Hockey On The Radio Special Feature- Mike McMahon, Merrimack Warriors

I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome you back to Hockey on the Radio! It is a pleasure to be back and bringing you information on the individuals who broadcast the game of hockey to your living rooms and car radios. For the next installment I will profile a man who has had some time on the air helping us with Merrimack hockey broadcasts and has also carved out an even bigger presence through podcasts and the written word, Mike McMahon.  

Mike McMahon is a trusted, reliable and invaluable resource in his coverage of college hockey, especially to the radio broadcast effort at Merrimack College with Mike Machnik and yours truly. A graduate of Merrimack College, Mike has been covering college hockey since the 2005-06 season. Although radio is not a function that Mike does on a consistent basis, it is imperative to mention his work due to the influential nature of it. Mike has been covering Merrimack hockey since 2006-07 with the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune, and is a senior writer for College Hockey News, the recognized leader in the coverage of college hockey. He is widely known for his outstanding website " The Mack Report" at themackreport.com , in which he provides in-depth analysis, podcasts, transcripts, and articles related to Merrimack College hockey and college hockey in general. Mike has developed a reputation as a true "go-to" resource for me, as I rely heavily and depend on his insight and analysis. He also hosts the "Merrimack College Coaches show" a weekly segment in which he interviews Merrimack head coach Mark Dennehy on topics that are relevant and are important to Merrimack College specifically and college hockey in general.

In addition to breaking down college hockey games with his well-prepared analysis and commentary,
Mike also covers all other sports that are relevant at Merrimack, and has also covered the UFC and has had excellent analysis there as well. He has also written for USAHockey.com, Red Line Editorial,  ESPN.com as well as MetroWest Daily News. Mike has also appeared on several media outlets, including WEEI.com and has also been interviewed on Canadian outlets regarding his exhaustive knowledge of college hockey. He has been featured on dozens of radio programs to lend his expert analysis of college hockey.  Mike also is an excellent photographer, and his photos taken during Merrimack hockey games are featured on the mackreport.com. In addition to his work at WEEI, he has also gained valuable experience at WHDH-TV and at WBZ News Radio 1030 in Boston. He also operates live blogs during his coverage of games as well a mailbag segment, where he answers questions from fans on topics relating to college hockey (Merrimack in particular).

I have had Mike on the air with me, and he also filled in with Mike Machnik on the one occasion I had to miss a game (one of only two misses I have had in my almost 11 years at Merrimack). Mike's transition to the radio side was seamless and effortless. His knowledge of the game and skill in communicating is a perfect fit to the success of the broadcast. He is a frequent intermission guest on our broadcasts and provides as in-depth analysis of the game as anyone I have ever known. As stated earlier, his material on the Mack Report is as critical to my preparation as is any other resource I work with.

In addition to his undergraduate degree from Merrimack College in political science and government, Mike also earned certification from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in 2006, in which he gained valuable knowledge of the broadcasting industry which has served him well in his communication efforts. He is also the VP of Operations for Furniture Concepts, Inc.

I have referenced this site on a few occasions in this blog post, but it is an excellent reference point to getting a really good feel of Mike's work. If you would like to learn more about Mike's scope and breadth of coverage, please head over to http://www.themackreport.com  and check out his outstanding work. You can also see a lot of his work at www.collegehockeynews.com.

Broadcaster Profile- Donnie Moorhouse, Massachusetts Minutemen

It certainly has been a while, but it's great to be blogging again. Over the past season I've had the good fortune to introduce and profile some great radio voices who have called the game of hockey, from college to AHL to the pros. To a large extent my focus has been in Hockey East, the league I work in, and with this latest post I'd like to come back to Hockey East and introduce Donnie Moorhouse, who is back for his second stint as radio voice of the UMass Minutemen.

Donnie Moorhouse is in his second run as radio play by play radio voice of the UMass Minutemen, joining forces with Brock Hines on the call (for more on Brock, I invite you to check his post from earlier here on the blog). Donnie was on the call of UMass hockey from 2002-2009 and was at the mike for some great moments in Minuteman hockey history, one of which was a triple OT game against Maine in the Hockey East tournament. Donnie moved over to AIC to call games for the Yellow Jackets at his alma mater in Springfield most recently prior to coming back to Amherst.

Donnie has a rich history when it comes to staying involved with the game of hockey, as he also hosted " Hockey Night in Springfield" while doing AIC games, a program that aired on WEEI-FM, 105.5 in Springfield. The program covered not only UMass and AIC, but also also the Springfield Falcons and all of the high school teams in the area,  a great testament to Donnie's diverse coverage and knowledge base.  He also spent two years doing business development for the Springfield Falcons, and has been a music writer for The Republican newspaper for an impressive 23 years. Donnie is also very much involved with the UMass Coaches Show alongside Brock Hines, a weekly coaches show with coach John Micheletto live from the Hangar in Amherst each Tuesday night during the hockey season.

