Broadcaster Profile- Jack Edwards, NESN

I'm proud to continue my spotlighting of hockey broadcasters with the latest addition to my Hockey On the Radio blog, the next feature takes a look at the work of Jack Edwards, the television voice of the Boston Bruins on NESN.

Jack Edwards is a very recognizable fixture in New England, as the passionate and energetic voice of the Boston Bruins on NESN. One of the most prepared and knowledgeable hockey broadcasters to ever work behind a microphone, Jack got his start in the game of hockey working on the UNH broadcast team covering Wildcat hockey. From there Jack's hockey work expanded to ESPN where he covered the Frozen Four for the network. He also provided play by play for ESPN's National Hockey Night from 1999 to 2003. Jack came to Boston in the 2005-06 season, where he handled the play by play for road games, splitting coverage with Dale Arnold who provided play by play for home games. In the 2007-08 season Jack took over the play by play for all games for NESN.  Jack was awarded a Stanley Cup ring in 2010-11 following the Bruins Stanley Cup win over Vancouver. Always willing to tell it like it is, Jack is paired on Bruins telecasts with fellow UNH alum and former Bruins and NHL player Andy Brickley.

As I have noted on many other occasions, preparation is the crucial hallmark of any any broadcaster, and Jack has defined preparation down to a science. His prep is as detailed as any broadcaster in the business, in any sport. To illustrate, here is a sample prep chart that Jack uses in a typical broadcast of Bruins hockey:

As you can see, Jack's system breaks down every possible occurrence you could see in a game into minute detail, color coded for easy reference. This particular chart tracks special teams specialty information. I also am a big fan of color coding as it the easiest way to aid identification quickly. 

Outside of hockey, Jack has a wide range of sports play by play experience. His career was launched in New Hampshire, working for WGIR radio as both a play by play announcer and as a sports anchor.  He has also worked for WMUR-TV out of Manchester. Jack has also spent time at WRKO in Boston, and as a weekend anchor at WJAR TV in Providence. He has also done a stint at WCVB TV in Boston as well. Jack did his ESPN work while concurrently employed at WCVB. Nationally, he covered alpine skiing at the 1988 Winter Olympics for ABC. He also moved on to WHDH TV in Boston, the CBS affiliate, where he covered the US Open and the 1991 Olympic Winterfest. He has also covered the Davis Cup for ESPN. Jack's resume at ESPN spanned many events, including SportsCenter anchoring, Little League Baseball, the 1996 X games, and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. 

Jack also joined College Sports Television in 2003. 

In addition to his Bruins work on NESN, Jack also participates in a show called "The Instigators", in which he debates hockey topics with such NESN hockey personalities as Andy Brickley, Dale Arnold, Barry Pederson, to name a few. 

Here is an excellent compilation of Jack's work on NESN as the TV voice of the Bruins: 

https://youtu.be/MTcdJCSJDXU 

Be sure to catch Jack and Andy Brickley on the call of Boston Bruins hockey on NESN from October to April. 

Broadcaster Profile- Tom Caron, NESN, ASN

Welcome back to my Hockey on the Radio Blog and thanks as always for visiting. It's been a few months since I last posted- the rigors of the college hockey season (as well as other hockey assignments) and a bout with the flu have left me struggling to catch up, but I hope the wait for you will have been worth it. In my last feature, I introduced you all to Mike Murphy, who stepped in at UNH to replace Dan Parkhurst with their radio coverage. This time around we'll learn about another iconic broadcaster from the TV side who has done it all here in New England on NESN- from Hockey East, to the Red Sox, and beyond, Tom Caron.

Anyone who has followed sports in the New England region, particularly on NESN, will be familiar with the next broadcaster to be featured on the blog. Tom Caron is one of the most recognizable and popular voices in all of New England. He began his NESN career in 1995 and has been a fixture at the network ever since. There are many projects Tom has been involved with over at NESN- I'll begin by talking about his hockey work, which is most relevant to this blog, and then exploring his other notable work from there.

In terms of his hockey work, Tom is the voice of Hockey East on NESN and ASN, serving as the lead play by play announcer during college hockey season for the game of the week. He also provides coverage of the Beanpot Tournament yearly for the network, paired with Boston Bruins TV analyst Andy Brickley. TC, as he is often called by friends and colleagues, has also covered the Bruins for the network, functioning as a studio host. He has also done play by play for the Providence Bruins of the AHL for NESN.

