Q: Five hundred games covering hockey — what keeps you coming back for more?
A: To be calling professional hockey in my home state is obviously something that I am very grateful to do and appreciative of the opportunity that this organization gave me in 2005. I feel the same excitement for every game that we play and the passion for that is still what it was on Day 1.
Q: What was your favorite of the 500 games you called? What made IT so memorable?
A: Game 223: April 14, 2008 at Fresno. The Grizzlies won 4-3 in triple overtime in a playoff game that ended well after midnight in Salt Lake and carried over into my birthday. The team trailed 3-1 entering the third period and had a chance to win on a penalty shot just over three minutes into the first overtime. Fresno had some great chances as well, but it took over four and a half hours to get the game-winning goal. To add to it, Fresno had probably less than 1,000 people in the building that night, so by the time the game ended, there was basically no one left in the roughly 16,000 seat arena and I was broadcasting in an empty upper level.
Q: What's the best part of broadcasting Grizzlies games?
A: Being with a team for the complete ride from training camp, every road trip, to the playoffs as they fight for a championship is a very special thing. In general, hockey players and coaches are great people to be around for six-straight months and they make my job easy.
Q: On to the 2011-12 season. The team got off to a great start, but now some key injuries have slowed their progress. What do YOU make of the Grizzlies' chances to make a Kelly Cup run?
A: The teams that make championship runs all go through roster changes, etc., throughout the year and pull together at the end. There are 10 players injured right now, and the team is still competing and finding ways to win. We knew in training camp that this was a special group and also knew that the 72-game season would be a typical one of constant transition. But as always, we build our team to ultimately compete for a championship, and we feel confident we are still among the elite.
Q: What other storylines should we look forward to this season?
A: In minor league sports, you never know from one day to another what will happen. We expect to get our 10 injured players back into the lineup one at a time and ultimately be one of the teams that the others don't want to face late in the year and the playoffs.