NHL Jobs

[bhj]

How much does a play by play man make?

Out of curiosity, how much does play by play man make per month?

Click to read more...

 

[arrbez]

I hear they pay Joe Bowen in donuts

 

[Transported Upstater]

I hear they pay Joe Bowen in donuts

"Go eat another doughnut, you fat pig!"

Koharski = PWNED!

 

[colonel_korn]

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/Cook/2005/02/25/942584.html

It was reported in the Globe and Mail that Cuthbert makes a little more than $300,000. While Cuthbert refutes the Globe's figure, he admits he was well compensated.

That was with the CBC, I don't know what he's making with TSN now.

 

[Stevedude530]

Gotta figure Mike Emrick's pullin' down some major coin, he's got jobs with the Devs', OLN and NBC.

 

[Rotang]

Advice: internships with professional hockey clubs

Hello everyone, I don't normally frequent the Business boards so allow me to introduce myself: my name is Robbie, I'm eighteen and am currently a freshman attending UTA. Hockey has been a central part of my life since early childhood, from playing on travel teams to religously following the NHL.

I won't drag on about my life's story, those are the pertinent facts so I'll get to the point. I'm extremely interested in beginning a career in professional hockey. For the last few months I've been sending emails regarding internships to all the major clubs in the area, which basically consist of three teams (NHL: Dallas Stars, CHL: Ft Worth Brahmas, NAHL: Texas Tornado). I wasn't necessarily expecting any of them to respond to a freshman in college, but both the Tornado and Brahmas have caught me by surprise and sent requests for a resume. Now, being an avid hockey player for most of my life I haven't had much on-the-job experience. In fact the only job I've ever had was a shady dealing in which I was paid under the table - the guy ended up going out of business and skipped town, so I wont even be able to use it on my resume.

This is a pretty huge deal to me, and my lack of experience leaves me worried about how bare my resume will look. This seems like a great opportunity and I want to come off as professional and qualified as possible, this is where you all come in. I'd really appreciate any advice you can give, those who work in the Sport Management field especially. Here are a few things I'm thinking of using to pad the resume:

1) 4.0 GPA
2) Volunteer coach for youth hockey
3) Captain of just about every hockey team I've played for, which include my high school team and a AA midget travel team.
4) Character traits... hard worker, thrives under pressure, etc.
5) Basic understanding of conversational Spanish
6) I'm still finishing up my basics, however, I have purchased and read several textbooks pertaining to the Sport Management field.

Anything I could add? Or possibly anything I should leave out? My aim is to offset my lack of job experience with a sense of passion and understanding of the game of hockey. With these credentials, is there a particular internship position I should be applying for?

Since I have yet to declare a major it gives them some flexible options on where to place me. My ambitions are not limited to any one field, be it from marketing to scouting and developement to management - should I emphasize this aspect or chose a clearly defined path? Truthfully it makes no difference to me what I'm doing, the opportunity to work with a professional hockey club is all the incentive I need. But even so, is there a particular degree that could better my chances?

For those of you who made it to here, I thank you. As I said any and all advice/criticism is welcome.

 

[Skk82]

if your emails stated your age/student status, they probably understand that you don't have much in the way of professional hockey team experience.

based on your grades and characteristics you stated, i'm sure they'd be interested, especially the lower level teams.

as far as a position, it probably depends on what exact concentration you intend to pursue. focusing on accounting is a lot different than marketing, even though they both have potential positions for an intern in a hockey front office.

for my internship program at a state college in virginia, an internship wasn't suggested until the summer after completion of junior year, to reinforce what you learn in the classroom, as well the obvious experiences of the work situation. perhaps you should wait until you have a little more classroom experience and knowledge and an exact situation before getting really serious about nailing down an internship.

but good luck though!

 

[futurcorerock]

Any experience with a team that makes money (I'd say pro but the NAHL isn't necessarily pro, is it?) is going to pay huge dividends.

Start small, work your way up. Most of the intern positions with NHL teams tend to be in the marketing department, if that's your intended field of interest.

Also, check NHL's Jobs posting, they list internships on the nhl.com page.

 

[Tricolore#20]

It certainly is an interesting idea, and I'm sure a lot of Canadian students have had similar aspirations.

