Nolan celebrates 50th season as Flyers public address announcer

Lou Nolan had a pretty good feeling his interview to become public address announcer for the Philadelphia Flyers was going well when even notoriously tough Philadelphia union construction workers stopped to listen.

It was the summer of 1972 and the Flyers needed to hire a new PA announcer. Vice president Lou Scheinfeld needed to hear how Nolan's voice would sound in the Spectrum, the Flyers' home at the time.
However, that summer a third deck was being installed in the Spectrum, which turned the hockey rink into a massive construction site.
"I went in to set up a mic and I got set to go and the crane went on," Nolan said.
The clanging of the crane and the whine of the engine echoed throughout the cavernous building and would have given most people a reason to ask for another day to interview.
Nolan took a different approach.
"I turned the mic on and said, 'Excuse me, guys. I'm doing an important audition here. Would you mind turning off the crane?'" he said. "And they did. They turned the crane off and I did it.
"[Scheinfeld] said, 'Well, I know your voice is good, and as long as you weren't rattled by that, I think you'd be fine.' So I got that job."
Fifty years later, Nolan remains on the mic, announcing goals and penalties, and the famed PECO power play.
The Flyers will honor Nolan, who has been with them since their inception in 1967, when they host the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSP, KCOP-13, ESPN+, NHL LIVE).
Among the tributes, the Flyers will wear jerseys with Nolan's name and the No. 50 on the back during warmups, and their game jerseys will feature a patch honoring Nolan.
"It's been a fantastic thing for me to get to this point and that the team is doing this to thank me, it's just terrific," Nolan said. "Good lord, you're going to put No. 50 on jerseys and my name on the back. I mean, who would ever think that? I'm a kid from Southwest Philadelphia that went to the [Philadelphia] Ramblers [American Hockey League] and played street hockey. It doesn't compute.
"I tried to earn it, so I guess I have. It sounds like it's going to be a good time."
As the last remaining Day One employee of the Flyers, he has earned it.
"He means so much to the city and to our fans and our organization," Flyers chairman Dave Scott said. "He's always there, he's always been a great ambassador for us. ... It's a level of comfort that's been there for 50 years."

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Nolan grew up a hockey fan in Philadelphia. When he was starting a career in finance, he became friendly with Joe Kadlec, who had been hired as the Flyers' first public relations director.
Nolan let it be known he was available to help Kadlec in any role with the nascent hockey team, and before the Flyers' inaugural season stared, he was hired to be a press box steward. His job for Philadelphia's sfirst five seasons was announcing goals and penalties for media in the Spectrum press box and compiling scores and statistics.
But Nolan's goal was to be closer to the action, and he got his wish starting with the 1972-73 season, when he was hired as the PA announcer.
It came with the benefit of being in a prime location. But it also had some risks. There was no glass in front of Nolan's spot along the boards, or between him and the penalty boxes.
And in his first game, a preseason match between the Flyers and Minnesota North Stars, a battle on the ice between Philadelphia forward Bob Kelly and a Minnesota player continued into the penalty boxes and included the North Stars player attempting to toss a bucket of ice and pucks on Kelly. Instead the bucket landed on Nolan.
There also were errant sticks and pucks to worry about.
"We all got hit at some point," he said. "A puck hit me in the head once, it was deflected. I was awake but I was sort of incoherent."
The lack of glass made the game dangerous, but it also allowed Nolan to build a relationship with players and referees, who would pass along goal and penalty announcements.
Usually those relationships were positive. And sometimes they became historic.
On Jan. 11, 1976, Philadelphia played the Soviet Red Army team at the Spectrum. During the first period, the Soviets were angry a penalty wasn't called on Flyers defenseman Ed Van Impe for a hit on Red Army star forward Valeri Kharlamov.
"The Russians are adamant that there should be a penalty, ref [Lloyd Gilmour] was like, 'Play on,' " Nolan said. "Their coach calls them to the bench ... referee came over when they were all there, trying to drop the puck and they weren't coming out. They're just standing over there and they're just so upset with him.
"I make a comment, 'It's like intimidation, Lloyd,' because I would talk to him like that. 'They're just trying to intimidate you.' And he said, 'Give them two minutes for delay of the game.' I didn't cause that, don't get me wrong, but I was glad to see it happen. Then the two minutes went up, I made the announcement and then they really got upset, so they leave."
An international crisis was averted when the Soviets returned and finished the 4-1 loss to Philadelphia.