Tom also hosts the very popular NESN program " The Instigators" which spotlights a roundtable discussion of trending topics in the NHL. The program frequently features Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley serving on the panel to discuss and debate these hotly contested issues.

Prior to coming to NESN, he provided play by play for the AHL's Portland Pirates, where he also hosted a weekly hockey feature for WPXT-TV in Portland, as well as calling the action for the New England Stingers of the Roller Hockey International League. Tom began his hockey career covering the Montreal Canadiens for WPTZ-TV in Plattsburgh, New York.

As extensive as Tom's hockey experience is, he also is very busy in the summer serving as the studio host for Boston Red Sox baseball on NESN. He hosts the pre and post game shows before and after every Red Sox game on the network, where he is joined by a rotation of former Red Sox players who join in on the analysis, namely Dennis Eckersley, Steve Lyons, Jim Rice, and Tim Wakefield.

Tom's baseball career goes way back as well, as his first job out of college was covering the Vermont Reds, the AA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. He would go on to cover the Montreal Expos (at the same time he was covering the Canadiens) for WPTZ in Plattsburgh. Tom also has been at the play by play mike for the Pawtucket Red Sox on NESN as well.

Throughout his storied career, he has held anchor jobs at WNNE-TV in Hanover, New Hampshire, along with WGME-TV in Portland Maine and WPXT-TV in Portland.

He can be heard frequently on WEEI-FM discussing the Red Sox, as well as WBLM-FM and 101.3 in Burlington, VT.

Tom graduated with a degree in journalism from Saint Michael's College in Vermont, and prior to that from Lewiston High School in Lewiston, ME.

His work has earned him three New England Emmy Awards, a New York State Broadcasters Award, two James Ellery Awards (for excellence in AHL coverage), and the ECAC Media Award. Tom is also a member of the Portland Pirates Hall of Fame, along with former Boston Bruins goaltender Byron Dafoe, former Washington Capitals goaltender Olaf Kolzig, and Nashville Predators coach Barry Trotz.

Here is a video clip of Tom addressing his alma mater about his experiences and the field of sports broadcasting:

https://youtu.be/cNU8WKNmkTg

And another speaking engagement with Tom at Southern Vermont College:

https://youtu.be/9P9jju_FJhs

Tom Caron can be seen on NESN and the American Sports Network on Fridays during the college hockey season, on the first two Mondays in February covering the Beanpot, and on a nightly basis prior to and after every Boston Red Sox telecast on NESN.

Broadcaster Profile- Mike Murphy, UNH Wildcats

The next installment of our broadcaster profiles takes us back to Durham, N.H., as we meet  the play by play voice of UNH hockey, Mike Murphy.

Currently the associate athletic director for communications, Mike Murphy assumed the role of play by play for UNH hockey following the departure of Dan Parkhurst for the 2016-17 season. He is a man who is synonymous with UNH sports and possesses a keen familiarity with the hockey program. In addition to covering the men's action, he covers selected women's hockey games for the Wildcats. Mike also hosts the UNH Coaches Radio Show with head coach Dick Umile. He has served as a sports announcer on the Wildcat Sports Network since 1998.

Mike has covered numerous sports for UNH since joining the sports network in 1998. He currently provides color commentary for the men's and women's basketball broadcasts, and was on the call for UNH football from 1998-2009.

An eight time winner of the New Hampshire Sportscaster of the Year Award (1998, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2009, 2016, 2017, 2020), Mike has become one of the most recognizable sports figures in the Granite State. Prior to joining the UNH family, he was the Director of Media Relations and Ticket Sales Executive for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (the Toronto Blue Jays AA affiliate) from 2005-10. He was a key contributor to the Fisher Cats winning the prestigious Bob Freitas Award for the achievement of long term success is minor league baseball. He also was part of the Fisher Cats broadcast team from 2004 to 2010.

Mike has also been honored as the 2008 New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters Air Personality of the Year as well as the 2008 AP Top Play-By-Play Award. He is also a 12 time recipient of the NHAB Golden Mike Award, and was named the East Atlantic Gymnastics League ( EAGL) Co-Administrator of the Year in 2013.

Mike also has experience in sports talk, having hosted the 'Sports Zone" talk show on 107.7 The Pulse, as well as on WKXL radio in Concord.

