Rob Kennedy

Hockey Play-by-Play Announcer

You broadcast all home games on ESPN+ for both hockey teams—but you live in Maine? 
Yes, I do. It takes three hours to drive down. I try to arrive two hours before the puck drops to write my game notes. That’s my routine.

What’s in your notes?
I have a file on every player on the roster, their backgrounds and milestones: first goal, most recent goal, different facts. I keep track of everything he or she does for all their years at Dartmouth—information that I’d want to relay in a broadcast. 

How did you learn to call a game?
I grew up watching a lot of Bruins hockey and listening to a lot of Canadiens hockey.

I really liked Fred Cusick, who called Boston games, and Bob Cole of Hockey Night in Canada. Then I got into radio as a college student at St. Michael’s.

Have you ever been sidelined with voice problems?
Before the first men’s game I was going to broadcast for Dartmouth, I got a chest cold that turned into full-blown laryngitis. I couldn’t do the game—the only time that’s happened. After a tournament weekend—four games in two days—there’s definitely a little hoarseness, but no problem.

Do you have a signature call?
I don’t. I’d rather just have a natural reaction to what’s happening on the ice. Some guys make a signature call work, but sometimes I think they overuse catchphrases. I did use the word “sashay” once, and someone called me on that and said, “You don’t sashay in hockey.”

Do you call other sports?
I do play-by-play for high school and collegiate soccer, high school basketball, and some high school football.

How do they compare to hockey?
They’re slower!

What’s your day job?
I’m a high school teacher in Lewiston, Maine.

Did you ever play hockey?
Yes, but I’m a better broadcaster.

Do fans ever tune in for the broadcaster?
I think sometimes people do, but for the most part, they just want to be entertained by the game. More than being the show, you’re narrating it and explaining the action. My job is to help them enjoy the game more.   

Portfolio

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Trail Blazer

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John Merrow ’63
An education journalist on the state of our schools

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