A 15 Year Reflection

15 years? To be honest I never thought that I'd be in the position of writing a 15 year reflection as the TV voice of this franchise. When I got the job as TV play-by-play voice for the IceDogs, I was 35 years old and single. At the time I honestly thought that I'd be in the league for five years maximum and then the NHL would come calling. I was brash enough to believe that this was a mere stepping stone to get to the show. Well, a funny thing happened on the way to fist bumps and selfies with Gary Bettman. I could go on and on about breaks that did not pan out, timing that was poor, executives that did not recognize the obviously gifted broadcaster in front of them etc, etc. The reality is that it's damn hard to get to the NHL. So, so many talented broadcasters and so few positions. Trust me. Apply for an NHL job and guaranteed that you are up against 100's of other candidates, many of which are just as good , if not better.

The brash 35 year old who thought that the NHL was within his grasp is now 50, married with a child and has a far greater perspective of both himself and the broadcasting industry. He still harbors dreams of the NHL but is realistic that he's not the young hot shot he thought he was in his 30's and as the thirst for content and live broadcasts grows, the market place grows more crowded and the demographic for broadcasters is trending younger. He is more appreciative of his place in the game of hockey and in university sports. He's had more awesome experiences calling games than many and considers himself lucky to be a small part of many great events and many great athletes. Did it take a while for him to get to this spot? Damn right it did. Many times he was jaded with the industry and probably came across as not an easy person to deal with. Every journey to self-realization comes with comes with pitfalls, and bumps in the road.

This year I've decided to keep an online journal of my season. Even though technically it has already started I've decided to commence with the IceDogs home opener. It's a new regime for the IceDogs, so it will be a fascinating year to say the least. I'll reflect on the past, comment on the future and give you the best sense of what it is I do. The format may be a little unstructured, and uneven but that pretty much describes the creative process for me! Enjoy!

FLASHBACK SEPTEMBER 21 2007

It's the first regular season game for the Niagara IceDogs. Mississauga St. Michaels Majors are in town and it is hot! Like 90 plus degrees hot. Add 3145 people in a small antiquated building and the discomfort level rises. I pretty much could have burned my suit after the game I sweat through it so much. Plus, I lost my voice in the 2nd period and spent 1/2 the game desperately hydrating thinking I was going to get fired because who wants a play-by-play guy who can't last a whole game talking? All that aside, it was electric in that old building that night. Stefan Legein scored the first goal and it was a short handed goal to boot! The final score was 4-1 and junior hockey was most definitely back! More importantly we realized that we had something special in our broadcasting team. 15 years later Ed, Al and I remain on the crew, and each game is just as special.