Mike has also served as the primary media contact for the UNH football, gymnastics and skiing programs in his role as associate AD for communications and was the host of Inside Wildcat Country for WBIN television, an inside look at UNH sports with recaps highlights and feature stories.

A graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in broadcast journalism, Mike and his wife Tish have two children, son Jason and daughter Katie. Mike became a grandfather in 2022. 

Here is a clip of Mike's great work, taken from a game against UMass on 1-25-20, a 1-1 tie: 

UNH vs. UMass

And a second clip during a UNH game against UMass Lowell on 2-13-22, a 3-0 UNH win:

UNH vs. UMass Lowell

In order to tune in to UNH hockey with Mike and Pete Webster, tune to WPKX (AM 930), in the Dover-Portsmouth-Rochester area, WQSO-FM (93.7), and WGIR AM (610) in Manchester.

Broadcaster Profile- Mike Murphy, UNH Wildcats

The next installment of our broadcaster profiles takes us back to Durham, N.H., as we meet  the new play by play voice of UNH hockey, Mike Murphy.

Currently the associate athletic director for communications, Mike Murphy assumed the role of play by play for UNH hockey following the departure of Dan Parkhurst for the 2016-17 season. He is a man who is synonymous with UNH sports and possesses a keen familiarity with the hockey program. In addition to covering the men's action, he covers selected women's hockey games for the Wildcats. Mike also hosts the UNH Coaches Radio Show with head coach Dick Umile. He has served as a sports announcer on the Wildcat Sports Network since 1998.

Mike has covered numerous sports for UNH since joining the sports network in 1998. He currently provides color commentary for the men's and women's basketball broadcasts, and was on the call for UNH football from 1998-2009.

A six time winner of the New Hampshire Sportscaster of the Year Award (1998, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2016), Mike has become one of the most recognizable sports figures in the Granite State. Prior to joining the UNH family, he was the Director of Media Relations and Ticket Sales Executive for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (the Toronto Blue Jays AA affiliate) from 2005-10. He was a key contributor to the Fisher Cats winning the prestigious Bob Freitas Award for the achievement of long term success is minor league baseball. He also was part of the Fisher Cats broadcast team from 2004 to 2010.

Mike has also been honored as the 2008 New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters Air Personality of the Year as well as the 2008 AP Top Play-By-Play Award. He is also a 12 time recipient of the NHAB Golden Mike Award, and was named the East Atlantic Gymnastics League ( EAGL) Co-Administrator of the Year in 2013.

Mike also has experience in sports talk, having hosted the 'Sports Zone" talk show on 107.7 The Pulse, as well as on WKXL radio in Concord.

Mike has also served as the primary media contact for the UNH football, gymnastics and skiing programs in his role as associate AD for communications and was the host of Inside Wildcat Country for WBIN television, an inside look at UNH sports with recaps highlights and feature stories.

A graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in broadcast journalism, Mike and his wife Tish have two children, son Jason and daughter Katie, who is a sophomore at UNH.

Here is a clip of Mike's great work, taken from a 10-29-16 game against Merrimack, which the Wildcats won 6-2:

https://youtu.be/Y3dkkE9n6kY

And a second clip during a UNH game against Sacred Heart on 11.4.16:

https://youtu.be/oknKzevD8BM

In order to tune in to UNH hockey with Mike and Pete Webster, tune to WPKX (AM 930), in the Dover-Portsmouth-Rochester area, WQSO-FM (93.7), and WGIR AM (610) in Manchester.

Broadcaster Profile- Larry Mahoney, Maine Black Bears

The next installment here at the Hockey In the Radio Blog takes us back to Hockey East, and we travel up to Orono, Maine, to feature the longtime radio analyst of Maine Black Bears hockey, Larry Mahoney.

Larry Mahoney is the esteemed color analyst on the Maine Black Bears radio network, and has been paired with Dan Hannigan for over a dozen years (see my earlier post on Dan to learn more about him). Larry has covered Maine hockey since it's inception in 1977-78, and he brings a great combination of knowledge and unique perspective to Black Bear hockey broadcasts on the radio. Larry has been associated with some great moments in Maine hockey, including being at the microphone for both of Maine's national championships (1992-93 and 1998-99). An alum of the  University of Maine, Larry was an accomplished athlete for much of his early life, playing baseball and club hockey, as well as football. He was an outfielder for Bangor High School in 1971, a year which saw Bangor win a state championship.

