Behind the Mic: Part One

Cam Moon is currently the Radio Broadcast Director for the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels and he’s entering his seventh season as the team’s radio play-by-play voice.

Cam spent two seasons in the WHL playing for both Saskatoon and Medicine Hat (1989-90, 1990-91) and you’ve likely seen him on both TSN and Rogers Sportsnet over the past decade covering events including the Memorial Cup, the CHL Top Prospects game and the World Juniors.

I caught up with him and asked him to give us an inside look at what a lot of people would consider a dream job. In the first of a two-part feature, Cam gives us some insight into all of the work that goes into the job and how he got to where he is in the first place.

Be sure to catch the second part of the feature on Monday, where he talks about what the WHL and Rebels organization means to him personally and professionally. He also takes a look at blue chip prospect Dion Phaneuf for us and runs down several other key guys that have come through Red Deer’s rink in recent seasons.

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McKeen's: A lot of guys grow up wishing they could do play-by-play, but only a select few get the chance. What are some of the cool aspects of the job and is it as fun as people think it must be?

Moon: I get to be at the rink everyday. I never consider that a chore: it’s a privilege.

The WHL has such diversity in the cities the teams are located in, which is enjoyable in itself. There are the small prairie towns like Prince Albert and Saskatchewan -- where the team is the major focal point of the community -- and places like Calgary, where the team is maybe not the number one draw in town, but still has carved out a solid fan base.

I love the feel of game day whether we’re at home or on the road. There’s that anticipation of that evening’s game and the possibilities of what could happen on the ice. It’s really fun to be involved with the telling of that evening’s story.

The bottom line for me is none of what I do is work. I can’t think of anything else that I’d rather do.

McKeen's: What’s your typical day like for a home game and then similarly, on the road?

Moon: Home games involve more work for me than road trips. Generally speaking, here’s a breakdown of the major parts of my day for a home game:

8:35AM: Red Deer Rebels Report on the radio. The morning show guys make it a fun event each time out.

9AM: I’m at the office and setting up the press info for the evening, which has to get to our printer. That insert has the updated lineup, stats, and game notes. At the same time, I gather more detailed info for the media packages. In Red Deer, we draw not only local media, but also from nearby Edmonton and Calgary. We also get many NHL scouts at the games and they will also pick up these media packages. We make around 100-120 packages a night.

I also go up to the press box and set up the broadcast equipment and make sure everything is in working order, and then haul some sodas up there for the media. I didn’t say this was all glamorous.

5:00PM: Check in with the media and scouts room around this time for a 7:30 PM game. When the visiting team gets to the rink, usually two hours before the game, I talk to the visiting coach and find out who are the scratches and starters for their team. Then I do the same for the Rebels. I get that info to the media and scouts as well as the off-ice officials that fill out the game sheet. After that is done it’s time to go up to the broadcast booth and get ready to go on the air. We have a half hour pre-game show at home and Dean Molberg from BIG 105 FM is the host. He does such a great job. He also does the intermissions and post game show (about a half hour) on all the home games. It’s a long day, but is it ever fun. It really goes by quick.

On the road, it’s a lot less. The home team has to do all the work. I just have to make sure that I have my intermission interviews lined up and have properly researched the opposition. Sometimes we are traveling the day of the game and just get off the bus and do the game. That means anywhere from 1-5 hours of travel. Sometimes we are already in the city that we are playing in, and that’s much easier. You can get your work done at the hotel. If we are playing multiple games on the road, I update our game notes after each game and send them to the next team we are playing via e-mail.

McKeen's: You were a player and now you’re doing play-by-play. How does it feel to be on the other side of the glass and how different does the game look from where you sit now, as opposed to between the pipes?

Moon: The game is considerably easier from where I sit now. I also appreciate that the chances of me getting hit with a puck in my current location are vastly lower than before. However, had more pucks actually hit me when I was in net, maybe I would have been playing the game for awhile longer instead of talking about it in the press box.

McKeen's: You’ve got a wife and kids now, something you didn’t have to worry about as a player. Is it tougher being on the road now than it was then?

