SIN Entertainment
PHOTO BY DANIEL LIPPI TT
OPEN MIKE page 84
ebrate Chanukah with Mom and
Dad and his side of the family.
And we celebrate Christmas with
Dad and Mom and her side. My
Jewish grandparents would come
on Christmas Eve to my grand-
parents on my mom's side, and
they'd be a part of Christmas Eve
even though it was 'Happy
Chanukah' to them." For Gold-
berg, family is the most important
thing in life, along with a belief in
God.
Goldberg, who attended Lath-
rop Elementary, and his family
stayed in Southfield only until he
was in the third grade. Then it
was off to the west side of Cleve-
land, Ohio. "Cleveland's hockey
programs are not as advanced as
those in Michigan, so I had an ad-
vantage," says Goldberg, who
played a center position. "I was a
goal scorer. I was fortunate and
had lots of successes."
Goldberg says he was like any
"I tease her a lot because I want
young boy who was infatuated
with hockey. "If I wasn't skating, my little hockey player," says
I was playing street hockey; and Goldberg. "But it wouldn't be bad
ifI wasn't doing that, I was in the to have a little figure skater who
house playing ball hockey." He looks just like her mom."
Kim, who's part Japanese, grew
and his brother would play with
a tennis ball and a half-stick. up in British Columbia and is an
'We'd get yelled at all the time by expert figure skater who has loved
my mom," he recalls.
hockey her whole life. She teach-
In college, Goldberg was an av- es skating to children in the Novi
erage player. 'That's when [I first area.
t's a Wednesday afternoon and
encountered] the Canadians. It's
Mike Goldberg has just
enlightening when you're used to
wrapped up his preparation of
making lots of goals," he says. Af-
roster sheets and notes for the
ter college, he got away from hock-
ey for a while and started evening's Red Wings game
against Phoenix. 'Preparation is
broadcasting basketball games.
He went to Sarasota, Fla., and the key," says Goldberg, who
worked at a television station an- spent the morning combing
nouncing college basketball. "I en- through newspapers and period-
joyed basketball, but when I had icals and browsing the Internet.
a chance to come back to hockey, "I also talk to coaches and play-
it was a perfect fit," he says. Every- ers. When you're with the team
thing in his life was going well, every day, you become focused,
even his love life. When he was in so it's nice to get other people's
Vancouver for ESPN, he met his perspectives around the league,"
future wife, Kim. "It was love at he explains.
He also talks to the other an-
first sight, for both of us," he says."
Fourteen months later, Kim and nouncers to find out what's hap-
Mike became Mr. and Mrs. Gold- pening with the other teams. "I
berg. Now living in Novi, the cou- have dinner with those guys when
ple are expecting their first child they come to town," he says.
in September.
Also key is a good memory. Re-
flecting on a decision to trade Red
Wing Greg Johnson for a bigger
Megan Swoyer is editorial
Pittsburgh player, Goldberg's
consultant for Style magazine.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
I
quick to cite the player's stats said, What?' He's right there,
without looking at his notes. "He's ready to pounce on me when
6-foot-2 and weighs 205. We need something like that happens,"
that," he says.
Goldberg laughs.
Nursing a sore throat, he hopes
Beyond the bloopers, Goldberg
the scratchiness will disappear by is getting A's so far. 'Tye had big
game time. He never misses a shoes to fill. But a lot of people
game. "That's not an option. I'm come up to me and say, 'I was a
always here," he says.
big Dave Strader fan and I wasn't
He compares his job to giving a sure what would happen. It took
speech. "I'm really getting pre- me a while, but I'm sold,' " says
pared for a presentation. I have Goldberg, who believes people
an outline and these are the have given him a chance. It
things I want to get across in my doesn't hurt that he's played hock-
speech. The game dictates what ey most of his life and is passion-
we'll say, but there are sidebars," ate about the game.
he says.
"He has an overwhelming sense
"Every game is a
of excitement at all
story within itself," "Preparatio n is the key," times," says avid fan
says Goldberg, who
says Go Idberg.
Jim Sklar, a Birm-
announces alongside
ingham-based attor-
former Wing Mickey Redmond. ney. "I loved the Dave and Mickey
The duo announce 75 games a team, but Goldberg's a good re-
season for Channel 50 and PASS. placement," he adds.
"I tell what is happening, and
"It was a difficult situation for
[Redmond] says why."
Michael when he came here," ex-
"Mickey and I have developed plains Ted Speers, director of mar-
a good friendship on and off the keting for the Red Wings. 'Dave
ice," says Goldberg, who remem- Strader and Mickey Redmond had
bers one of his favorite bloopers been together for over 11 years.
that caught even Redmond off Coming in, Michael has done a re-
guard.
ally good job. He tries to keep
"Earlier this year we were an- things fresh, and he works on the
nouncing a Phoenix game and I chemistry with Mickey," says
said, 'Another great save by the Speers. "He's learning every day,"
Phoenix nutminder!' and Mickey he adds.
Southfield attorney David Knoll
believes the fans have a period of
adjustment. "We're so used to
Dave Strader," he says. But Knoll
also says he's starting- to like Gold-
berg. "He's learned to live with
Mickey Redmond," explains Knoll,
and that's important.
Now that Goldberg and his wife
have settled in, they'd like to get
more involved with the commu-
nity. "We like to reach out," says
Goldberg. During the off season,
the couple plan to travel and golf
as much as possible.
Or maybe there won't be an
off season for the man with the
mike. He admits to thinking
about what it would be like to re-
place Detroit Tigers retired
broadcaster George Kell. "Yeah,
I have some thoughts. It would
be a 40-game package. I would
consider it, if they would con-
sider me. No one's come up to me
yet."
Tigers or no Tigers, Goldberg's
sure to make his mark with the
Wings. "The interest in the Red
Wings is huge. It's so gratifying
to work in a city where people
are really passionate about
sports. I'd like to be the voice of
the Detroit Red Wings for the
next two decades." ❑