In addition to his radio duties, Larry is a prolific writer. He has written for the Bangor Daily News for an astounding 43 years, and is a five time Maine Sportswriter of the Year. He covered Hockey East for the Hockey News Magazine for several years and has seen and covered scores of outstanding players at Maine who have gone on to stellar NHL careers. He has also done work covering the Maine men's basketball team.

In addition to his accolades as a writer, Larry also was the first recipient of the prestigious Joe Concannon Media Award in 1992, given annually to a member of the media who demonstrates excellence in covering and promoting Hockey East. Larry's outstanding work with the Hockey News played a large role in Larry's reception of the award.

Larry is the oldest of six children, and his parents, Larry and Nancy Mahoney attended Needham High School. His mother was Miss Needham in 1951, while his father was a captain on the football team. His father also served time in the US Air Force, with assignments in Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam. Larry and his wife Sally, who have been married for 36 years, have two sons: Michael, a graduate of McGill University in Montreal, and Andrew, who graduated from the University of Tampa and is a first lieutenant in the Maine Army National Guard and is a soon to be graduate of the Aviation Center in Fort Rucker, as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot.

Larry has always had the amazing ability to tell colorful and humorous stories, and of course that is a skill which is so important to having success as a broadcaster. He has shared with me many funny stories of his experiences growing up as an athlete, and he blends this humorous style very nicely with his superb analysis of the players and the specifics of the teams and knowledge of the league.

To listen to Larry alongside Dan Hannigan on the call of Maine hockey, there are several options around the state of Maine- their flagship station is WVOM (103.9 FM) in Bangor. Other stations on the network include WVQM 101.3 (Augusta), WSYY 1240 AM (Millinocket), WLOB 1310 AM (Portland), WJJB 96.3 FM (Portland), WRED 1440 AM (Portland) and WVQM 1450 AM (Rockland). Internet audio can be found at www.GoBlackBears.com as well. You may also search for those stations through the TuneIn radio app for your mobile devices.

Broadcaster Profile- Eric Frede, NESN, ASN, Cod Rock Media

Moving right along to showcase more of the great talent that brings you hockey to your homes- the next post here at Hockey On the Radio deals with a great friend and very talented broadcaster who has been involved with Hockey East for a long time, Eric Frede.

Eric Frede is a fixture on the college hockey scene and has been a vital part of the coverage of the sport here in New England for several years. Eric began his coverage of the game with NESN in 2002 and has since moved onto SportsNet Central where he continues to anchor for the network.

Beginning with Eric's college hockey work, he arrived at NESN in 2002, hosting Inside Hockey East, a half hour show dedicated to the coverage of college hockey for the network. He has covered all of the teams in Hockey East with his play by play coverage, and has called games for NESN and most recently the American Sports Network (ASN). He was honored with the presentation of the prestigious Joe Concannon Media Award in 2005, becoming the 14th media member to receive the award, and the third NESN personality to be honored, following Bob Whitelaw and Bob Norton.

Eric has also been exposed to hockey at the professional level, serving as the in-studio host for Boston Bruins hockey from 2005-07. He has worked alongside Cam Neely, Rick Middleton, Don Sweeney, Gord Kluzak, Barry Pederson and Paul Stewart. He has also done play by play for the Ice Hockey World Championships for the World Championship Sports Network.

An Edward R. Murrow Award winner for sports reporting, Eric began his broadcasting career in New York, covering sports for West Point as well as Marist College basketball, while also working as a production assistant at NBC Sports. He also had stints at WVII in Bangor, Maine and WMUR-TV in Manchester, N.H. He also served as the Celtics pre and post game shows on FOX Sports New England.

Eric is also known for his basketball work, as he has done many broadcasts for the America East Network. He also served as the Celtics PA announcer in 2002-03.

He is also no stranger to baseball work, as he has done many minor league games for NESN, and also has acted as a field reporter for Boston Red Sox baseball from 2004 to 2005. Eric also filled in for Tom Caron on the pre and post game shows. He also has done fill in work for the Red Sox on NESN, pinch hitting for Don Orsillo in 2010. He has worked with Jim Rice, Dennis Eckersley, Tom Caron, Jerry Remy, Gary DiSarcina and Sam Horn.