I'm not sure if I could add anything, but I'll say that it is possible. When I was in Florida a few years ago, one of my friends had a friend (I know that's not the best way of putting it, but trust me! ) who interned with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buccaneers. I think it was through some type of program established at his college which allowed him to pursue it.

If you really want it, I would recommend that you be aggressive in your approach, especially if there isn't initially an opening. Start off small, with some minor-pro clubs, if you have to. That will only show the bigger clubs that you are extremely interested. By showing that you are persistent and very determined to get into the field, I'm sure you could get some sort of position one day.

 

[Panic at the Back]

I've worked in minor league soccer for 13 years, and I can tell you that most minor league teams love free help. My advice is say that you want to work in sales - that gets you in the door and if you can prove you can sell, you can move up the ladder and be well on your way to a career in hockey.

Also, I would recommend reading Jon Spoelstra's "Outrageous Marketing", great book and you'll get some great ideas.

 

[RedK]

Game day operations would also likely generate interest from them. They always need people to help manage giveaways, assist with usher problems, run errands for the people who manage the ticket booth, run the between-periods odds n ends.

A bad resume can be balanced out with a good cover letter. The cover letter can talk about the skills and attitudes that don't show on a resume. Also, if you can get a letter of recommendation from a teacher or coach who can talk about your attitude, ability to get things done, manageability, etc, that could be useful

 

[Wisent]

Hello everyone, I don't normally frequent the Business boards so allow me to introduce myself: my name is Robbie, I'm eighteen and am currently a freshman attending UTA. Hockey has been a central part of my life since early childhood, from playing on travel teams to religously following the NHL.

I won't drag on about my life's story, those are the pertinent facts so I'll get to the point. I'm extremely interested in beginning a career in professional hockey. For the last few months I've been sending emails regarding internships to all the major clubs in the area, which basically consist of three teams (NHL: Dallas Stars, CHL: Ft Worth Brahmas, NAHL: Texas Tornado). I wasn't necessarily expecting any of them to respond to a freshman in college, but both the Tornado and Brahmas have caught me by surprise and sent requests for a resume. Now, being an avid hockey player for most of my life I haven't had much on-the-job experience. In fact the only job I've ever had was a shady dealing in which I was paid under the table - the guy ended up going out of business and skipped town, so I wont even be able to use it on my resume.

This is a pretty huge deal to me, and my lack of experience leaves me worried about how bare my resume will look. This seems like a great opportunity and I want to come off as professional and qualified as possible, this is where you all come in. I'd really appreciate any advice you can give, those who work in the Sport Management field especially. Here are a few things I'm thinking of using to pad the resume:

1) 4.0 GPA
2) Volunteer coach for youth hockey
3) Captain of just about every hockey team I've played for, which include my high school team and a AA midget travel team.
4) Character traits... hard worker, thrives under pressure, etc.
5) Basic understanding of conversational Spanish
6) I'm still finishing up my basics, however, I have purchased and read several textbooks pertaining to the Sport Management field.

Anything I could add? Or possibly anything I should leave out? My aim is to offset my lack of job experience with a sense of passion and understanding of the game of hockey. With these credentials, is there a particular internship position I should be applying for?

Since I have yet to declare a major it gives them some flexible options on where to place me. My ambitions are not limited to any one field, be it from marketing to scouting and developement to management - should I emphasize this aspect or chose a clearly defined path? Truthfully it makes no difference to me what I'm doing, the opportunity to work with a professional hockey club is all the incentive I need. But even so, is there a particular degree that could better my chances?

For those of you who made it to here, I thank you. As I said any and all advice/criticism is welcome.

Well, you are 18. How much experienc can they expect? I`m pretty sure they don`t want you because of your previous job achievements. I talked to people on HR departments, in fact, one was a friend of mine and he said that when he employs people he is not looking on any of the grades or the usual hard worker stuff. Most people bring that with them so there is really no difference. You should try to show them your personal qualitiers like, are you a team worker (you played hokey so I assume you are), how do you deal with other people and so on. The resumee you send them will not make the decision according to my friend. When they invite you to talk about your job that is where you will have to make the impression. I had similar experiences by the way and it worked fine.
Just my thinking
Good luck

 

[john g]

As someone that had an internship with one of the NHL teams, I can tell you I got in on my credentials but mostly because of my college advisor's relationship with someone at that particular team. The sports world is rough that is for sure, it is seriously a who you know type of deal, unless you are willing to start small, pay your dues, get paid nothing or crap for a while.