Moon: It really is. The kids have never known anything different: it’s all their dad has ever done. The long road trips are tough. I take some solace in knowing that when they go to bed at night, they are listening to their dad call the game. I miss a lot of things in the winter, but I try really hard to make it up in the summer.

My wife, however, prefers me leaving on the occasional road trip. Too much of me at home apparently is not a great thing.

McKeen's: How old are your kids and have they shown an interest in hockey yet? Have we got another budding goalie in the Moon family?

Moon: My boy, Levi is 8 years old and my daughter Chayce is 6 years old. They both play hockey and really enjoy the game. As it sits right now, they are more interested in scoring goals than stopping them, and that’s just fine with me. Watching them play the game is one of life’s simple pleasures that I hold near and dear to my heart.

McKeen's: If you weren’t doing this gig, what do you think you’d be doing?

Moon: I’m not really sure. As far as I can tell I really have no other skills. I like to tell stories and every game is another story.

McKeen's: You joined the Rebels organization in 1998 and you’ve called every regular season and playoff game since then. For home games you have the color commentary services of Mike Moller (Drafted out of Lethbridge in 1980 by Buffalo and spent time with the Sabres, Oilers, Canadian National team and also as an assistant coach with the Rebels for a few years). On the road though, you’re generally a one-man show. How tough is it to call games on your own?

Moon: It’s not all that tough if the game is good. If the game is a dog, then you test yourself. One time the glass broke in Moose Jaw on a big body check. Getting glass fragments off the ice and the new glass took a few moments short of forever. I’m fairly sure some people were being paid by the hour. I had to dig deep that night.

McKeen's: The view from the press box is different than watching the game develop on the bench or on the ice, which is why developing players often find it useful to watch a game or two from up top. How often does the team use you as their eyes from the sky to spot things they might be missing?

Moon: My opinion gets asked once in a while. When asked I give it, otherwise I try to keep my trap shut.

McKeen's: Since you joined the broadcast booth, have you ever strapped up the pads with the team in practice just for fun? If so, how badly did you get lit up?

Moon: It seems to happen a few times a season. At least I never get hurt as the puck rarely hits me. This has been a problem for quite some time.

McKeen's: Aside from your experience as a player, you graduated from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Edmonton from the Radio & Television Arts program in 1993. How helpful was that program to your progression in broadcasting and what specifically can you still remember from the experience that you apply to your job today?

Moon: The program was a great help. It helped me make the transition from hockey player to prospective broadcaster. The people I went to school with also helped with this. Up until that time I was around hockey people almost exclusively. That is a whole different world in hockey. You are insulated from real life in many ways. I had plenty to learn about regular civilization, and it’s still an on-going process.

At school I learned about public speaking, the radio business, and how to develop skills that will make you a good broadcaster. I haven’t developed them, but as least I know what I need to work on. I’m extremely thankful to NAIT for helping me on my way. It was a very enjoyable two years.

McKeen's: You obviously didn’t jump right into the Rebels gig. You spent three seasons doing play-by-play in the BCJHL, calling Nanaimo Clippers games from 1995-98. How huge was that to developing your style of calling a game?

Moon: It was very big. When I went to Nanaimo I had never called the play by play of a hockey game on the radio. Three years with the Clippers, and critiquing many games, helped me improve. But it doesn’t stop; I still listen to as many broadcasts as I can. I listen to ours and others in pursuit of getting better.

McKeen's: While at NAIT, you also spent a season playing under Perry Pearn for the always-dominant Ooks hockey team in the CCHA (Formerly ACAC). Here’s a guy who built a dynasty at NAIT, had great success with Team Canada at the junior level and then went on to the NHL with Winnipeg, Ottawa and now the Rangers. What makes a guy like Pearn a successful teacher, in your view?

Moon: Perry has a real passion for the game. He loves hockey and it shows. He is also a very intense competitor. This guy really hates to lose. You combine that passion for hockey, hatred for losing along with a very smart person and he’s going to have success. Perry has done very well wherever he has gone and I’m not surprised at all.

Be sure to read the final part of this feature on Monday, when Cam talks about the WHL as a whole; the Red Deer organization; and also prospects ranging from Dion Phaneuf to Gilbert Brule.