Bruins
One of probably the most satisfying features of sports reporting – and of sports media, for that matter – is witnessing those moments when perseverance is rewarded and someone whose dues were paid in full way back sees their dream come true.
We only got the sports version in June, when the Celtics Al Horford became NBA champion for the primary time in his 17 seasons.
And we got the sports media version of somebody who gets what he deserves in every way possible when Ryan Johnston was named live commentator for 98.5 The Sports Hub's Bruins broadcasts Thursday morning.
“It's gratifying for many reasons,” Johnston told me later within the day. “One of them is that it's taken us a really long time to get here.”
Johnston, who has served as a weekend and fill-in host because the station's launch in August 2009, has had an extended profession as a hockey commentator, including nine seasons because the voice of the AHL's Lowell Lock Monsters (and later Devils). He has commentated on the Beanpot, Hockey East tournament and Boston College games for The Sports Hub, amongst a variety of other television and radio assignments.
The Syracuse University graduate has been so well respected in hockey circles for therefore long that he was even a finalist for the Bruins' radio job when it was last advertised in 2017. At that point, Dave Goucher left the job to turn into the tv voice of the expanding Vegas Golden Knights.
As a part of this audition, he even commentated on some preseason games with analyst Bob Beers. However, the job went to Judd Sirott, who proved to be a great alternative himself.
When Sirott was hired by NESN in August to exchange the legendary Jack Edwards, Johnston's name was the primary that got here to mind for a lot of Bruins fans as a logical alternative for the radio broadcasts.
That made sense; Johnston had even filled in for Sirott every now and then. But he was not a sure-fire fit. It's a coveted position with remarkable tradition and a legendary forged that features Bob Wilson, Fred Cusick, Frank Ryan, Bob Neumeier, Bill Harrington and contemporary star player Goucher. The Sports Hub followed standard protocol and opened the job to outside candidates.
“There was hope all along, but we weren't 100 percent sure until a few days ago,” Johnston said. “I think a lot of people assume that this was just my job from the beginning, but I don't know if that was ever the case.”
“To be on a list like this is special and something I will definitely take to heart. This team has had some great commentators throughout its history and I want to continue that tradition. This was my dream job.”
Johnston said the method was just like 2017, “except for commentating on preseason games.” He had a proper interview with network management, including program director Rick Radzik, who has hired a variety of Bruins commentators over time, including Goucher, Sirott and Beers. Johnston also conducted an interview with Bruins management, who signed off on the alternative.
Johnston, who has been the essential host of The Sports Hub's “Hockey Show” since 2012, said he believes this time around it has helped him to indicate more of his personality on air lately.
For three years he was a daily substitute guest on the station's morning program “Toucher and Hardy” (formerly “Toucher and Rich”).
“I think the opportunity to work on the morning show opened some people's eyes and showed that I can do more,” Johnston said. “Obviously it's not always one play at a time, but I think it showed that I'm versatile and have a sense of humor and things like that.”
Johnston's credibility with the Bruins is evident to anyone who has listened to “The Hockey Show” or heard him talk concerning the team over time.
So it's perhaps surprising that he's not a native New Englander, since he spent his childhood in southern New Jersey with parents who owned Flyers season tickets before he was born.
“They started taking me to games when I was still in diapers, and that was kind of the beginning of it all,” he said.
When he was in middle school, Johnston's family moved to Chicago. He graduated from Massachusetts in 2000, and his passion for the Bruins grew even stronger when he began working for The Sports Hub 15 years ago.
“That’s when I started watching every game and really fell in love with the team,” he said.
Johnston said his approach is to bring “excitement, excitement and credibility” to the show, which debuts Sept. 22 with the Bruins' season opener against the Rangers. The on-air reference to Beers is anticipated to develop quickly, as they’ve worked together for years on “The Hockey Show.”
“We spend practically every Saturday morning together throughout the season,” Johnston said.
When Johnston walks into the Bruins' announcer's booth on the ninth floor of the TD Garden and joins Beers on the conference call, it would be the official success of a dream that at times appeared like it might never come true.
“That was always the ultimate goal,” Johnston said. “After 2017, I didn't know if I would ever get that close again. That was a big disappointment, but I just decided to keep working at it and see what happens. And here we are.”
image credit : www.boston.com