Submitted BY / Adam Laskaris, Grade 9 Student /
Growing up in Canada, virtually every boy who plays hockey dreams of playing in the NHL. Most of these boys, except a few fortunate ones, eventually realize that the dream just isn’t going to come true.
I realized the end of this dream at the age of about 8 or 9, as I was playing house league hockey and was not a star.
Now, I have a new dream: to be in the NHL as a broadcaster.
On Jan. 5 at the Air Canada Centre, I got one step closer to this dream. I got to sit in the broadcast booth with Florida Panthers radio announcer Randy Moller for the Panthers-Leafs game.
Moller played 815 games in the NHL and started doing colour commentary for the Panthers shortly after his career wrapped up. He became Florida’s play-by-play man later on and is now in his third year of doing so.
“I was fortunate I was able to play over 800 games,” said Moller. “I enjoyed every minute of it. But I’ve really enjoyed my second career, which is broadcasting.”
One of the ways he has gained fame is how he calls some of the Panthers’ goals. In conjunction with the Dan LeBatard show, whose listeners supply the lines, Randy quotes famous movies and pop culture lines, such as, ‘He shoots, he scores! Run, Forrest, Run!’
“The first couple were a lot of fun and people enjoyed it,” he said. “And then more suggestions came from his fans and from more fans. And then it just exploded from there.”
Videos of his goal calls are very popular on YouTube, receiving as many as 325,000 views.
While sitting with him at the game, Randy mentioned my name on air three times and told me about broadcasting. Before the game, he showed me all of the scripts that were written beforehand, information he had on players, who was out of the line-up, and the advertisements he had to read out during the game.
During the second intermission, one of the ushers was kind enough to give me a tour of the press box and showed me things such as GM Brian Burke’s box, where the TV crews set up, and the scoreboard control room.
One of the reasons why this game was unique (apart from sitting in the press box) was the fact that I could listen to play-by-play from Randy through my own headset. At first I was surprised that I would need one (considering I was sitting next to him) but it gets quite loud during a hockey game, and sometimes I wouldn’t be able to hear him without it.
Overall, the game was a great one, as Toronto was victorious, 3-2. The fact the Leafs won wasn’t the best part of the night, though. Spending time with one of the best in the business is something I’m certain I’ll remember forever. |