Of course, we miss Joe

When you lose someone, you realize the role they played in your life. We were definitely spoiled having Joe as our broadcaster. That’s the honest truth. He is better than the best, and the comparisons to our new voice are inevitable.

I am sure that Bryan is a beautiful person and this isn’t anything personal about him, but we were promised experience and professionalism along with his credentials. We did not expect a rookie who would use our time to improve. This is the big show, and we expected him to be prepared and in control. However, we are definitely open minded and patient and will allow him to improve as he goes along.

Constructive criticism is a valuable tool for self improvement. The following are some tidbits that need some tweaking before they become bad habits:

Refrain from calling the players by their nicknames. Not professional.

Unnecessary repetition of expressions such as, “of course”, “flips the puck”, etc.

Throwing too many stats from beginning of the game to the end. Too many numbers one after another. Sounds monotonous and boring.

Intermission report needs sound replays of goals. Simply reading what time in the period the goals were scored and by whom is not enough.

Intermission report needs some guests or even previously recorded interviews with players. Maybe during home game intermissions, go down to the discriminating Bucks hockey expert fan with a wireless mic and get their input so far.

Better description of the plays that lead to the goals scored by both teams. Who had the puck before passing to scorer etc.

Drop the excitement when the other team scores.

Better questions for coach. Do not suppose that the audience knows what you’re talking about.

Keep the tone, excitement, and inflection in voice under control.

Avoid the temptation to ramble and repeat what’s already said.

Describe the save our goalie made, the hit given/taken by our players, the passing of the puck, the perspective of direction of the puck so the listeners can picture where they are going.

Do more homework on our players and opponent players such as mentioning where they were playing in previous season(s), highlights of their all time records, and exceptional performance in games played when and with whom.

Be creative. Bring new approaches to the broadcast. Add new features to the broadcast. Make it your own signature broadcast.

Learn the game of hockey. The letter A on our player’s jersey, refers to being alternate captain not assistant captain. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reebok_Edge

Ask your friends for their critique. Demand that they not comfort you with praise or you will not become a better broadcaster. They will do more harm than good by being nice. Set the friendship aside.

Listen to what fans say about you. Do not confuse suggestions as vicious attacks but rather ideas for personal growth.

Loosen up. Have fun. Don't sound cheesy, immature, or lacking knowledge.

Research and listen to succesful broadcasters and learn from their expertise. It won't hurt to listen to Joe Dominey so you can see where we are coming from. No, we do not want you to imitate, just innovate.

Don't settle for mediocre.