Donnie has also been involved with songwriting, as he wrote songs for a group called " Breakdown", whose style could be likened to the style of John Mellencamp. He has also written a script for a film called " Cathedral Pines" and has acted in five films, including a horror film called " Collinsville."  Although he has much experience in film and music, hockey is his first passion. He has also founded a non-profit organization called the "Hockey Project" which takes at-risk kids and gives them a chance to play hockey and get them on the ice.

Donnie travelled to Northern Ireland in 2016 alongside Brock Hines to broadcast the second annual Friendship Four Tournament for the UMass Radio Network.

Donnie made broadcast history on April 10, 2021, calling the play by play of UMass' clinching win in the national championship game , a 5-0 win over St. Cloud State University at PP&G Arena in Pittsburgh. 

I will be attempting to add some audio to highlight Donnie's work in the very near future should I be able to locate some highlights of his work, but in the meantime be sure to tune in to Donnie and Brock on the call of UMass hockey live on WHMP radio (1400 AM) in Northampton. Minuteman hockey can also be heard on 1240 AM and 96.9 FM in the Amherst area. You can also access their broadcasts on the TuneIn radio app for mobile devices (enter WHMP in the search field), or by simply visiting www.umassathletics.com.

Broadcaster Profile- Nick Gagalis, Providence Bruins

Continuing on with our discussion of radio hockey voices that shape our enjoyment of the game of hockey, for this next entry I'll head down to the Ocean State and take a look at the voice of the Boston Bruins AHL affiliate, Nick Gagalis of the Providence Bruins.

Nick Gagalis is a man who has made his mark in the broadcasting world, both in the game of hockey and across the sports landscape. Nick currently calls the action on the Providence Bruins radio network, following the path of current Bruins radio voice Dave Goucher (who like Nick is a graduate of Boston University). Nick does so much more in regards to his work with the P-Bruins than just the radio call- he is involved with media and public relations work, with the task of increasing and reshaping the public image of the team. He has also functioned in the role of official scorer in his tenure with the club prior to becoming the voice of the Bruins, as well as performing such tasks as recording audio spots, playing music and sound effects at games, running their Twitter account, and doing PA work for youth hockey games.

Nick has seen his share of games in the hockey world prior to coming to Providence. It started for him in 2007, when he was the color commentator for the BU Terriers on student radio, working alongside Kevin Edelson. In 2009, Nick helped call the BU championship win over Miami in overtime from Washington, D.C. A segment of that game was submitted to the Associated Press and subsequently won a regional award. Nick also did hockey reporting for U.S. College Hockey Online, writing for Merrimack College hockey. Nick wrote stories in support of Merrimack hockey and updated the team's happenings on his personal Twitter account. He also reported for the New England Hockey Journal in 2008.

Hockey is not the only sport Nick has experience in. He has done plenty of baseball work in his career as well. We crossed paths in 2011, working together as member of the Worcester Tornadoes baseball club in the Can-Am League, Nick doing their radio and myself doing public address. Nick was employed as their radio voice the year Jose Canseco played for the club, which caused quite a buzz for baseball fans in Central Massachusetts. Nick also worked for the Hudson Valley Renegades of the New York Penn League, doing their radio as well as social media, advertising, ticket sales, stadium operations, and pulling tarp during rain delays (I did my share of tarp pulling too, so I can relate to that last point). He also handled broadcast duties for the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League (not a bad place to work in the summers).

Nick currently provides play by play for Merrimack College football in North Andover, and has also done football broadcast work for St. Anselm's in New Hampshire.

Other assignments have seen Nick work as a production intern for NESN, a morning show production intern for WEEI radio in Boston, as well as stops at ESPN radio in Charlestown, and WZLX radio. He has had scores of reporting jobs in his career as well..

Possessing a bachelor of science in journalism from Boston University, Nick was well involved in getting his feet wet while covering the Terriers. He was a host, panelist, and producer for BUTV, the school television station. Also Nick was an anchor and an editor for the Terrier Nation show (BU's equivalent of ESPN's SportsCenter).

He has also done social media work for Liberty Mutual and worked as a customer service representative for Shaw's Supermarkets. His specialty is branding, where he focused on that as a member of the Careerealism Company based out of Hampton, N.H.

Here is a clip of Nick on the call of a Providence game against the Manchester Monarchs from April 19, 2015 at the Dunkin Donuts Center:

https://app.box.com/s/67xjpwws9k7dq6a4zjbtf123q6sdy9vj      

To check out Nick on the call of Providence Bruins hockey, go to http://ahl.neulion.com/ahl/.

