/ 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 MIKE ROSENBAUM Special to The Jewish News PLUMBROOK MOBILITY CENT R • No Digging • Rentals & Sales • Adjustable Aluminum Support Assembly NOW AVAILABLE AT PLUMBROOK! AIMIEBIC Scooters LET US HELP MAKE LIFE EASIER WITH SIMPLE HOME MODIFICATIONS • Grab Bars & Accessories • Bathroom Modifications • Ramps • Doorways These simple, inexpensive changes can help create greater independence. Authorized D.M.E. 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