Vancouver A Full-Circle Moment for Rinkside Reporter Kate Pettersen

Kate Pettersen is trading her Dunkin' for Tim Hortons and making her way back to Vancouver where her career took off.

Pettersen is the new Rinkside Reporter for the Vancouver Canucks, stepping into the role after spending last season with the Nashville Predators as a triple threat - host, reporter, and digital content producer.

"I'm excited for the challenge of the market," Pettersen shared. "I know from speaking with many different people, how passionate and excited the fans are and I really hope that I can establish myself as a trusted and valued member of this team. I want to build relationships with the fans and be able to engage with them."

Pettersen has 13 years of experience in the broadcasting industry including six years as a sideline reporter. She patrolled the BMO Field gridiron covering the Toronto Argonauts from 2015-2018 and held hosting, reporting, and producing roles for the Edmonton Oilers during the 2019-2020 season.

Returning to a Canadian market where she can share in-depth hockey coverage is something she welcomes with open arms.

"I think the exciting part is these fans love hockey. I'm coming back to a market similar to Edmonton where they know the players and they want all of these stories," Pettersen said.

The opportunity with the Canucks is alluring for her because of the organizational vision.

"It's just such a forward-thinking group," she said. "It's a group that wants to push boundaries, try new things. I love that everyone brings this fun, fresh energy to the table."

The Toronto native looks fondly on Vancouver as a full-circle moment because she got her big break in the industry as "Kate the Intern" on CTV during the 2010 Olympics. It was an overnight phenomenon for Pettersen. She went from stocking the control room with pens and pencils ahead of the opening ceremony to being live on national television ziplining across Robson Square.

"Kate the Intern was unpaid, moved out here, and sublet a place for two and a half months just to get the experience," she said. "It ended up being more than I could have ever dreamed of."

Interning before her big break was a grind that took discipline and determination. Her accomplishments are her own, but her parents are present in everything she does. She credits her dad for her innate passion for broadcasting and love of sports and her mom for her energy and joie de vivre.

Pettersen grew up on the CFL sidelines watching her father, former CFL receiver and broadcaster Leif Pettersen, in the press box. She says as a child she was reeled into the world of sports by the popcorn and excitement of the broadcast, but then developed a love of football, live events, and sports.

Her father died suddenly of a heart attack in 2008 which changed the trajectory of her life. She knew she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps in the sports media industry, but his passing was the moment she decided to go for it. As a student at Queens University finishing up a political science degree, she opted for online electives and went to a radio station in search of opportunity, taking on various internships until she landed a paying job.

Pettersen knows loss, but she doesn't let it affect her outlook on life. Less than a year after her dad passed away her mother, Lee, was diagnosed with stage-four ovarian cancer and was given a two-month timeline to live. Through Lee's strong will and clinical trials she lived eight and a half years post-diagnosis, passing away in 2017.

"Her motto was 'We've got to live three days for every one [day] and make every day a ten out of ten, because tomorrow isn't guaranteed for anyone.' I really apply that to all areas of my life," Pettersen explained.

In the interest of living life to the fullest she wants to experience everything Vancouver has to offer in between practices, games, and road trips. She lives an active lifestyle and enjoys skiing, road cycling, horse jumping, and golfing to name a few.

"The first thing that comes to mind when you think of Vancouver is it's absolutely beautiful," Pettersen said, going on to note "It aligns with what I like to do if and when I get some of that downtime. It's a little harder during the hockey season, but certainly for the offseason."

She's settling in for her second stint in Vancouver which is sure to be action-packed on and off the ice, and she wouldn't want it any other way.