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Behind The Microphone -
The Red Wings' play-by-play announcer
is settled in after one year on the job.
the next day. Lacking an official
"Hockey Night" blazer, he used
MacLean's.
"We did up the sleeves so it'd be a
en Daniels can thank
little
shorter for me," he said. "I went
extraordinary timing and
on and hosted `Coach's Corner' with
an empty refrigerator for
Don Cherry, as nervous as I could be,
his rise up the sportscasting
but thrown right into the fire."
ladder.
Daniels became a regular Hockey
In 1985, Daniels covered news and
Night host and began doing TV play-
sports for CJCL Radio in Toronto.
by-play in 1994. With CBC, Daniels
Then a bachelor, he came home one
also covered the Blue Jays, Indycar rac-
day to find he had no food, but he did
ing and the 1988 and 1996 Olympics.
have a press pass for the Toronto Blue
Since the late '80s, Daniels' rou-
Jays baseball games. "So I said, 'I'll go
tinely had 17 hour work days: radio
down to the Blue Jays game and have
work in the morning, TV in
dinner in the press box.'"
the afternoon and early
At the game, a Canadian
evening plus, on many
Broadcasting Corporation
nights, a game to broadcast
(CBC) sportscaster who was
or cover. In addition, he
about to go on vacation told
traveled most weekends dur-
Daniels that CBC was look-
ing the hockey season for an
ing for a part-time replace-
out-of-town game.
ment. Daniels applied, and
"So my wife [Lisa] got
landed his first TV job.
tired of me never being
"So," Daniels recalled, "if I
around," Daniels said. In
had food at home and maybe
Red Wings
wasn't hungry and didn't go
play-by-- play man the spring of 1997, Daniels
applied for the Wings' job,
Ken Daniels.
to the Blue Jays game, I
seeking a position which
wouldn't have known about
would give him more free time with
(the job) and, maybe, I wouldn't be
his family. He was hired shortly before
here today."
last season to broadcast the Wings and
As Red Wings fans know, here is in
some college hockey games.
Detroit, where Daniels is beginning
Daniels now enjoys more time with
his second season as the Wings' televi-
Lisa, his wife of seven years, plus son
sion play-by-play broadcaster on
Jamie, 5, and daughter Arlyn, 2 1/2. to
Channel 50 and Fox Sports Detroit.
In addition, his new job allowed
The road to Detroit actually began
him to do play-by-play for more than
20 years ago for the Toronto native,
- 100 hockey games last season, about
when Daniels began contacting pro-
four times as many as he would have
fessional sportscasters, like CBC's
done for CBC. When you do that
Brian Williams, to seek knowledge
many games, Daniels says, you get
and advice. Williams invited young
that much better.
Daniels to his studio.
"That's what I wanted to do, just
After attending college at York Uni-
get
better as a play-by-play caller, and
versity in Toronto, Daniels landed a
next
year I'll get better again," he said.
radio news job in Oshawa, Ont., in
"At ' Hockey Night', it might take me
1980. He began doing TV work 1985,
four or five years to reach the level
then became a full-time TV sports-
that I want to be at."
caster in 1987 for CBC.
Having the Wings win the Stanley
In 1989, when the Toronto Maple
Cup in his first season was an added
Leafs radio network needed a fill-in
bonus. qt was a lot of fun. At least
play-by-play broadcaster, Daniels
winning
11 Cup, they couldn't blame
accepted the job without having any
anything
on the new guy," he said.
experience.
"They all treated me very well and
He continued to do some Leafs
Mickey [Redmond, his TV partner]
games in the next few years, and
was great to me; we never had a dis-
began working for CBC's most
agreement all year."
famous sports show, "Hockey Night in
The Cup triumph didn't surprise
Canada." He started in 1989, when
Daniels. "You just knew this team was
regular host Ron MacLean had a fami-
good enough when they came togeth-
ly emergency on the eve of the Stanley
Cup playoffs. Daniels found out at
MICROPHONE on page 130
midnight that he would fill in as host
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