I am just amazed when I look back at Stefan Elliott’s NHL debut against the Edmonton Oilers. Elliott was just called up from Lake Erie the night before to fill in for the injured Erik Johnson. Talk about debuts! Elliott scored the game winning goal, logged some major ice time, and earned first star status.
It made me think about my own debut in my profession. It did not quite go as smoothly. I was in San Diego the first time I ever anchored a sportscast. I barely remember anything I said!
If it was supposed to be a five-minute sportscast…I think I did it in one minute and ten seconds I was talking so fast. This made me curious about other people’s debuts.
Kyle Keefe told me the first time he was live on the air he “was sweating like I just ran a marathon. I was sweating and shaking like I was in the principle’s office.”
Debuts off-the-air can also go south in a hurry. Matt Krol, our Avalanche pre and post game producer, was working in the sports department in Green Bay. “The first time I ever had to edit anything for a sportscast, it did not go well. I had to edit a fifteen second sound bite and I didn’t know how to do it, so it ended up being forty five seconds. That blew up the sportscast!”
Think about the first time you did something difficult at your job. More often than not, you can relate to our stories, rather than Stefan Elliott’s.
So, congratulations once again kid, you did something absolutely incredible out there. That debut was something. Kyle, Matt, and I, salute you.
Comments