Nationally, he has called games for the Oxygen, Speed, and CSTV networks (CSTV being college hockey coverage).

To further illustrate Eric's versatility, he has done games for the Boston Breakers of the former USFL, and the New England Revolution.

He has also hosted sports specialty shows, among them being NESN Sports Desk, Red Sox Rewind and Boston Globe Sports Plus (filling in for Bob Lobel).

In addition to his work with SportsNet Central, Eric is co-owner of Cod Rock Media along with Maine radio PxP voice Dan Hannigan (you can read more about Dan and Cod Rock in an earlier post on this blog). Cod Rock specializes in sports media video productions, and is the go to source for productions of this type. Eric and Dan were colleagues also at Bangor's ABC television affiliate.

Eric was educated at Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y., graduating in 1988.

Here is a video which describes the work of Cod Rock, and the work of Eric and Dan:

https://youtu.be/IM1GqYQW2Aw

Eric can be seen on CSN and on NESN and ASN during college hockey season.

Broadcaster Profile- Dale Arnold, New England Sports Network

My next feature here on the Hockey On the Radio Blog features the only man to serve as the play by play voice of all five of the major sports teams in Boston- the Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins, Celtics, and Revolution- Dale Arnold of NESN.

Dale Arnold, NESN

Dale Arnold has been synonymous with Boston sports for nearly thirty years. Currently the in game studio host for Boston Bruins hockey on the New England Sports Network (NESN). Dale has a long history of play by play work in the hockey world. From 1995-2007 he was the voice of Bruins hockey on NESN, paired with former Bruins standout defenseman Gord Kluzak. Prior to his play by play work with the Bruins, Dale served as the voice of New Jersey Devils hockey in 1986 and 1987.  Leading up to his storied play by play NHL career, Dale was the voice for Maine Mariners hockey for seven seasons, in which he replaced the venerable Mike Emrick on the broadcasts. Dale worked with Tom McVie at Maine, a coach who would go on to have great success in the National Hockey League. Dale's current hockey responsibilities involve being the in studio host for Bruins telecasts on NESN, in which he anchors the pre-game, intermission and postgame coverage. 

Hockey is the tip of the iceberg as far as Dale's play by play work is concerned. He called New England Patriots football from 1988-90, and did work with the Red Sox on their broadcast team in 2008, assigning him to work with Joe Castiglione when Dave O'Brien called games for ESPN. He has also chipped in doing play by play for the Celtics and the Revolution while also serving as the public address announcer for the Revolution as well. He has also been at the microphone for Boston College football on WEEI. 

A three time Regional Emmy Award winner for outstanding Play By Play coverage by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Dale has been with WEEI AM (850) since the station's inception in 1991. One of my lasting memories of Dale was his coverage of the Oklahoma City bombings on WEEI.... The moment when you transition from a sports reporter to a news one.... And he handled it brilliantly.  He also worked with WEEI-FM. He has been paired with many great sports personalities in the region, among them Eddie Andelman (in a show named the A-Team); with Bob Neumeier on the Dale and Neumy Show, and currently with former Boston Globe columnist Michael Holley in the Dale & Holley Show. He has also hosted Sunday morning talk shows with Boston Herald columnist Steve Buckley. 

He was educated at Bowdoin College in Maine and was a native of Brunswick, ME, for a time. Dale also worked at WHDH Radio. He began broadcasting games in high school in Brunswick, and he was also a fine athlete, lettering in four sports in high school (soccer, cross country, basketball, and baseball). He continued on with broadcasting while at Bowdoin, covering football and hockey for the college. 

One of the interesting aspects of Dale in popular culture is that he has a sandwich named after him- the Dale Arnold- which you can enjoy at the Maine Diner in Wells, Maine- a lobster roll with melted butter. (This author has had it and loves it).  

I had the good fortune to meet Dale and interview him at WEEI when I first started out in the business and he was the consummate professional. 

To paint a better picture of Dale's work, here is a video clip of Dale discussing Bruins hockey with NESN analyst Barry Pederson: 

https://youtu.be/wSOlLYyVRIs       

Dale can be heard from 10-2 on WEEI AM 850 AM alongside Michael Holley, and on NESN (as stated above on Bruins broadcasts.