, he remains on 24\/7 alert, ready to stick-handle unpredictable events, such as on-board medical emergencies or vessel breakdowns. \u201cThe last thing I do at night and the first thing I do in the morning is look at my e-mail,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m more confident knowing than not knowing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Corrigan\u2019s journey from ice to sea has been marked by astute self-awareness, a blue-collar backbone and the smarts to manage $3-billion in capital spending over the next 12 years while taking hits, not from defencemen, but teams of critics who scrutinize ferry fares and executive salaries, shipbuilding contracts and cancelled routes.<\/p>\n
His early hockey career has helped him navigate the routinely rough seas.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy 17, I was living away from home. I learned to stick up for myself. To survive and flourish at that level is very, very hard to do. It\u2019s all about the mental and having faith and being positive. When things aren\u2019t going well, you can overthink and get into a negative mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, the hockey right-winger dons a helmet in a recreational league at North Saanich\u2019s Panorama Recreation Centre.<\/p>\n
\u201cMike calls it as he sees it. He\u2019s fair but firm, and that\u2019s how he plays hockey,\u201d said Chris Cheadle, Mr. Corrigan\u2019s Shoreline Canadians\u2019 teammate. \u201cHe plays with an awareness and intelligence which manifest themselves in how he runs BC Ferries. There\u2019s no trepidation with Mike. He\u2019s a straight-ahead guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Back in his early hockey days, Mr. Corrigan could shine, when motivated. \u201cProblem was, I wasn\u2019t consistent enough. I didn\u2019t want it bad enough every night. I was what they called a grinder or power forward. I had to work hard and play very physical and not be afraid to fight, and come every night with a high level of intensity. As I got older, I realized I wanted to do other things.\u201d<\/p>\n
The son of a contract miner, Mr. Corrigan was born in Timmins, Ont. His father, Jack, left school at 14 to work in the mines to help his widowed mother support the family. Jack, who rose to be a mine superintendent, died a decade ago at 67, a death Mr. Corrigan said was related to workplace hazards.<\/p>\n
He recalled his father\u2019s experience in 1984 when four men died in an underground rock burst at a Sudbury mine. To reach one of the miners, Jack made his way about 1,200 metres down ladders and then crawled in the dark. Through the huge boulders that blocked freedom, Jack managed to hold the hand of the 22-year-old until he died. As Mr. Corrigan\u2019s career advanced, Jack reminded him to \u201cmake damn sure you look after the men and their safety.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI try to spend a considerable amount of time on the health and well-being of employees,\u201d Mr. Corrigan said of BC Ferries\u2019 4,500 employees. \u201cNothing gives me greater satisfaction than going out on the vessel and talking to employees about everyday situations.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of his leading initiatives as COO was the SailSafe program, which targets injury prevention and employee wellness. Since 2007, BC Ferries has had a 60-per-cent reduction in time-loss injuries, earning awards and workers\u2019 compensation rebates.<\/p>\n
As for his own hurts, \u201cI sustained a lot of injuries earlier that come back to haunt me now, mostly wear and tear,\u201d Mr. Corrigan said. \u201cI\u2019ve had surgery on both knees, separated shoulders a couple of times, lost a portion of my teeth. I never took a stick in the eye, but I\u2019ve got lots of scars around the eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
At 17, he left his Sudbury home to play junior hockey with the Cornwall Royals, who in 1980 won the Memorial Cup. Mr. Corrigan\u2019s line included Marc Crawford and Dale Hawerchuk.<\/p>\n
Teammate Newell Brown, who grew up on a Cornwall dairy farm, and is today assistant coach of the Arizona Coyotes, remembers his friend as a straight-shooter. \u201cHe was a big, strong right-winger who could intimidate. I can see that coming out in his job as CEO. He liked to have fun off the ice, but on the ice, he was a really serious player.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Brown, who gets together with Mr. Corrigan when in Vancouver, was somewhat surprised that he didn\u2019t stick it out longer after he\u2019d been signed to the Detroit Red Wings organization. \u201cBut, he was typecast in the tough-guy role. He didn\u2019t like it. He didn\u2019t want that to be his calling card,\u201d Mr. Brown said. \u201cHe was a smart guy. I knew he\u2019d go back to school.\u201d<\/p>\n
While playing out his contract with the Kalamazoo Wings, Detroit\u2019s farm team, Mr. Corrigan attended Kalamazoo Valley Community College and later, Western Michigan University, where he earned a business administration degree. He married Shari, a Michigan native, in 1984.<\/p>\n
His first business job was mail-room clerk for a Michigan utility company. In 1989, the Corrigans moved to Northern Ontario before eventually settling in Victoria in 1996 when Mr. Corrigan was working for Westcoast Energy. In 2000, he earned his MBA from the University of Victoria.<\/p>\n
Beyond realizing that he wasn\u2019t a \u201cone-dimensional human being,\u201d hockey netted other revelations. \u201cFor teams to be successful in hockey, you need your fourth line and last two defencemen,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the role players and what they can provide. Superstars are expected to perform.\u201d<\/p>\n
He admits that as a manager, he once focused on individuals\u2019 shortcomings instead of their strengths. Now he seeks staff who complement one another. \u201cYou won\u2019t turn a checker into a goaltender.\u201d<\/p>\n
At work, from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, Mr. Corrigan also spends time each day at the gym. He also walks his black Lab, Ace, each evening with Shari, a business teacher at Victoria\u2019s Camosun College, and plays golf at the prestigious Victoria Golf Club on weekends with a close group of business people.<\/p>\n
Mr. Corrigan is also treasurer for the 225-member Interferry association, which represents the international ferry industry. In 2014, he was Interferry\u2019s president.<\/p>\n
His charitable work includes BC Ferries\u2019 Media Charity Golf Classic, which since 2006 has raised $550,000 for children\u2019s programs. One recipient was Community Living Victoria, which supports people with developmental disabilities. Mr. Corrigan was also a three-year board member for the organization.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could count on him,\u201d said John Stevenson, who has been involved with Community Living for more than 25 years. \u201cHe had good ideas and also challenged our ideas. After he stepped back, he never forgot us. I\u2019d ask him for help and he helped, contributing significantly.\u201d<\/p>\n
And for nine years, Mr. Corrigan was volunteer head coach for the South Island Breakers midget AAA girls hockey team, where his daughters Jacqueline, 26, and Mika, 24, played. The team won four provincial junior championships in the mid-2000s.<\/p>\n
While his big-league hockey days are behind him, Mr. Corrigan harbours one regret.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never did get a chance to put the Red Wings\u2019 jersey on for an actual NHL game,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But still, as Mr. Cheadle said, \u201cMike plays hockey like he plays life, really well.\u201d<\/p>\n