I watched the Banjo Bowl with a few Rider fans and two Bomber fans, one of which was continually beaking throughout the game. So it felt good. I don't know who Vincent Marshall and Gerran Walker are, but I don't care. And I would hope EVERYONE knows who Michael Bishop and Weston Dressler are now!
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Anyway, this is the week that leads up to opening weekend in the SJHL and MJHL. This is when I TRY to kick it into high gear, get out of summer mode, and prepare myself for likely 80+ games, including playoffs, spanning seven months. Friday's the first day of games in both provinces. We'll be on the air from Estevan where the Melville Millionaires travel to take on the Bruins. Yorkton's on home ice against Weyburn, and Saturday, the Swan Valley Stampeders and Wayway Wolverines meet up in Swan River.
This will be my fourth season of doing hockey on the radio, and I've got a much different feeling heading in than I had the first 3. My first season, 2005-06, I was the voice of the Dauphin Kings... and I was scared shitless, having never done it before. I assumed because I had a good knowledge of the game that it would come easily... and I thought I did okay in my first game, until I listened back to it the next day... not good... nor was most of the first season. Second season, I moved to Moose Jaw to do colour for the Warriors. Again, very nervous, bordering on scared, because it was a bigger stage, and I'd never done colour before. I remember our first broadcast of the 06-07 season, it was a Pre Season game in Swift Current, and right after puck drop, I started panicking, rifling through papers, trying to decide what to talk about after the first whistle. Bad first game, but again, it got better. Due to illness I was thrust into the Play by Play position for a Pats/Warriors game at home, and then a road trip through Medicine Hat, Lethbridge and Kootenay. Probably the highlight of the "career" so far. Last year, again, a little nervous... starting work at GX on Monday, October 15th and going to Battlefords and Kindersley the next two days, having met Coach Ed Zawatsky only the day before my first game, and knowing none of the players, aside from Carter Smith and Jock Sutter, who were in Moose Jaw at the same time as me for a while. Not to mention the fact I was taking over for a guy who'd been here for 20 years who everyone loved and was used to. But, it wound up being probably my most enjoyable season so far. Two 7-game series in Manitoba with Swan/Portage and Wayway/Dauphin. An exciting Yorkton/Estevan Survivor Series, a Highway 10 rivalry first round between Yorkton and Melville, and a thrilling (but disappointing) Sherwood Final between Melville and Kindersley.
And now, I can't WAIT for this season to start. It'll be the first time I spend 2 full seasons in the same place, which makes things familiar, and comfortable. I have good working relationships with all four coaches, can joke around with each of them, and same goes for the players. Aside from this year's rookies, I'm familiar with the guys, not just as players, but people... especially the Terrier players, being that I live in Yorkton and see the guys around town quite often, so it'll be good. I think it's very possible we could have all four of our teams in the playoffs for the second straight year, which means lots of games, and that much more of a chance of you hearing an SJHL or MJHL Championship series on the radio. I wanna do a league final in the worst way... you don't even know! I was one win away in my first season, and 2 wins away last year. It'll come. But I wanna have fun this year, and hope you'll enjoy listening. GX94/FoxFM news man Brendan Wagner joins me in the booth this season. That'll be the only thing new, but I know it'll work out great. We're gonna go through some things over a BP's Schooner some day this week.
My plan for this blog for this week is to type out the week's Coach's Shows. Ed Zawatsky and the Yorkton Terriers kick things off Monday... Wayway Tuesday... Melville Wednesday... and Swan Valley Thursday... all leading up to Friday's first broadcast. So stay tuned for those season previews.
Hockey's Back! Thanks for reading, hope you listen!
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