You’ll call your first Ottawa Senators game on Tuesday night in Toronto. How are you feeling heading into this broadcast?
I was lucky because last year I was calling some Montreal Canadiens radio games. Mind you, I wasn’t on site for that, I was calling those remotely – so this will be my first NHL game that’s live in person and working with our TSN team. So I’m really excited for that because working alongside Jamie McLennan will be so much fun. And this will be a full circle moment for me because I grew up watching and cheering for the Ottawa Senators. So to match my voice with the current team, this is a ‘pinch me’ moment. I’ll have a moment before the puck drops where I’ll think to myself, ‘Oh my goodness. It’s not only my first Ottawa Senators game, but it’s the Battle of Ontario. And those were the games I couldn’t wait to race home from school and watch.’
You mentioned you grew up cheering for the Sens. What are your favourite memories of being a fan of this team?
When I would drive to school in the mornings with my dad, I knew we would be listening to TGOR on TSN 1200 – with JR, Steve and Jungle Jim. We would always get recap of the Sens game from the night before.
For me, some of my core memories are those early 2000s years and always going against the Leafs in the first round. And that rivalry is something that sticks with me. Ottawa is where I learned to play hockey. I learned to skate at the Johnny Leroux arena in Stittsville. I used to skate on the canal with my Sens jersey on. My favourite player was Brian McGrattan and I wore No. 16 because of him. He had that mohawk and the was always getting in fights. Guys who had an edge and chip on their shoulder when they put on a Sens jersey, seem to always catch my eye and I would cheer for them. As much as I loved the Pizza Line, I’ll always be a McGrattan fan.
And one of my favourite memories was the fact you could see Sens players just out in the community. And I remember being at Bayshore Shopping Centre and being inside a changeroom and overhearing a really familiar voice. I peeked outside and I saw Chris Neil with his whole family. I shut the dressing room door and thought, ‘That’s Chris Neil! Do I go and say hello? Do I ask for an autograph?’ And instead, I just sat there frozen for like 20 minutes until I could hear they had left. I finally came out because I was way too starstruck. And I’ll be thinking of those moments on Tuesday.