But you can start here:

http://hockeyjobs.nhl.com/teamwork/jobs/jobs.cfm?supcat=222&supcat_name=Internships

And I might add, you have to be willing to do anything. Odds are you will get the crappiest assignments, but if you "want it" you will more than happy to do what is needed to potentially secure some staying power or at least grab a solid reference for the future once the internship is done. The jobs too are few and far between, so it will take years most likely to possibly even have a shot at one you would desire as your life profession. I got out of sports PR, because honestly it was an ***-kissing, brown nosing world (which is the last thing I will ever do), it didnt pay as well as what I wanted, and it ruined my perspective on the ideal of sports for me, but it was fun for the 6 years I worked as a professional.

 

[john g]

And another thought -- is it Univ of Texas-Austin you are referring too?

Well best way to get yourself some experience, is go to your Sports Information office in the Athletic Department. Those guys/girls do all the game day management for all your athletics. Volunteer or see if they have have work-study jobs for you. You'll probably do some game stuff, like being a subservient to the media, making copies of game stats, keeping stats at games etc....., again you will be doing the crappiest jobs at first but with some staying power and what not you could probably take the least paid attention to sport at your school and give them some extra attention that will be appreciated by the coach and players, thus building your skillset and making references.

 

[Spydey629]

The Tornado are actually a pretty good organization to hook up with. I worked for the Pittsburgh Forge when they were in the NAHL, and summers are a fantastic time to get experience with a hockey team -- especially at the Junior A Level. There will be summer camps, ticket sales, and try-outs going on all summer. Even if you just volunteer with them, not necessarily intern, you'll gain a lot of valuable experience.

 

[lemieux32*]

As a graduate in Sports Administration I can tell you a few very important things:

Get as much experience as possible, volunteer for any sports related stuff you can. As someone said, go to your college athletic department and see if you can be a student worker in Sports Info, Sport Marketing or facilities.

If you want to work in the NHL eventually then intern with an NHL team or a team owned by an NHL team that promotes from within. If you intern in the minors you are likely to stay in the minors.

Nobody will care about your GPA or your playing experience, all that will matter in the end will be how much experience you have in your field when you graduate.

 

[muddycreek*]

Stress that you really don't know what aspect of professional hockey you want to be involved in (management, accounting, marketing, equipment management, travel arrangements, etc.etc.) and would like an opertunity to see one or more areas firsthand to help you decide what you really want to do, there isn NOTHING wrong with and intership after evry year in school. Most schools suggest two years school, one year intership, one year school, one year intership, final year of school. Others do it on a semester basis. You are WISE beyond your years to try fining an intership on your own. What if you intern early and HATE the field? You will not lose many hours earned to change majors. Keep at it. Above all else...be truthful. The truth NEVER hurts!

 

[Kritty]

I interned with the Hamilton Bulldogs for two years and it was amazing. It was too bad I couldn't find a job right after because it was perfect for me. I was in the Communications department helping with game day operations and some other day to day communications stuff (sending faxes, phone calls, etc.). And like people have said, do whatever they want you to do. When I first started, my game day duties involved making copies of the game day notes and getting coffee for scouts and staff. By the time I was done I was organizing and running press conferences, setting flights schedules, handling team related aspects, etc. It was a great experience, I would definitely say go for it.

 

[Troy McClure]

Funny thing, here in Cleveland is the world headquarters of IMG, the largest sports management company on the planet. They have a summer internship program, and for each opening, they get something like 10,000 aps. So many people want to get into the business that they'll fight tooth and nail to work for free for IMG. Of course, IMG loves this because they get the pick of the litter for talent and get them as free labor for a summer.

 

[Saint Teemu]

Stress that you really don't know what aspect of professional hockey you want to be involved in (management, accounting, marketing, equipment management, travel arrangements, etc.etc.) and would like an opertunity to see one or more areas firsthand to help you decide what you really want to do, there isn NOTHING wrong with and intership after evry year in school. Most schools suggest two years school, one year intership, one year school, one year intership, final year of school. Others do it on a semester basis. You are WISE beyond your years to try fining an intership on your own. What if you intern early and HATE the field? You will not lose many hours earned to change majors. Keep at it. Above all else...be truthful. The truth NEVER hurts!

