It's Nice to Be Wanted

 

I parked the car, reached in the trunk, and grabbed the hard-sided case.

I snagged the cup of Dunkin (Donuts) coffee that I just bought and my backpack and locked the car.

Then, opening the door, I stepped through one, then two doors, reaching the lobby. The guy who walked in with me asked where the squash court was.

We turned to the left.

"Go to that door in the corner and it's upstairs," I said, wishing him well.

Then I walked to the doors at the right end of the corridor. A chill instantly greeted me.

I was back inside the Hartong Rink at Brunswick.

I walked up the staircase and onto the Teddy Balkind Balcony where Josh the videographer had already set up his equipment.

Roughly 10 minutes later I had my stuff set up and ready to go.

Soon, I'd head back downstairs to talk with each head coach to catch up on pronunciations, discuss their season, and just chat.

Game time between Brunswick and Upper Canada College was approaching.

No matter what, putting that headset on is a safe space. It's a comfort zone.

It's a great place to forget about almost everything and just concentrate on telling the story of the game.

I've said it many times. If I can't forget about something and it stays with me during a broadcast then I know it's really bad.

While I can't say I put everything out of my mind for the roughly two hours of hockey, I was able to relax a bit.

There's actually a bit of pressure to this job. I mean, there always is, and most of that is self-inflicted.

But, in this case, I joked on the air about giving out autographs. What I mean is that Brunswick hockey fans actually have an expectation of me.

There are few things more rewarding than hearing how much what you do brings people joy. This was the first Brunswick hockey game I have called since Feb 2023.

I hadn't called any of the Bruins' first 12 games this season because they were on the road for every one of them. Yes, I continue to stress that I would travel to games and they know that.

In fact, I made it fairly clear that if they make a title run, I'd try to do an audio-only call. I was home when they won a title in 2018 and it gnawed at me.

Regardless, that's a topic for another day.

But, when things are a bit blue, just feeling like you matter can be a big boost.

I was heartened by the number of people who stopped by the "broadcast booth" (it's just a table on the balcony) to say hello.

One person tapped my back during play to say thank you. It's both nice and awkward.

Another family stopped me as I walked by to explain that a player's grandparents wanted to meet me. They were charming and absolutely lovely, and even kind considering I had been saying their last name wrong at one time. We all laughed about it.

It's extremely meaningful and on par with the relationship I have with Greenwich football. My broadcasting perch is among the fans in this broadcast setup, only "separated" by a few ropes. But that doesn't stop fans walking by from trying to steal my notes, thinking they're a pile of rosters.

Yes. Notes. I prepare, friends. I just don't call others "lazy" if they don't do the same.

The game itself was wonderful. The teams were scoreless after two periods. Almost three minutes into the third, leading scorer Brendan Giles received a feed in the slot from linemate Sean Gibbons. Giles threw it past the Upper Canada College netminder for the lone goal of the game.

'Wick goalie Will Baker was fantastic in net to finish off the shutout and pick up the tenth win of the year for the Bruins.

The game had an edge, and because it's high school sports, Josh knows to turn his camera away from any injuries and fracases. A small scuffle broke out during the handshake line and was quickly resolved. So that's on me to walk the line gingerly as I explain what's going on.

If you like that kind of tension, the two teams play again tomorrow at Noon.

I'm on the call for basketball tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. as Brunswick hosts Cheshire Academy before the snow arrives. It's very tempting to start the day in the hockey rink to call some of that game before moving across the Sampson Athletic Center to do the hoops game.

Very tempting.

There are so many moments where this business bruises me. 

So many times where I think it's time to walk away.

I see opportunities and wonder why I don't get them. Yet I continue to grind at every game. 

But days like this feed my soul when I need it.

No, I wasn't my best today. I haven't been my best probably since football. I have some rust and stuff to shake off, I guess.

But I'd like to think that's me being hard on myself and hopefully the listener/viewer doesn't notice.

However, I also know what I can fix and how to do so.

In the case of today's game, I'll get better as I learn the Brunswick roster. I'll get there and it will help make me feel better.

Trust me when I say that my mind probably was a bit distracted today but not so much that I still couldn't call the game to the best of my ability with the passion and energy that I think it deserves.

The people I talked to today all seemed to like that and missed that I wasn't on those previous 12 hockey games. That means a lot.

But I was back today.

And I needed them -- and the sanctity of the broadcast --  as much as they needed me.