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JACOB LUDINKeeping up with the Tampa Bay Lightning, doing play-by-play for his listeners during fast-paced games, is all in a day's work for David Mishkin.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then imagine how many words a fast-paced, bone-crunching hockey game is worth.
Every time the Tampa Bay Lightning play, play-by-play man David Mishkin describes what is happening in the game on WDAE-AM 620. He has to make sure every listener has a picture of what is going on in the hockey game in their head.
Hockey's fast pace only makes it harder for somebody to describe as it happens. But not for Mishkin. He is a professional when it comes to play-by-play commentating.
And now as the Lightning continue their quest for the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup, Mishkin is enjoying the foray into postseason play-by-play.
And he's getting a chance to yell his trademark "SCORE!" a lot. More on that a little later.
Mishkin, 34, has been in radio since he attended Yale University. He grew up in New England, where he was an all-around sports fan. "I got involved in college radio, and once I started doing it in college, I knew it was something I wanted to pursue," he said.
In college, he was exposed to a variety of sports, doing play-by-play for baseball, basketball, football and hockey. He also did some talk radio too, but Mishkin enjoyed hockey the most. "It seemed I was most comfortable doing hockey, and I also figured there would be less competition for a job like that," he said.
After graduating in 1991, Mishkin did commentary for minor league hockey teams. In 2002, Mishkin joined the Lightning. Only in his second season with the Lightning, Mishkin has never seen the team that once lost more than 50 games a season. In fact, he has never done commentary for a team that has not made the playoffs, either in the NHL or minor leagues.
Even though Mishkin has to describe what is going on in the game at Lightning-fast speeds, he said, "A lot of people think it is more difficult. I'm not sure I agree with that. To do each sport well is difficult. It is just a different kind of challenge."
In many ways, Mishkin said, hockey is easier to call than other sports. "Hockey is about seeing and relating information quickly," he said.
Mishkin said baseball, a much slower-paced sport, can be more difficult. "Baseball announcers make the lulls between pitches sound seamless," he said.
Sometimes the teams' uniforms make Mishkin's job harder. If he cannot see the numbers or the names on the back of a jersey, he cannot identify the players. And in hockey, you need to know that information fast. For example, the New York Rangers have red and blue home jerseys. This makes it harder for the media to see who the players are from the press box. "The jerseys are red numbers on blue shirts, which if you're sitting far off, they just blend in," Mishkin said.
Since Mishkin does live radio, you would expect that he has had some embarrassing moments. For example, when he starts laughing, he has trouble stopping. This has happened a few times on the radio.
His most embarrassing moment came when he was calling a Hershey Bears minor league hockey game. The team's new goalie was sent out onto the ice in the middle of the game with his bright green goalie pads from his old team. The pads clashed horribly with the maroon Hershey Bears jersey. As if that scene was not funny enough, the rink announcer could not pronounce the new goalie's name, Sinuhe Wallinheimo (pronounced Sin-you-ay Vallin-hay-mo).
"I had an off-ice official sitting next to me who started laughing, and I just kept thinking, "Oh my, this poor kid, he has these green pads and this unpronounceable last name,' " Mishkin said, smiling.
Mishkin advises youngsters who are interested in radio commentary to do what he did: Start at a young age and practice. "You have to get as much experience as you can," he said. "If you are interested in getting involved on air, the best practice is to be on air."
Around the Tampa Bay area, Mishkin is known for the unique way he screams "SCORE!" when the Lightning make a goal. His normally strong, deep voice turns into a loud, screeching yell. Mishkin never practices this; it just comes out.
"I am just a fan at heart," he said, "and if I were watching a game on television on the sofa and something good happened for the team that I was rooting for, I would probably yell too."
- Jacob Ludin, 12, is in sixth grade at Pinellas County Jewish Day School in Clearwater.