Jeff Mannix Moves On
Radio Broadcaster Heads West
For the past two season, Jeff Mannix has been the voice that MAINEiacs fans have turned to listen to when the team is on the road or unable to make the game at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. Last week, Mannix decided to go in a different direction with his life, one that could take a minor detour from the headset in the press box at an arena, but he will no doubt be calling the action for a team again in the near future.
Having had a chance to get to know the young man well in the past couple of years, Mannix is very much the consumate professional in how he handles himself in his preparation as well as executing the call of MAINEiacs hockey. He took the role very seriously, and delivered the emotion and excitement of the game every night he graced the airwaves.
In Maine, we’ve been blessed with some greats. Future NHL broadcast hall-of-famer Mike “Doc” Emrick was the first to put on the microphone for a major hockey attraction in Portland for the first two seasons of the Maine Mariners from 1977-79. Dale Arnold, formerly of NESN and current mid-day host for sports station powerhouse WEEI in Boston, took over for the next few seasons. Following Arnold was Joe Beninnati, now the lead television play-by-play for the Washington Capitals and also for VERSUS. Lewiston’s own Tom Caron took the microphone for the Portland Pirates for the first two seasons until NESN called on him to take the studio anchor role for the Boston Bruins, and eventually the Boston Red Sox. Where Jeff Mannix will end up compared to the greats only time will tell, but he will continue to persue his dream of one day calling games in the National Hockey League.
On a personal note, whether it was listening to Jeff or working beside him, the man is a class act, and someone I am going to miss dearly. He made it exciting to rush up the road after work to get to the arena to do game preparations, and broadcast games in such a way that it was not only entertaining, but a learning experience. A special thanks to you, my friend, for your Road Reports for this column throughout last season, the playoffs and the Memorial Cup.
Jeff shares his experiences in the questions below:
What were some of your best off-ice memories of the past two seasons?
To be honest, the bus rides were probably some of the most memorable. Having to endure some of those long trips to the Abitibi Region, or to Baie-Comeau were some of my favorites. Just to be able to share that time with the coaching staff and the players was great. Going to different places and meeting people who you never would have met otherwise was a wonderful experience, too. What reason would I ever have to go to Chicoutimi, Quebec? That ended up being one of my favorite road destinations. I had lived in Maine my whole life and never been to Quebec City before my involvement with the MAINEiacs. I have vacationed there on three seperate occassions since now, and will continue to. The people and places are really the best memories for me.
With all of the travel that you did by bus (and air) what was a more comical story about the travel?
That would be our last trip to Newfoundland. It was in early January. Clem was still in Sweden at World Juniors, and Ed was heading up the trip. He was also sick as a dog. He had a stomach bug, so was kind of nautious all day. If you’ve ever flown in St. John’s, you know that it’s on a small peninsula jutting into the wide Atantic Ocean. It gets quite windy. As we started to land, the plane began to get shaken quite violently by the wind. Ed was a few seats ahead of me, and I could tell this would be a “fun” ride. The whole landing felt like a roller coaster, and it seemed like we may actually land sideways, but the pilot was great and got us in safely. Thankfully, Harding held it together for the ride to hotel, not to be seen again until the next afternoon.
What did you gain as a professional and personally from the the experience?
Professionally, I gained a lot. I have gained a ton of experience. I had done college hockey for the previous five years on college radio, but working on commercial radio is different. It’s more intensive. It got me closer to my goal of being a broadcaster at the professional level, which I hope happens soon. Personally, I gained great friends. Matt McKnight, Mark Just, Ed Harding, and Jeff Guay are definitely friends for life for me. I had a great relationship with Chad Denny, also. I hope I can keep in contact with him through the rest of my life. Many of the players who are returning I have come to like a lot. Guys like David Perron, Chris Tutalo, Danick Paquette, Jonathan Bernier, Patrick Cusack, Michael Ward, and Jakub Bundil. I have also gained good friendships with the families of these players, especially the Dennys, the Wards, the Marshalls, the Cusacks, and the Berniers.
Besides the call of the President’s cup clincher, what game do you think was the best game that you called?
I don’t know if it’s the best game I called, but it’s certainly the most memorable. It was the 9-8 shootout loss on November 1 of last season at Moncton. It was a game with no defense or goaltending to speak of and one in which both teams blew the lead twice. It certainly wasn’t pretty, but it sure was memorable. The clinching game in the Rouyn-Noranda series was another very memorable game for me, as well. That was a game that was 3-3 at the end of one and only had one goal scored the rest of the way, by hometown boy Marc-Andre Cliche.
What message would you like to pass along to the fans?
I want to say a big thank you to you from the bottom of my heart for bringing me into your homes for these last two years to follow the MAINEiacs. That I could be associated with the team was a true honor and one that I will never ever forget. I am not looking at this as closing the book on my hockey broadcasting career, not even close. But, moving to Washington is an opportunity for me to begin a journey with the woman I plan to marry. Ann-Marie, my girlfriend of two-and-a-half years, moved there in June to become a soil microbiology professor. So, I am going to give our relationship the best chance it can have to succeed.
Again, a big thanks to all of you for giving me so much support over these last two years. I will continue to be watching and following this team as though I’ll still be here. Go MAINEiacs!
Thanks again, Jeff, for all that you have done for us here in MAINEiacs Nation, and all the best to your future.
