Infinum North America hosted an invite-only evening in New York City with two-time Stanley Cup Champion and New York Rangers legend Adam Graves. Our clients, prospects, and friends gathered for a conversation on leadership, data, and giving back.
On September 15, we hosted an invite-only evening at Park 53 in New York City – a gathering of clients and friends with one of the most storied figures in Rangers history.
Adam Kurzawa, our Head of Strategic Growth, sat down with Adam Graves, an NYC legend with his number retired by the Rangers, a two-time Stanley Cup Champion, and someone whose thinking on leadership and the balance between human judgment and technology resonates well beyond sport.
The forty-minute conversation covered leadership, the role of data in professional sport, and the work Graves does away from hockey. A crowd Q&A followed before the evening opened into cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and networking.
Graves was an obvious choice. He’s spent his whole career thinking about what it means to show up for the people around him and being a leader – on the ice, off it, in hospital corridors across North America. We wanted to bring someone into the room that our clients couldn’t hear from anywhere else.ADAM KURZAWA,
HEAD OF STRATEGIC GROWTH, INFINUM NA
Every attendee left with an Infinum tote and a limited-edition commemorative poster – autographed by Graves himself.
Leadership is shown, not announced
The first story he told went back to his early days in Detroit – watching Steve Yzerman play eighteen of twenty third-period minutes, then walk straight over and say: “Hey, Gravy – let’s go right into the weight room.” They trained for a full hour.
“That’s leadership,” Graves said. “All those qualities that I saw in him as a teammate made him a champion.” The principle, he made clear, doesn’t require a title: “You can learn from the person that sits in the desk beside you, the cubicle beside you.”
Data confirms what good judgment already suspects
Graves talked through how analytics have reshaped professional hockey – tracking how a player like Artemi Panarin generates offensive opportunities out of nothing – while arguing that the numbers work best when they’re balanced against human judgment.
As one of the last NHL players to switch from a wooden stick to a composite one, he put it simply: the stick doesn’t score the goal, but it changes what’s possible for a skilled player.
Your platform is a resource
The conversation didn’t stay in the arena for long. Graves spoke about the Smilezone Foundation, which he co-founded with his wife Violet in 2012.
The organization has built over 560 Zones in pediatric hospital spaces across North America – custom murals, interactive technology, and, in one of the evening’s more memorable details, rideable electric Zambonis that carry children directly to their treatment rooms.
We know something about that. Infinum Foundation has been our way of giving back to the community for over fifteen years – supporting humanitarian causes and, more recently, offering high school scholarships to students working toward their goals. Different focus, same instinct.
True to form, Graves didn’t leave when the interview did. He stayed in the room, met every attendee, and kept the conversation going long after the formal session wrapped.
People like Adam Graves are a great reminder that strong leadership cuts across industries. Whether it’s a locker room or a boardroom, it comes down to respecting your team and helping them work better together to win.JAMES COLE,
CEO, INFINUM NA
That’s the instinct behind this series. And if the evening was any indication, it’s one worth continuing.