Voices of Hockey

It's great to be back and we take our first trip of the series to the DEL, Germany's top league, where we naturally speak to a voice from Portsmouth England!Des Squire worked in sports media in Germany before getting the dream call to work with the hockey club he supported through thick and thin. From Dinamo Berlin in the old East German league to the now powerhouse Eisbaeren Berlin, Des has been involved since 2008 as in-arena host, interviewer, presenter and much much more.Really enjoyed this discussion, hope you do too!Des is on Instagram @des_squire and the Eisbaeren themselves are all over Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is you search 'eisbaerenberlin'Voices of Hockey is on Twitter @hockeyvoices or you can email [email protected] - we'd love to hear from you if you'd like to discuss this episode or suggest another voice for us to speak to.Produced by March74 Sports Media @march74sportsMusic: Take Me On Down by Jay Denton

From Sudbury Ontario via the OHL and AHL to become the play by play voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs... our guest for Episode 8 of Voices of Hockey is none other than Joe Bowen.He's been the voice of the Leafs games since 1982 and has called over 3,000 NHL games and his passion and enthusiasm is still as strong as ever.From listening to Foster Hewitt on the radio to winning an award in Hewitt's name, Bowen is a true play by play legend. I was delighted to be able to talk hockey for an hour or so and get some great stories from his long career.I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I did putting it together.Joe is on Twitter @bonsietweetsVoices of Hockey is also on Twitter @hockeyvoices or you can email us [email protected] to talk about this episode or to suggest another name we should interview.Produced by March 74 Sports Media (@march74sports)Music: Take Me On Down by Jay Denton

Premier Sports & FreeSports play by play voice Aaron Murphy joins us for Episode 7 of the podcast.Murph has been a regular voice on our screens in the UK calling EIHL, SHL, KHL and Champions Hockey League as well as Great Britain games at World Championships.Hear his journey from Newfoundland to his current home in Ireland and how he became one of our Voices of Hockey.You can follow Murph on Twitter at @MurphOnIce and see his work at @FreeSports_TV.Voices of Hockey is also on Twitter @hockeyvoices and you can email us [email protected] by March 74 Sports Media (@march74sports)Music: Take Me On Down by Jay Denton

Episode 6 of the pod moves across to Canada and a distinctive voice of hockey who has called NHL games on both major Canadian networks, was a huge part of the rise in popularity of the World Juniors in Canada and also worked with IIHF as the voice of their extended video content.A great broadcaster who now presents his own podcast 'The Walrus Was Paul' talking to Canadian music celebrities about their love of The Beatles - you can find that at www.romycast.com or on your favourite podcast app.Craig Simpson talks to PAUL ROMANUK.Voices of Hockey can be found on Twitter @hockeyvoices or you can email [email protected] to talk about this episode or to suggest a future voice of hockey we should talk to.You can also leave us a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts.Voices of Hockey is produced by March74 Sports Media (@march74sports)Title music: "Take Me On Down" by Jay Denton

Each week we talk to someone whose voice - whether a broadcaster, rink announcer or podcaster - has become synonymous with hockey in the UK or further afield.In this fifth episode, we return to the world of the rink announcer and a man who has been the voice of two top flight teams in the west of Scotland and last year took the adage that the show must go on a little too far as he suffered a heart attack during a game - finishing the match right through OT and penalties.Craig Simpson talks to another iconic voice of UK hockey rinks - this week it's Kevin McCoskrie.Voices of Hockey can be found on Twitter @hockeyvoices or you can email [email protected] to talk about this episode or to suggest a future voice of hockey we should talk to.Produced by March 74 Sports Media (@march74sports)Music: Take Me On Down by Jay Denton

In our fourth episode we move to cover the podcast genre which is now a big part of UK hockey media but out guest this week was something of a podcast pioneer when he started a podcast covering the Belfast Giants in 2005.Since then 'A View From The Bridge' has produced well over 700 episodes and has been made an official outlet of the Giants along the way.Patrick Smyth is this week's guest and we talk about his journey from being 'just a fan' to producing the EIHL longest running podcast.You can follow A View From The Bridge on Twitter @AVFTB, Patrick himself is @patricksmyth, while old episodes can be found at www.kingdomofthegiants.com/podcasts.Voices of Hockey can be found on Twitter @hockeyvoices or you can email [email protected] by March 74 Sports Media (@march74sports)Music: Take Me On Down by Jay Denton

This week's guest commentated as Great Britain reached the top division of the World Championships, has covered the Winter Olympics on numerous occasions, called NHL teams playing in London and started with the Medway Bears on Radio Kent.Delighted to have Bob Ballard joining this edition of Voices of Hockey. As well as his ice hockey career, Bob has also commentated on swimming, diving, wheelchair tennis and water polo.Here is looks back on his time as one of our Voices of Hockey.Bob is on Twitter @bobballardsport or his website is www.bobballard.netYou can find us on Twitter @hockeyvoices or email [email protected] by March 74 Sports Media (@march74sports)Music: Take Me On Down by Jay Denton

We're back with a second episode following last week's debut featuring Jon Hammond.This week's guest is Paul Ferguson who became a household name in the UK hockey scene in the 80s and 90s with his commentary on both domestic and international hockey alongside summariser Richard Bophrey.The duo are always featured highly on fans lists of memorable commentators and I was delighted to catch up with Paul for this chat around his time as a Voice of Hockey.Find out how he got behind the mic in the first place, his favourite announcers back in Canada and when growing up in Ottawa between the Leafs and Habs which side he came down on.Paul's personal website is www.pferguson.co.uk and you can find his novels on Amazon.Find us on Twitter @hockeyvoices or email [email protected] by March 74 Sports Media (@march74sports)Music: Take Me On Down by Jay Denton

In this first episode we talk with the first voice of the Manchester Storm, Jon Hammond.Jon was brand new to ice hockey when he took on the Storm announcer role in 1995 but made the role very much his own making match nights at the Storm Shelter a fantastic experience.We hear that Jon could have been the arena voice of another club before taking on the Storm gig, talking to over 17,000 people on a game night, his return to the Storm in 2016 and how Covid ate his diary.Some great stories and anecdotes from a true professional.Jon is on Twitter @jonhammondtweet, has his own YouTube channel and his website is www.jon-hammond.comFind us on Twitter @hockeyvoices or email [email protected] by March 74 Sports Media (@march74sports)Music: Take Me On Down by Jay Denton

Craig Simpson introduces a new podcast series from march74sports - catching up with people from the world of hockey whose voice has become synonymous with the game.Voices from television and radio, arena public address announcers and podcasters - from here in the UK and from around the hockey world.