PITTSBURGH (May 30) -- One of the most significant moments in my life occurred 20 years ago today -- May 30, 1988 -- when I began a part-time job at Toronto radio station CJCL-1430. With a whopping salary of $270 per week, I was brought on board to help boost the station's sports profile. The CJCL format, at the time, was called "Music Of Your Life", and was geared towards an older audience, with tunes from the "Big Band" era and the 1950s. But, the money maker was the Toronto Blue Jays' baseball broadcast rights, and they were up for renewal, with two or three rival stations making strong bids. Though CJCL-1430 was the Blue Jays' original broadcast partner, it was encouraged by the ballclub to add more sports programming to its schedule. The bigwigs at the station began by finding a willing "gopher" to lug around its microphone flash to various press conferences in the city. Voila. My radio career was born.
If someone had told me on that Monday I'd still be at the place 20 years later; that CJCL-1430, in 1992, would become THE FAN-590, Canada's first all-sports radio station; that I'd cover the Blue Jays' two World Series championships; that, six years later, I would start to follow the Toronto Maple Leafs as a beat reporter, at home and on the road; that I'd be at the Stanley Cup final virtually every year, and I'd attend Olympic Games in Atlanta, Nagano, Salt Lake City and Turin... well, you can likely predict what my reaction would have been. Somehow, though, it all came true... and it's still happening.
Radio is supposed to be the launching pad for all things great in the broadcast world -- particularly for careers in television. Luminaries such as Dan Shulman and Elliotte Friedman passed through the station long after I arrived, and are now doing superbly for ESPN and Hockey Night In Canada. George Strombolopoulos was an overnight producer at the station during the mid-'90s. He had long, straggly hair and he didn't say a whole lot. But, he was instantly likeable and marvelously witty. And, he now hosts a nationally-televised interview show each weeknight on the CBC known as "The Hour". It is arguably the network's second-most popular entity, behind Hockey Night. George is also the guy that announced, on the radio, the birth of my first child, Shane, in December of '96. So, he holds a special place in my heart. Others, such as Greg Sansone and Barry Davis, have moved on to rewarding TV careers. What this means, of course, is I'm either one of the great all-time losers in Canadian broadcast history, or that I'm simply happy and contented with a wonderfully exciting job in radio. I hope most people believe it's the latter, for I feel extremely gifted to have spent the past two decades in this role.
During that time, I have covered too many notable sporting moments to write about in this blog. So, I've decided to narrow it down to the proverbial Top Ten list -- with appropriate bows to Letterman and others. Here, then, are the most memorable sports events I've had the privilege of attending for the radio station since the spring of 1988. Not all of them were hockey related, so I ask for your tolerance on this website.
1. ATLANTA OLYMPIC STADIUM -- July 27, 1996: For a guy that's covered hockey most of the way at THE FAN-590, it's a bit ironic that an Athletics event at the summer Olympics ranks as my top memory. But, there's nothing that surpasses the remarkable 9.84 seconds it took for Canadian sprinter Donovan Bailey to win the prestige event of the '96 Games in Atlanta -- the 100-metre dash. I was situated in the upper deck of the stadium, and was hovering over the 80-metre mark of the track. Bailey passed directly below me, from left to right, on his way to the world-record performance, and it was the most spectacular moment of my career, to this point. That a Canadian would win an event that had been the domain of American sprinters -- on U.S. soil, no less -- transcended, for me, the act of merely covering a sports event.
2. ATLANTA FULTON-COUNTY STADIUM -- Oct. 24-25, 1992: Same city, four years earlier, and across the parking lot from where the Olympic Stadium (now Turner Field) would be build. I was standing in the broadcast booth, behind the late Tom Cheek and his partner, Jerry Howarth, when pitcher Mike Timlin lobbed a come-backer to first-baseman Joe Carter and clinched the first of consecutive World Series titles for the Toronto Blue Jays. Atlanta Braves' veteran Otis Nixon had bunted the ball directly at Timlin. The game actually began on Oct. 24, but it was after 12:30 a.m. when it ended in the bottom of the 11th inning. The Blue Jays, at the time, had temporarily surpassed the Maple Leafs as Toronto's most popular sports team. And, the milestone victory -- no other Canadian club has won the World Series -- capped off a half-decade's worth of anguish for Blue Jays fans, who were teased by a couple of previous failures in the post-season. It still ranks as one of the greatest moments in Toronto sports history.
