Anaheim Ducks: Spirit of the Radio Got Me Through

Last Night’s Anaheim Ducks – LA Kings battle was an “earstavaganza.” Listening was better than watching. The Ducks radio team of Steve Carroll and Dan Wood brought their “A” game to the broadcast.

I have a few confessions to make.

1 – I married a woman who grew up watching anything that wasn’t sports. Which leads to…

2 – Last night’s game against Los Angeles was great, but I didn’t see a minute of it. I know because I…

3 – Listened to the audio and loved every second of it.

Rewind

I grew up outside of New York City in a family of huge sports fans. When I turned eight, I spent my birthday money on a radio. Quickly I discovered that at night I could listen to AM radio stations from all over the continent. I would tune into baseball, hockey and basketball on stations like WCAU (Philly), WWWE (Cleveland), WTOP (DC) to name a few. What other kid my age knew what “skip” was?

Not Just Me

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As I got older and lived in different parts of the country, I discovered the real power of 50,000-watt clear channel radio stations. There are millions of St. Louis Cardinals fans all over the Midwest and South who grew up listening to the Redbirds on KMOX. As far as hockey goes, people in the northern United States would listen to Hockey Night in Canada emanating from the CBC in 30’s and 40’s. Here is something I gleaned from Wikipedia:

"Since most local radio coverage of U.S.-based NHL clubs was restricted to home games in those days, whenever Toronto hosted a U.S.-based team, many listeners in the home city of the visiting U.S.-based team would tune in. It has been claimed that during the late 1930s, Hockey Night In Canada was the most popular Saturday-night radio show during the fall and winter months in much of the northern United States."

Fast Forward

Last night, I’m miserable because the Anaheim Ducks are playing the Kings and I’m on the couch watching TV with my wife. She has made it clear that I’ve been spending more time with sports than her lately. She’s right, its March Madness, the NHL playoff drive, the MLB season is starting and we are a month away from the NFL draft. Christmas for sports fans.

Wait she’s falling asleep, there’s hope, its only halfway through the first period. Close but no cigar. I can’t change the channel because she’s not quite out yet. I grab my phone, find a pair of earbuds and get to the NHL app. Finally, hear the familiar voices of Steve Carroll and Dan Wood. Apparently, I’ve been missing a good one, I hear the enthusiasm in their voices.

Crunch Time

A little while later, my better half decides to turn in because she is exhausted from a long day. I said I was coming too. I’m too emotionally invested in Steve, Dan, and the Anaheim Ducks to turn on the TV. It’s too much fun just listening.

I followed the second period, third period, and OT with my good buddies on the Anaheim Ducks radio network, just chillin’ in my bedroom with my eyes closed. We have to be friends because at times I feel like I can see whats happening as clear as if I was sitting in the booth with them.

I’m as fired up as Steve and Dan are through the third period of a tie game, yet remaining silent as not to wake my wife. The contest goes to OT and its a back and forth struggle. In my mind, I see the end to end rushes happening toward the conclusion of bonus hockey. When Steve said they were on the edge of their seats. I know exactly how they feel. I’m like a coiled cobra ready to strike.

Next: Ducks Tales - The game that would not end

Silent Victory

Rickard Rakell scored the game-winner with 19 seconds left in overtime. A huge, yet quiet, fist pump from me. The radio guys go to commercial and then the post game. It took a while for me to “wrap it up.” I was wired like I had been at the Honda Center, all night. Kudos to Steve and Dan who made me feel like I was.