Ryan's Ramblings: Thankful Isn't a Big Enough Word
Oct 19, 2021Please forgive me, T-Birds fans – I may be getting into the feels about a lot of different people in this week’s ramblings. Let’s dive in:
#1: I’m Not Sure the Adrenaline Has Worn Off Yet
I’m not sure how all of you felt while watching this Doc Emrick-voiced piece in the arena on Saturday night, but my entire body was flaring up in goosebumps – and mind you, I had watched that video at my desk no fewer than 15 times last week. I am well aware that, in the grand scheme of what the prior 587 days had been, I was really lucky. I had a family that took me back in while I was away from the Thunderdome, I had my health, and I had the ability to still stay connected with my team. So, so many others were not given that good fortune.
To all of you who got moved emotionally by it – I empathize. I think I can say with total confidence that I will never take a regular season game for granted again. Heck, I’ll never take a day inside the arena for granted again. Also, I need to publicly state for the record that Doc is the single nicest human being that may have ever walked this earth. The last thing he wants is a spotlight for this kind of thing, but there is a reason bad words are never said about him. After selflessly answering a message saying he would voice my script, he then called me on the phone and asked me about my family, my career path, our team, and next to nothing about himself. If we had more Doc Emricks in our world, it would be a better place.
I encourage anyone reading this to also check out a charity very close to Doc’s heart – the Detroit Animal Welfare Group. As a new puppy owner, myself, I share in Doc’s desire that all animals, especially our little four-legged friends, be treated with the same respect we ask of one another.
#2: Scott Perunovich is Someone We’ll Remember 30 Years from Now
I know two games do not tell the story, positive or negative, of a player’s future, but in my AHL career, I have never seen a more game-changing player from the blue line than the T-Birds’ rookie blueliner from Minnesota-Duluth. You can read all his mind-boggling college statistics – over a point-per-game, Hobey Baker Award winner, two-time national champion, three-time All-American – but it still does not hold a candle to watching him firsthand.
Perunovich does stuff with the puck on his stick that I’ve seen only a handful of NHL players be able to do, and he does all of it while still being really reliable in his own zone. I think the only nitpick, and it’s a tiny one, is that he sometimes gets pass-happy. It’s clear he has a great shot when he wants to use it. You cannot teach the poise, agility, and savviness that he possesses. If you could, there would be six of him on every NHL blue line.
I don’t know how long we’ll have the luxury of seeing Perunovich in Springfield, but if 30 years from now we look back on a marvelous professional career that began on a fall weekend in Massachusetts, let’s all savor just how special it has been to watch him work at his craft.
#3: Shouting Out the Blues’ Staff
It is not an enviable task to take on a new NHL affiliate on the heels of a global pandemic, with an NHL team that has had to change AHL locations multiple times in the last 10 years. It would be completely understandable if the Blues wanted to have an “our way or the highway” mentality because it has been nothing short of horrendous luck that has forced them to try to find a stable home for their prospects.
We in Springfield have been so lucky to work with great NHL franchises in the past, including the Florida Panthers, who made my first four years in this league so memorable and special. The Blues have not only been accommodating, but frankly, they have become a second family to us inside the MassMutual Center. Kevin McDonald, the general manager, is a Boston guy, and if there is anyone who understands the demands this area puts on their sporting franchises, it’s him. He also just happens to be one of the most selfless managers I have ever come across. His leadership rubs off on the staff in the locker room. This will be an easy group to root for just on their humanity alone.
#4: Appreciating the Little Things Coming Back, Too
One of my favorite parts of this business and this job title is the friendships you make along the way. The broadcast and PR staffs across the AHL are like their own mini-fraternity. That brotherhood was really evident when a handful of us got together throughout the pandemic to have virtual game nights and countless zoom chats. Those guys who may be reading this piece know who they are, and I hope they realize just how much those nights helped me navigate through a time in my career where it would have been easy to bail out and pursue something else.
Being able to see those guys in the next booth over from me again gives me a greater appreciation for what we, collectively, have had to overcome to keep pushing forward. You will be hearing these guys on an NHL stage someday – perhaps for your favorite team, perhaps for an enemy. In the same way we should be celebrating the players’ leaps to the NHL, we should be doing the same for the broadcasters, sales managers, community relations liaisons, etc.
I’d like to specifically recognize fellow Philadelphia-area native Joe O’Donnell, who is now the voice of the Minnesota Wild on the radio after 13 years as the voice of Minnesota’s various AHL affiliates, including every single game of the Iowa Wild’s existence prior to this season. Never lose sight of your dreams, folks, regardless of your age. Thanks, Joe O. for your mentorship over the years – you will be a legend in the Twin Cities!
#5: Speaking of Broadcasters…
Joe O’s story is admirable, but there is someone else I want to spotlight whose story warmed my heart this week. Many of you know Jason Shaya as the longtime voice of the Charlotte Checkers, the current voice of the Utica Comets, and a man with NHL games on his resume during his days in North Carolina.
He has called a Calder Cup championship, served as an emergency backup goaltender in an AHL game, and proven to be one of the funniest, quick-witted guys I have met in the world of hockey. There is no such thing as a dull moment when you talk with Jason.
In my three seasons’ worth of sharing a press box with Jason, I will say that we never really dug too deep into our own lives. Not everyone is comfortable with volunteering that kind of information, and there is nothing wrong with that.
That being said – what Jason revealed this past week in a piece with TSN’s Bob McKenzie elicited a few reactions out of me. In case you don’t click that link in the previous sentence, let me sum it up. At the age of 41, for the first time in his life, Jason publicly came out as a gay man, and to my knowledge, he is the first NHL or AHL play-by-play broadcaster to have done so.
My reaction is two-pronged. First, I wish more than anything that this world could have been in a place where Jason did not need to hide his true self from the public for four decades. I cannot even begin to imagine what kind of a weight that must have been on his shoulders.
Secondly, and pardon my “French” here, but I am so darn proud of him – and Jason, if you’re reading this, I know you’ll probably tell me next time you see me to shut up and try not to make it about yourself, but you really deserve every last supportive message you have received. You will be an inspiration to countless others if that somehow hasn’t yet happened.
As I said previously, he is one of the most unique and interesting characters you will meet in the realm of broadcasting. Nothing gets past him comedically, and his passion and enthusiasm for the game can be heard anytime he calls a game. That he is not in the NHL right now is a crime, because as he himself said in that article, he is NHL-ready. Comets fans, enjoy having Jason’s call attached to your team – he’s one of the very best this league has!