3. OAKLAND ALAMEDA-COUNTY COLISEUM -- Oct. 11, 1992: Still with baseball, and still with '92. Two weeks before the World Series triumph, it appeared as if the Blue Jays would struggle to make the Fall Classic. They were leading the Oakland A's, 2-1, in the American League Championship Series, and the A's were well on their way to tying the playoff round. They had a 6-2 lead at home in the middle innings of Game 4, but the Jays chipped away at the decifit and were trailing, 6-5, in the top of the ninth. There was trouble on the mound, however, in the form of Oakland closer Dennis Eckersley, who was all but automatic in save situations. I had gone down to the clubhouse area to be in place for post-game interviews, and had walked out to an alley behind, and just to the right, of home-plate. It was from that vantagepoint -- perhaps 30 feet away -- that I witnessed second-baseman Roberto Alomar hitting the most memorable home-run in Toronto baseball history. With teammate Devon White on third, Alomar whalloped an Eckersley pitch into the right-field seats, giving the Blue Jays a lead they would not relinquish. I can still see Alomar throwing his arms in the air and letting out a whoop as soon as the ball left his bat. If you watch a slow-motion replay of the home run from the centre-field camera, you can see Jerry Howarth and I standing next to each other in the background, watching the flight of the ball. It was truly a remarkable moment, saving the Blue Jays from almost certain elimination in the ALCS.
4) MADISON SQUARE GARDEN -- June 14, 1994: Finally, to hockey. And, a moment I will always remember, simply for the ground-shaking noise it produced. It was Game 7 of the '94 Stanley Cup final and the New York Rangers were clinging to a 3-2 lead in the dying seconds of the third period. At stake? The Rangers' first championship in 54 years (just 13 more to go, Leaf fans). The Vancouver Canucks were swarming around the Rangers' net, threatening to send the match into overtime. I had watched most of the game from the auxilliary press location behind the goal Vancouver defended in the first and third periods. For the final moments, I walked down to an area close to centre-ice, 20 rows up from the glass. And, I'll never forget how the Garden actually shook when a Rangers player finally cleared the zone with about 15 seconds to play. It produced a noise that is difficult to describe -- a collective gasp from 18,200 people that was followed by an eruption of unfettered joy that rocked the old arena. I simply stood there, in awe of a defining sports moment.
5. BIG HAT ARENA, NAGANO, JAPAN -- Feb. 20, 1998: The semifinal match of the men's hockey tournament at the '98 Winter Olympics is still regarded as one of the most crushing moments in Canadian sports history. Considered co-favorites with the U.S. to win the gold medal, Team Canada struggled with the Czech Republic's goalie, Dominik Hasek -- playing through three periods and an overtime session without breaking a 1-1 tie. The winner would go on to play for the Olympic title, and Canada hadn't earned hockey gold in 46 years. In a precursor to the NHL of the post-lockout era, a shootout was staged to determine the survivor. In my home country, it will always be remembered as the Wayne Gretzky debacle. Hockey's all-time leading scorer, and one of its most clutch performers, sat on the Canadian bench while five of his teammates were thwarted by Hasek. Coach Marc Crawford chose not to include Gretzky and Steve Yzerman (combined 1,586 career goals) in the shootout. Instead, he went with Theo Fleury, Raymond Bourque, Joe Nieuwendyk, Eric Lindros and Brendan Shanahan -- no slouches themselves. But, none came close to fooling Hasek. One full side of the Big Hat Arena was dedicated to members of the media, with work-tables and chairs stretching from goal-line to goal-line. There was only seven or eight rows of seats. I was situated just inside the Czech blueline during the shootout, five rows from the glass. The doomed Canadian players skated with the puck from my left to my right. I can still see Gretzky, clear across the rink, sitting on the Canadian bench for a full 10 minutes after the game. With a look of pure bewilderment on his face. The Czechs went on to beat Russia for the gold medal. The Canadians were so downtrodden after the shootout defeat that they lost to upstart Finland in the bronze medal match the following afternoon.
6. THE FORUM, INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA -- May 27, 1993: Game 6 of the Campbell (now Western) Conference final in '93 between the Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings still ranks as the most enthralling hockey game I've ever covered. Toronto led the series, 3-2, and had a chance to qualify for its first Cup final appearance since 1967. The Leafs were outplayed for two periods by Gretzky and the Kings, and were trailing, 4-2, midway through the final frame. It appeared certain that Los Angeles would tie the series and send it to a deciding match, two nights later, at Maple Leaf Gardens. That's when Doug Gilmour and Wendel Clark went to work. The gritty Toronto forwards combined for consecutive tallies that tied the game, 4-4, and sent it into overtime. Clark's second goal -- his third of the night -- occurred in the final minute of regulation, with goalie Felix Potvin on the bench for an extra attacker. He took Gilmour's pass from behind the Kings' net and whipped a wrist-shot past Kelly Hrudey, prompting a collective groan the likes of which I have never heard, before or since, from a hockey crowd. Early in overtime, with Toronto's Glenn Anderson off for taking a silly boarding penalty on defenceman Rob Blake, Gretzky accidentally lifted his stick and cut Gilmour on the chin during a faceoff. The Leaf player was clearly bleeding, but referee Kerry Fraser refused to call a penalty that would have banished Gretzky from the match. Instead, the Great One -- seizing the moment, as always -- scooped a loose puck over Potvin seconds later for the powerplay goal that gave L.A. a 5-4 victory, and sent everyone back east. Two nights later, in Toronto, Gretzky turned in what he still calls his best-ever playoff performance (quite a mouthful), notching a hattrick in the Kings' elimination victory, and breaking the hearts of Toronto hockey fans. But, the game in L.A. a couple nights earlier still ranks as the kicker among those I've covered through the years.
