My Journey To Be Next New Jersey Devils P.A. Announcer
Creativity, voice, enthusiasm, and professionalism.
Those are the prerequisites that our beloved New Jersey Devils are seeking entering their 39th NHL season. To apply, the Devils asked prospective applicants for a resumé, headshot, and a 90-second audition video of your announcements to be belted out inside the Rock. After careful consideration and encouragement from my fellow Devils fans, I, Sam Woo, decided to take a leap of faith and throw my hat in the ring to be your next Devils Public Address Announcer.
When I was a kid, I always admired Bob Arsena’s passionate deep voice at the old Brendan Byrne Arena. His concise Devils goal announcements were easy to remember and to the point. After a great Devils victory over our bitter rivals across the Hudson River, I would taunt New York Rangers fans the next morning in school on which Devil scored the game-winning goal against them by emulating Arsena’s announcement loud and proud. It was all in good fun as I spent my childhood daydreaming of announcing the Devils one day as Stanley Cup champions in front of the home crowd. But will that pipe dream ever become a reality?
Now, the opportunity awaits as many talented announcers have submitted their videos. The Devils will select the top ten semi-finalists for fans to vote on in early September. The fans’ votes will determine the top three finalists. They will have the chance of a lifetime to live audition at a preseason game. For me, it is a long shot as I have never announced professionally, although I have done countless live interviews, podcasts, and public speaking engagements. The odds are stacked against me. It’s like a statistical long shot as big as the Devils beating the Detroit Red Wings in the 1995 Stanley Cup finals. But, how does one overcome what seems like a monumental challenge similar to how the Devils won their first Stanley Cup?
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Submit my video.
Having the courage and passion to make that decision to go for it is the hardest part. Once that first domino fell, I feverishly started researching all of my favorite NHL public announcers. Aside from some of the Devils great PA announcers, I have always admired Paul McCann (Nashville Predators) and Gene Honda (Chicago Blackhawks). They all had one thing in common: be genuinely passionate about your team and job both on and off the ice.
I immediately got the iPad and microphone and started belting out enthusiastic video recordings of my own rendition. I kept thinking just be yourself and believe in your heart that you can fire up fellow Devils fans into a frenzy after a Nico Hischier goal. After a couple of edits on the video and resume, hitting that submit button felt as good as a game-winning power-play goal!
Now we wait.