Everyone has a first time. First step. First day at school. First day
at college, away from the parents. First sip of a brewski. First..well,
you know.
Yesterday was my first day as a member of the
credentialed media.
Despite what they might say, most members of
the hockey media were one-time hockey fans just like you and me.
Covering the sport from the vantage point of the media means entering a
world you never thought you would have had the chance to. Despite
outwardly being as calm, professional and as even-keeled as possible
it’s still amazing to think you have access to speak with players you’ve
been watching, playing the sport you’ve devoted so much time to.
I
had the opportunity to attend yesterday’s game between the Philadelphia
Flyers and the Detroit Red Wings as part of NBC’s Game of the Week
coverage. It was a two-part trip; for one, I had the chance to meet with
and visit with the NBC production crew with whom Pro Hockey Talk has
been working so closely with each week. I also had the chance to cover
the game for PHT from the press box and the locker room, getting some
inside access to a big game with major playoff implications.
First
off, I want to point something out. I know that the NBC broadcast
catches a fair amount of flak from hockey fans, but I can tell you that
this is a group of people that truly care about putting the best product
they can on your screen. It’s not easy to cater to the hardcore hockey
fan while trying to present the game to the casual viewer as well.
Of
everything that happened yesterday, getting to meet Doc Emrick was
easily the highlight. The man has command of the room, despite how
low-key he is. Everyone around him has tremendous respect for the man
and it was easy to see why: he treats everyone exactly the same. He
knows everyone’s name and he acknowledges every person he comes across.
Truly and honor and a delight to meet the man.
The other part of
the trip was covering the game from the press box. For every fan that
may be jealous of the media getting to see every game, know that they
aren’t seeing the game from the best viewing angle. We were pretty much
looking straight down on the ice from the highest spot in the arena; I
couldn’t see the ice unless I put my laptop screen down and leaned
forward. Not complaining, far from it. Just saying.
Aside from the
free popcorn and coffee, not much else to share about the press box.
Some observational notes: the Red Wings scouts sitting behind me were
very vocal, and it made watching the game that much more interesting.
They were outwardly critical of anything happening on the ice; very
entertaining. It was also great to get to see a number of long-time
media members in person, after following their work for so long.
After
the game, came the part of the day I was dreading: the locker room.
I’ve covered a number of NHL events before, but never a game, and was
unsure exactly what the eitiquette was for approaching players in the
locker room after the game. Obviously, they’re tired, sweaty and just
want to take a shower and go home but we also want to get some nice
quotes from them. That’s just how it works. And post-game generally
isn’t the best time to get good stuff from players, unless you’re just
looking for some stuff about the game that was just played. Or if you’re
talking to R.J. Umberger, I hear he’s great for post-game quotes.
I
needn’t worry, however. With a such a big game being played, in Philly
no less, there was a large contingent of media present. When I got down
to the locker room, there was already sizable crowds around Dan Carcillo
and Chris Pronger. So I just joined them. What I found funny was that
as soon as Pronger started talking, after Carcillo had talked for a bit,
he was instantly deserted for the defensemen. It was just a mass exodus
from one side of the locker room to the other.
I couldn’t get close.
Everyone is
crowding around Pronger, while Brian Boucher quietly takes his pads off
right next to them. No one even approaches him.
When everyone left
Carcillo’s locker, I stuck around to see if I could get some extra
one-on-one stuff. He was very talkative, and I was able to get some
great quotes from him about what was going on during the scrum he was
having with Tomas Holmstrom. I headed back up to the press box to type
up the quotes for the recap, only to find out that my recorder didn’t
record anything. Not a sound, not even static. The file was there, when I
was recording the red light was one, I could see the time ticking
away…just no sound. That’s what I get for using a brand new recorder, I
guess.
I took notes, but the last thing I wanted on my first day
with credentials was to get accused of mis-quoting a player. So I used
what I had, and was unable to use what I wanted.
To finish, here
are a couple of lessons I learned yesterday:
-If you dress nicely,
you will not be mistaken to be a member of the media. Nope. In fact,
you will constantly be asked if you are the PR director for the Flyers.
-Ever
been the brand new kid at high school, starting at a brand new school
in the middle of the semester? Everyone knows everyone, everyone knows
where to go and you don’t know jack. I’ve been there when I was 16, and I
was right back there again yesterday.
-If you get lost, ask
someone. They’re helpful.
-Carcillo is nowhere near as big as I
thought he was.
-Never, ever bring a brand new recorder to the
biggest day of your life.
-If you dress nice, act professionally
and keep to yourself…players, PR and the team will treat you just
fine.