I agree with everything but the first sentence. You certainly have to be demonstrably willing to do anything from filling up the Zamboni to making sales calls to doing the team laundry but I'm not sure I entirely agree with the notion of approaching an employer without an expressed goal.

I'd be afraid of appearing aimless if I said something like "I don't know what I want to be yet, but I know I want to work in hockey." That said, I think most reasonable adults would agree that it's kind of ridiculous to expect an 18-year old to know exactly what they want to be (I'm 35 and I still haven't got it figured out). I think you'd be better off saying, "I'm pursuing (or thinking of) a career in X, but I think it would be beneficial to experience as many aspects of the organization as possible." [convert this into how a normal person would speak] This demonstrates a bit of focus without needlessly limiting your options. The idea is project yourself as a smart and industrious young man, not a glorified rink rat.

Ultimately, I think you have to impress upon them what you can do for them (even as a lowly intern), rather than what this job would do for you.

 

[octopus1z]

play-by-play degrees

This may seem like a stupid question, but im trying to figure something out and thought i would ask here to see if anyone knew.

Does anyone know what play-by-play guys usually get a degree in, if they get one at all? And what do they usually do to get a job in play by play, at any level or medium, radio, etc.?

Im sure that there are a variety of paths that could be taken, im just looking for a general one, or an example, anything. Thanks.

 

[sbutler66]

a mickey mouse communications degree?

 

[HF_Rangers]

And what do they usually do to get a job in play by play, at any level or medium, radio, etc.?

Speaking as an aspiring announcer myself... you have to perform... *favors* to get the job you want.

Actually, I'd recommend a Communcations degree, although I've heard you can get by on any college degree. It helps to have experience in college calling games as well as some volunteer work for high school or youth hockey if you can find it. It's also good to start building a sales resume or to build up your sales skills, since most minor league broadcaster do their own sales as well as call the games. A good site for sportscasters is www.callofthegame.com, which is mostly for baseball but the site applies to all the sports and the message boards are a great source of info.

 

[NJDevs430]

Mike Emrick (Devils Play-by-Play) has three degrees:

• Bachelor's degree in speech from Manchester College in 1964
• Master's degree in radio/television from Miami University (Ohio) in 1969
• Doctorate in radio/television/film from Bowling Green State University in 1976 (a degree from which he gets his nickname, "Doc")

}>

 

[I am Jack's Fish]

Speaking as an aspiring announcer myself... you have to perform... *favors* to get the job you want.

Actually, I'd recommend a Communcations degree, although I've heard you can get by on any college degree. It helps to have experience in college calling games as well as some volunteer work for high school or youth hockey if you can find it. It's also good to start building a sales resume or to build up your sales skills, since most minor league broadcaster do their own sales as well as call the games. A good site for sportscasters is www.callofthegame.com, which is mostly for baseball but the site applies to all the sports and the message boards are a great source of info.

The above applies as well, but I can relate my story as well.

After I started with HF and guided it for a few years, I eventually parlayed that into a gig with a minor-league hockey team in Miami as the Director of Communications.

The league insisted on having all their games on the internet, and when it came time to get a play-by-play guy, I said I would do it. I didnt have the experience, but I did have the knowledge and love of the game. The owner of the team gave me the chance, and after a rough first game (16 goals, while helping the assembled media in the pressbox, and updating the website as the game went on), I became the voice of the Manatees.

My career has taken me in a non-broadcasting role in sports, but essentially what the most important thing is to get is you doing the game on tape. It doesnt even have to a game you worked on, it can be youwatching a game on TV and recording yourself even.

Degrees and experience will definitely go far, but making the sacrifice to work a crappy job for no pay is also a direction you are going to want to get ready for.

In the minors, you will need to wear MANY hats. Sales, marketing, community relations, stuffing tickets in envelopes at will-call, whatever! At one point, I stepped down from the broadcasting role and I worked as the equipment manager and training staff on the bench in the WHA2 playoffs for the Miami Manatees.

I also did the team laundry at one point and still maintained the website and communications role.

But it is worth it if you keep busting your *** and have the support of the family.

I have an anthropology degree btw.