Broadcaster Profile- Adam Frenier, Massachusetts Minutemen

I'd like to continue on with my coverage of the outstanding, passionate voices of the great game of hockey. We'll stay in Hockey East for this post and we'll pay another visit  out to Amherst, MA, and take a look at the final member of the UMass hockey team, Adam Frenier.

Adam Frenier has been a solid and important part of the coverage of UMass hockey on the radio. He has filled in quite capably  on the play by play call as well as performing various other duties for Minuteman hockey coverage. He has been involved with UMass sports media since 2000, and wears many hats for the UMass athletic program.

Adam has served not only as play-by-play talent for the network but has also been a studio producer as well. He has been an important part of UMass football coverage in these capacities, serving as a host for home football games. His work has also seen him serve as a sideline reporter, halftime host, and post game host for the UMass Sports Network. Adam has also stepped in very nicely as a play by play voice for UMass All Access.

Adam has been a part of five AP Massachusetts/Rhode Island play by play award winning broadcasts, three as a producer and two as on air talent. He has also been a freelance news reporter for New England Public Radio in Amherst covering news events since 2011.

Adam has also served as a producer for the Boston Red Sox radio network, a position he held from 2005 to 2007. Prior to that he functioned as a news reporter for WHMP-AM in Northhampton (which is the current  flagship station for UMass hockey) from 2000-2005.

Adam and the UMass radio hockey team made history on April 10, 2021 at the PP&G Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, as they were on the radio call for UMass' first national championship, a 5-0 victory over St. Cloud State University. 

He is a 2004 graduate of UMass and lives in Florence, MA.

Here is a clip of Adam's play by play work alongside Brock Hines, this clip being from a 2-1 OT win over Providence at the Mullins Center:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmoR3ueq3_M

And a second clip from Adam's call alongside Brock Hines of a 5-2 UMass win over the UMass Lowell River Hawks at the Mullins Center:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRUxeumtmjE 

And finally a bonus clip of Adam on the call of UMass lacrosse, in a 12-9 win over Drexel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K75HKD8QKhQ


UMass hockey can be heard on WHMP 1400 and 1240 AM, as well as visiting the following link:

 http://www.umassathletics.com/umass-sports-network.html .

Broadcaster Profile- Cody Chrusciel, UMass Minutemen

The warm weather is finally upon us after an unforgiving winter and a winter that saw some incredible hockey played in the region. But just because the temperatures are rising doesn't mean that my look into the world of hockey radio broadcasters will disappear. With that said, I'd like to move on to profile another hockey radio broadcaster who saw time with the UMass Minutemen in 2014-15 and a good friend, Cody Chrusciel.

Cody Chrusciel's very recognizable voice was heard last season on the call of UMass Minutemen hockey splitting play by play time with John Hennessy alongside Brock Hines on the UMass Sports Network. The Wayne, N.J. native is a UMass grad who has a broad range of sports broadcasting credentials to his credit. Cody is also a sideline reporter for UMass football and is active in his production and promotion of the "UMass Sports Insider": television program. He also has been on the call for UMass women's basketball for the Atlantic 10 Digital Network and UMass All Access.

Graduating with an M.S. in Sports Management from UMass in 2011, Cody also has seen his share of minor league baseball over the years, doing play by play for the Tennessee Smokies (Chicago Cubs AA affiliate), and the New Jersey Jackals independent team in the Can-Am league (which is where I first met him), as well as the Sussex Skyhawks, also in the Can-Am. He also worked at Army covering lacrosse and also worked in the Philadelphia Philles organization in the video services department as well as with the ECHL's Trenton Devils in their broadcasting department.

As far as hockey goes, Cody was at the microphone for the longest game ever played in college hockey history on March 6, 2015 at the Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, Indiana, in a first round playoff game between UMass and Notre Dame (a game which the Minutemen won 4-3), alongside Brock Hines. Although this record could be broken at some point, it certainly could stand for a while and will be an impressive notation on his resume regardless. He has also been at the mike for the University of New England's hockey program.

Here is a sample of Cody's work with the Minutemen, as you can hear Cody's work enriches the deep tradition of play by play voices for the Minutemen. Check it out at https://soundcloud.com/cody-chrusciel/hockey-highlights-umass-minutemen-2014-15.  Included in the clip is Cody's call of the game winning goal in the 5 OT win at Notre Dame, scored by UMass's Shane Walsh.

To learn more about Cody, I invite you to check out his website at www.codychrusciel.com. You will find his resume, background, play by play clips, and so much more.

UMass hockey can be tuned in at WHMP 1400 and 1240 AM on the dial. You can also access Minuteman hockey on the TuneIn radio app for your smartphones and tablets, or by visiting the following link:

http://www.umassathletics.com/umass-sports-network.html .

