By JOEY JOHNSTON
The Tampa Tribune
(c) Tampa Bay Times. Originally published June 3, 2004.
TAMPA — The voice of the Tampa Bay Lightning belongs to a mild-mannered bespectacled man, a graduate of Yale University, a guy who enjoys low-key outings such as dinner with a small group of friends or staying home to play Scrabble with his wife.
Then he goes to work. He enters the radio booth. The puck is dropped. And Dave Mishkin becomes someone else.
The voice.
Brad Richards in the five-on-three. Turns it right circle to Boyle. Dan Boyle, top of the left circle to Richards. Richards holding. Left circle, Andreychuk. Left circle, Richards, … a shot. … SCOOOOORRRRE! … HOW DOES THAT FEEL, KIPRUSOFF? … OVER HIS GLOVE! … A CANNON FROM RICHARDS! … SCOOOOORRRRE!
His words are an anthem for Lightning fandamonium throughout the National Hockey League playoffs. Some viewers will prefer to mute ABC-TV’s national broadcast for tonight’s Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Calgary Flames, turning up Mishkin’s radio call on WDAE, 620 AM. Devoted followers will imitate the voice’s crackling falsetto, its raw enthusiasm.
“I’m amazed by the people who can do it [impersonation] to me,” said Mishkin, 34. “They ask me to do it, but I usually sidestep those requests. I kind of need a goal to happen. It’s not something I artificially create.”
The voice has been compared to comic rants from the late Sam Kinison. Or Howard Dean’s flailing implosion at the Iowa caucuses. Or John Belushi’s raging editorials on the old “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live.”
Simply put, it’s a scream. The voice gets more national airtime than Vinny Lecavalier or Nikolai Khabibulin. It is heard almost nightly on ESPN’s SportsCenter highlights, usually followed by a sardonic grin from the anchor.
Occasionally the voice still startles Phil Esposito, his broadcast partner.
“The first goal I had with Dave, he started going, and I turned to him and thought, “Is he having a heart attack?’ ” Esposito said. “Then I found out. Nope. That’s just Dave.”
Yelle on the draw. Andreychuk couldn’t clear. Here’s Iginla, looking to dance in front and … IT’S KNOCKED OUT OF THE ZONE! THREE SECONDS LEFT! THE SERIES IS TIED UP, BABY! WE’RE GOING HOME TO TAMPA BAY! TIED UP TWO-TWO!
Lightning general manager Jay Feaster is delighted with the popularity of Mishkin, who is completing his second season as the team’s play-by-play man. Before that, he spent 11 seasons broadcasting minor-league games in Pennsylvania. Feaster, former general manager of the Hershey (Pa.) Bears, recommended Mishkin for the Lightning job.
“On our goals, there’s no doubt which team just scored,” Feaster said with a chuckle. “It’s clear he’s for the home team.”
‘Integrity Of The Game’
Yet Mishkin tries to maintain a professional distance. When describing the Lightning, it’s never “we” score or “we” win. It’s not all sunny. If the Lightning are playing poorly, he’ll say it. If the Flames do something remarkable, he’ll say that, too.
“Just don’t expect me to get too excited about it,” Mishkin said. “I am a representative of the Lightning, broadcasting to Lightning fans, but I think that’s different than being an out-and-out homer. You have to describe things accurately and not tamper with the integrity of the game.
“When the Lightning score, it’s just my natural reaction. Out it comes. I’m not trying to be overly noisy. Broadcasting hockey is a lot of seeing, digesting and spitting it out in a somewhat coherent manner. It’s a fast-paced game. When a goal occurs, I’m just reacting, probably in the same manner I would on the living-room couch.”
Here’s Andre Roy, left circle, … save made. … SCOOOOORRRRE! SCOOOOORRRRE! … ON THE REBOUND! … IT’S CHRIS DINGMAN! … WAY TO GO, DINGER!
People who know Mishkin’s background always ask the same question. How do you get here from the Ivy League?
A Yale Man
At Yale, Mishkin was an American studies major, with a concentration in literature, but his passion was hockey. He worked for the campus radio station and got his first break calling games for the Johnstown (Pa.) Chiefs of the East Coast Hockey League, straight out of college, before Feaster hired him in Hershey.
Those were the days of 12-hour bus rides, getting home at 4 a.m., back in the office by 9, writing news releases, working in sales, wearing a half-dozen hats, then broadcasting the games at night.
“If you don’t love it, you don’t stick around,” Mishkin said. “You deal with a lot of drudgery. Truthfully? I loved the drudgery. Had I not gotten an opportunity [in the NHL], I still would’ve been happy.”
Mishkin’s wife of one year, Dulcie, had no idea about his world. She spotted him at a community theater production of “The Odd Couple” in Hershey. Mishkin was cast as a poker buddy of Felix and Oscar. Dulcie, an occasional stage manager, was in the audience. They met at a postproduction party.
“The big personality Dave projects on the air isn’t at all who he really is,” Dulcie said. “He’s laid back, calm. It takes a lot to get him worked up.
“I love his enthusiasm for the job. I’m so proud. I love listening to him.”
When the Lightning are traveling, Dulcie listens from the couple’s apartment. During some action-packed sequences, their dog, Cleo, will stop to cock her head and stare at the radio. As if to say, ‘Daddy? Is that you?’ “
Even Cleo recognizes the voice now. It is unmistakable. It is the backdrop for a memorable run to the Stanley Cup finals.
SCOOOOORRRRE!
