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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Talking Hockey - Round Two

Some of my most enjoyable times over the past fifteen years as a broadcast journalist have been when I've interviewed someone who is really passionate about the work they do.

That is especially true when it comes to interviewing someone from the world of sports. Athletes, coaches, team officials, sports administrators and even the odd sports reporter (aren't we all a little odd?) invariable love their particular sport. Some even love to talk about it.

Oh sure, there are some who liken talking to the media with a trip to the dentist, and in many cases I can't blame them. I've been in enough media scrums and listened to enough dumb questions (and asked a few myself) to realize that it's not a perfect relationship between scribe and subject.

We have the passion in spades with Penn State hockey, from JoeBa to Guy Gadowsky, Josh Brandwene and Mo Stroemel. Their enthusiasm have and will make it easy for me to do my job, both here and on the webcasts.

In May, I had the pleasure of talking hockey with TSN Hockey Insider and fellow Agincourt Lions Hockey alum Bob McKenzie about his experiences as a college hockey dad.

My list of fun interviews has grown today after speaking at length with Paul Kelly, the Executive Director of College Hockey Inc. Mr. Kelly is a Boston College alumni and studied law at the University of Toledo College of Law.



Paul Kelly

Needless to say, hockey is in his blood. In addition to careers as a Federal Prosecutor and defense lawyer, Paul served for two years as the Executive Director of the NHL Players’ Association before moving into his current position.

As a prosecutor he convicted Alan Eagleson for committing fraud and embezzlement against the membership of the NHLPA. As a defense attorney he represented several NHL players, including Marty McSorley who was charged for his infamous stick attack on Donald Brashear during a game between the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks in February 2000.

Last but not least, Paul coached youth and high school hockey for more than a decade and still tries to find time in his busy schedule to play in a weekly men’s hockey league. He's welcome to join us for a Tuesday night "Wheezers and Geezers" shinny session at the Greenberg the next time he's in Hockey Valley.

I've split our chat into three parts. In Part 1, we talk about the 2011 NHL Draft and the pitfalls of college players leaving school early to begin their pro careers.

In Part 2, we continue looking at the pros and cons of playing four years in college, as well as the outreach by College Hockey Inc. to parents and young players in Canada.

In the final segment, Paul talks about Guy Gadowsky and impact of both Penn State joining the big boys in Div. 1 and the impact of the Big Ten Conference on the college hockey world.

Oh, and I must apologize - I recorded our chat using Skype and forgot to mute my headset while Paul was talking, so you'll hear me wheezing away in the background from time to time. That gives you an idea of how long it's been since I've done a phone interview.

Oh well, hope you enjoy it anyway. Next time, I hope to talk hockey with a certain former player and coach who I can't mention right now. (nudge, nudge, wink, wink!)







1 comment:

  1. Hi

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    David

    ReplyDelete