Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Welcome to Hockey on the Radio!

Hello everyone! Welcome to my newest creation, my newest blog, Hockey on the Radio. This blog will combine two of my passions, ice hockey and broadcasting on the radio. I'm John Leahy, radio broadcaster for Merrimack College hockey. I do Warrior hockey alongside Mike Machnik. What is this blog about and what inspired me to create it?  Simply put, for the past four decades I have been transfixed by following my favorite sport, hockey, as it unfolds on the radio. I would sit at home and turn on my AM radio and spend hours just rotating that dial from top to bottom and listen to any game I could. This passion has fortunately turned into a career, and I am blessed every day to do this work. This was long before the advancement of the Internet, smartphones and tablets, so I would be listening to an out of town station with crackly interference to pick up games. From my home in suburban Boston I listened to voices like Ron Weber on WTOP in Washington, D.C, doing Capitals games (one of my favorites), Chuck Kaiton on WTIC in Hartford doing the Whalers; Marv Albert and Sal (Red Light Messina) commentating on WNEW in New York City, Gene Hart on WIP covering the Philadelphia Flyers; Bruce Martyn and Paul Woods on WJR in Detroit covering the Red Wings; these were stations I could pick up relatively easily. Was I a hockey geek? You bet. Still am, and always will be.

Anyway, now with the Internet and streaming radio I can listen to any game, home and away. One of my favorites in the NHL now is Dan Rusanowsky, who calls games for the San Jose Sharks on KFOX in the Bay Area. I try to listen to as many games as I can.

What will this blog be about? I want to use this space to share my experiences broadcasting hockey on the radio. I'll talk about the places I've been. Arenas, cities, memorable games. I also want to highlight the personalities I work with in Hockey East. You know, many people say that our collegiate hockey conference is the best in all of Division 1. I agree. And I'd like to take that a step further. The radio broadcast personalities in Hockey East are the best, most talented commentators I've ever worked with. I want to share their work with you and share also my passion for hockey on the radio. In the realm of sports, radio broadcasters sometimes are not placed at the forefront of the scene. I want to change that with this blog. We are the eyes and ears for our audiences and it is my hope that a little of the passion I have for hockey and the radio will rub off on you.

If you are a broadcaster (whether I know you or not) I invite you to stop on by and leave a comment. Tell me what you like and what you don't like. If you are not a broadcaster but rather a fan of the game, leave me a comment, this is for you too. Tell me who your favorite commentators are. Your involvement makes a better blog. 

So that's my introduction. Keep on tuning in, and happy listening!

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