7. IVOR WYNNE STADIUM, HAMILTON, ONTARIO -- Nov. 24, 1996: The Grey Cup game, for the championship of Canadian football, was expected to be a dud in '96, despite the presence of two explosive teams -- Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Eskimos. Why? Simply because it snowed, non-stop, on the afternoon and early evening of the game, and the field was covered with several inches of the white stuff when the match kicked off just after 6 p.m. But, a slow start morphed into one of the most electrifying sporting events I've attended, and, by far, the best-ever football game. Led by quarterback Doug Flutie -- the greatest player in CFL history -- the Argonauts prevailed, 43-37, in a game that saw the clubs repeatedly strike for remarkably long scoring plays in the snow. It was the type of performance you might expect on a dry, hot afternoon, not on a freezing-cold night with a treacherous playing field. And, it was spellbinding entertainment.
8. MONTREAL FORUM -- May 25, 1989: In the first truly large assigment for me at the radio station -- just less than a year after my hiring -- I covered the '89 Stanley Cup final between the Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames. Game 6, in Montreal, loomed as a potentially historic occasion, as the Flames were in position to win their first title, and to become the only visiting club to parade the Stanley Cup around the hallowed ice at the Forum. Which is exactly what happened. Veteran Lanny McDonald came out of the penalty box in the third period and scored the clinching goal in Calgary's 4-2 victory. It was the final game of McDonald's superb NHL career. I sat in the auxilliary press location -- in the white seats at the end of the rink, high above the goal Calgary defended in the first and third periods. McDonald scored at the opposite end from where I was situated. When the Flames carried the Cup around the ice, the disappointed Montreal onlookers accorded them a respectful ovation, typical of the great hockey fans in that city. It's a scene I'll long remember.
9. MAPLE LEAF GARDENS -- Feb. 13, 1999: The final hockey game in the Leafs' historic home was almost a surreal event. As I sat in my usual spot in the pressbox, it was difficult to fathom that the club would never again play in the building it had made famous through almost 70 years. The Leaf players must have also been caught up in the event, as they were blasted, 6-2, by the Chicago Blackhawks. Gilmour scored for the visitors, in their traditional red and black uniforms. Bob Probert, known more for his devastating fighting ability, scored the final goal in Gardens' history. But, it was almost dreamlike to be in the building afterwards when just about every notable surviving member of the Leafs marched onto the ice in a glittering post-game celebration. From Red Horner, to Teeder Kennedy, to Frank Mahovlich, Johnny Bower, Darryl Sittler and Gilmour, it was a live trip down memory lane for anyone remotely connected to the hockey club. And, a night that I'll never forget.
10. MARINE MIDLAND ARENA -- June 19-20, 1999: We sat there, in the home of the Buffalo Sabres, for hours on end, wondering if the '99 Stanley Cup would be awarded that night, or if we'd all be packing up for another trip to Dallas, and a deciding Game 7 of the series. Once again in the auxilliary press location -- high in the corner seats above one of the goals -- I watched as the Sabres and Stars battled through more than five periods without breaking a 1-1 tie. Finally, in the third overtime frame, a scramble ensued directly below me, in front of the Buffalo net. Brett Hull of Dallas kicked the puck onto his stick and beat Dominik Hasek for the series winner. I was virtually alone in the press section, as my colleagues had long ago vacated to the media facilities at ice level. A horde of TV cameramen, reporters and league officials poured onto the ice while the Stars were jubilantly celebrating Hull's goal. I left after the traditional handshakes and went to the main press room, myself. Once there, I became aware of the controversy brewing beneath the stands. Replays of the Cup-winning tally clearly showed Hull's left skate in the blue paint that constituted the goal-crease. The NHL, back then, had a strict rule that forbade a player from scoring if any part of his body broke the plane of the crease before the puck entered the net. Goals that had been perfectly legitimate in any other era were routinely waved off as a result of the rule, which prompted derision from players, media and fans. The rule bit the NHL in the backside when Hull won the '99 Cup with his skate in the crease. Officiating director Bryan Lewis -- speaking well after 2 a.m. -- tried his best to convince the mob of reporters that the goal had been legal, but to no avail. It was identical to so many tallies that had previously been disallowed during the season and playoffs. I drove home afterwards, arriving at 4:30 a.m. The NHL amended the silly rule a few weeks later.
So, there you have it. Ten moments that I'll never forget covering for the radio station I've called home in the past 20 years. Others, such as Gretzky's final NHL game in New York in 1999, and Canada's gold medal hockey triumph at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, also rank high on my list of personal memories.
Through it all, I've been one lucky guy.
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