Cody has accepted a position at Princeton University commencing in the 2015-16 season, and I'd like to wish him well in his new endeavor!

Broadcaster Profile- Rick Jeanneret, Buffalo Sabres

Sorry for the lapse in posting. My laptop went into the shop for a bit but I'm back, ready to continue on with more profiles of the great hockey radio voices that call our game. Please do check back and take a look at the past posts, as I have featured all of the radio voices of Hockey East, Ken Cail from the AHL, and several voices from the NHL. I'll continue on with looking at our next radio voice, the legendary voice of the Buffalo Sabres, Rick Jeanneret.

When you talk Buffalo Sabres hockey, the name you inevitably and invariably hear is Rick Jeanneret, the longtime voice of the Sabres since the 1971-72 season. Rick is the longest tenured radio broadcaster in the history of the National Hockey League, which is quite a feat in and of itself. Since the 1995-96 season he has moved over to televsion and does simulcasts of Sabres games. The Ontario native is as colorful and as passionate as they come. Rick has done Sabres games for every season of the club's existence except one- the Sabres initial season in 1970-71, as it was in that year that Ted Darling covered Buffalo games. He has been paired with former Sabres Jim Lorentz and Rob Ray (who is the current analyst), as well as Harry Neale of Hockey Night in Canada fame.

Rick's career got started in 1963 when he became the voice of the Niagara Falls Flyers, a Junior A level team. He did color and then play by play for the team beginning in 1965. He then moved on to the Buffalo Bisons in 1969-70, handling their road games. He also had a run as a DJ on a Niagara Falls radio station (CJRN radio, which no longer exists), from 1984-1992. He left the DJ job to concentrate solely on the call of Sabres hockey.

He was on the call for a fictional game called the " Sabres Showdown" back in 2001, in which the members of the 1974-75 Sabres team took on the 1998-99 squad at the old Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo. (Both of those teams went to the Stanley Cup Finals). This game was simulated on the 2001 NHL video game. Gilbert Perreault scored the game winning goal.

Rick was diagnosed with stage 3 throat cancer but has since recovered and is currently cancer free.

Rick has been the recipient of many awards in his storied career, among them being inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame on November 8, 2011; induction into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame on June 6, 2012; receiving the Foster Hewitt award on June 12, 2012 for his excellence in broadcasting and service to the sport of hockey; and induction into the Buffalo Broadcasting Hall of Fame on September 20, 2012.

Here is an outstanding compendium of Rick's calls. If you are a hockey fan you will love these:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ywopj0fOdak

Rick can be heard alongside Rob Ray on WGR AM 550 in Buffalo on the call of Sabres games. WGR's website is located at http://www.wgr550.com/.  You can also tune in Rick on Tune In radio for your smart phones and tablets.

Broadcaster Profile- Mike Lange, Pittsburgh Penguins

Our next blog profile will spotlight the longtime voice of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and one of the most colorful broadcasters to ever call the game of hockey, Mike Lange.

Mike Lange has been the voice of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey since his arrival to the Steel City in 1974. The Sacramento native arrived in Pittsburgh after spending time in the Western Hockey League with the San Diego Gulls and the Phoenix Roadrunners. After his first season in Pittsburgh, he left to call Washington Diplomats soccer for one season and then returned to Pittsburgh the next season and has been with the team ever since. Mike was the lead voice on Penguins radio and television broadcasts from 1975 to 2006. He was briefly replaced by Paul Steigerwald after his contract was not renewed, but returned in 2006 to once again call the Penguins on the radio, pairing with former Penguin Phil Bourque on the broadcasts.

Mike has also called NHL games for the ESPN network while also calling Pittsburgh Pirates baseball on cable television. He also appeared in the Jean Claude Van Damme action movie Sudden Death alongside Paul Steigerwald, appearing as himself in 1995. He won the Foster Hewitt Award for excellence in hockey broadcasting in 2001.

Mike is one of the most unique personalities to ever call a sporting event because of his use of colorful expressions to describe what he sees on the ice. This approach is wildly popular with Pittsburgh hockey fans in particular and hockey  fans in general. Some of these colorful phrases include " Scratch my back with a hacksaw, " "Get in the fast lane, Grandma, this bingo game's ready to roll", " He beat him like a rented mule", " Michael, Michael, motorcycle", and "Eddie Spaghetti" to name just a few.

Here are some of these vintage calls of Mike in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXSzyQtWmhE

And a clip of Mike calling Pittsburgh's Game 7 win at Detroit to clinch the Stanley Cup:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UU0rIy5Zhhg

To tune in to Mike on the call of Penguins games, their flagship station is 105.9 FM in Pittsburgh  (WXDX). The stations on the Penguins radio network can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_Penguins_Radio_Network

You can also search for and tune in to these stations on the TuneIn Radio app for your mobile devices.