Danger sometimes arrived in places outside Nolan's box.
He helps present the Flyers' year-end awards, with the ceremony held near the Zamboni chute on the other side of the ice.
His journey across the ice usually is easy, except for when the players arrive for warmups earlier than expected.
"They're skating, they go around me, no problem," Nolan said. "Everything's fine, until I see a number. That is not good because he's skating backwards."
The number, 3, belonged to Philadelphia defenseman Dan McGillis.
"At that point, I'm just committed to where I'm going," Nolan said. "I'm either going to get killed or I don't know what I'm going to do. It happened in a flash. It was Dan, he turned around and he grabbed me, we went around and then he let me loose and I drifted to the boards near my box."
At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, a collision with McGillis would not have ended well for Nolan.
"Thank God I just missed him," McGillis said. "It wouldn't have been a good contact for sure with Lou. We laughed about that after the game. ... We had a pretty monstrous team in those years and you wouldn't have wanted to be hit unless you were on skates and were in relatively good shape. I'm certainly glad I didn't hammer him."
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Nolan has been the announcer all eight times the Flyers have played in the Stanley Cup Final, including championships in 1974 and 1975.
He has worked the NHL All-Star Game twice (1976, 1992), two outdoor NHL games Philadelphia has hosted (2012 Winter Classic, 2019 Stadium Series), as well as the 2014 NCAA Frozen Four and the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.
"I've been in the League long enough that you are very, very familiar with Lou and obviously his voice," Flyers coach Mike Yeo said. "Just so symbolic of the Flyers and the history of the Flyers.
"From coaching against the Flyers and then now being part of the Flyers, it's hard to imagine a game without listening to that voice and hearing that voice."
Nolan also has been reproduced on a T-shirt given out to Flyers fans for a Stanley Cup Playoff game.
On April 18, 2016, for Game 3 of the first round against the Washington Capitals, fans were given LCD bracelets to wear as part of a tribute to owner Ed Snider, who had died days earlier. But during the third period of the 5-1 loss, frustrated fans began littering the ice with the bracelets.
Nolan begged the fans to stop, even saying, "This is Philly, this is not somewhere else in the NHL. Have some class."
His requests went unheeded and the Flyers ended up getting called for delay of game. Nolan got a call the next day.
"I'm in the Acme getting groceries, the phone rings and it's [Flyers marketing manager] Hung Tran," he said. "Hung says, 'Hey, we're doing something special. I just want you to know about it. ... We're giving out a T-shirt with your picture on it [for Game 4]. We're going to give one out to everybody in the building.'
"They just seized on this 'Stay Classy Philadelphia' deal."
Nolan said he was a bit embarrassed at first, but admits he does still have a few of the shirts.
"It's the first time that I can recall, or they told me, that there was any kind of a picture on a promotional item," he said. "I was kind of honored but for a bad circumstance."
Nolan remembers the tribute he received from PECO a bit more fondly.
PECO, Pennsylvania's largest electric and natural gas utility, began sponsoring Flyers power plays around 2000. "The Flyers are going on the PECO power play" has become the catchphrase Nolan is most known for.
"I belt it out, people belt it out," he said. "It has its own life."
For a game during the 2015-16 season, PECO produced buttons that when pushed, reproduced Nolan's call.
"PECO is proud to sponsor the power play and we value our relationship with the Flyers," a PECO spokesperson said. "We are working with the Flyers organization to recognize Lou for his years of service and for being the voice of the PECO power play."

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Nolan's tenure has earned him a level of popularity that goes beyond Philadelphia.
"Everybody knows him," Scott said. "You talk to [NHL Commissioner] Gary Bettman, the other owners, he's really famous."
Said Canadiens PA announcer Michel Lacroix: "His reputation among PAs, it's one of the top in the business, that's definitely for sure."
Penguins PA announcer Ryan Mill said Nolan is considered the elder statesman among their fraternity. Mill also is a trained voice actor and said Nolan, who is 76, has the voice of a younger broadcaster.
"What I find amazing about him is for his age, how young to me he sounds on the mic," Mill said. "Normally as you age, your voice ages with you. But for some reason when he's still doing his goal calls, the PECO power play and everything, he still sounds like to me, a young guy. It's something that strikes me every time I hear his voice.
"Plus, he's just one of the better human beings on the planet."
Tina DiVilio, in her second season as Flyers senior director of event presentation, calls it a privilege to sit next to Nolan during games.
"Going into my first season I was nervous to meet him, I had heard so many things," she said. "He was all of that and then some. He is just an absolute joy to be around. He's the most gentlemanly man I've ever met.
"It's always story time with Lou; he has so many stories to share. I consider him one of my dearest friends. On a game-by-game basis there's no better treat than getting to sit next to him."
Decades of players also have grown accustomed to hearing Nolan's voice.
"He has the iconic voice and you look forward to him announcing you," former Philadelphia defenseman Brad Marsh said. "'And now ladies and gentlemen, please welcome No. 8, Brad Marsh.' That is cool. I don't know if comforting is the right word but his voice has become such a thing at the Spectrum and Wells Fargo Center."
Players usually are locked in on the game but Nolan's voice has become part of the Flyers home game soundtrack.
"I remember one game he missed, I don't know if he was sick, and the guy was talking during the game and I was like, this doesn't sound right," former Philadelphia captain Claude Giroux said. "Lou is just an amazing guy. Every time you see him, he's got a big smile on his face, he's happy. He just loves what he's doing and it's great to see."
And Nolan said he has no intention of slowing down. In addition to his work with the Flyers, he works for Shay Financial as senior vice president and northeast regional director.
"I feel pretty good," he said. "I think I do a good job. We'll see. I don't really have a goal to hang in for five more [years] or anything like that. I'd love to have another Cup. That would be wonderful. ... It's part of my life."