Like any day, the morning begins with a Zamboni gliding along the surface of the rink. Players slowly trickle onto the ice, first one at a time, then in pairs and groups until they are all where they belong. The sounds of pucks slamming echo around the practice arena, joined by varied music by artists from Adele to Eminem as eager faces press into the glass barriers in fascination. Despite the excited chatter, the flashing of cameras and the numerous eyes focused solely on the hockey players and their actions. The Dallas Stars continued unfazed in their dance across the ice with all thoughts centering on the small, black puck that gave them a sense of purpose. This was the scene at the High School Media Day in Frisco’s Dr. Pepper StarCenter on Jan. 23, 2012.
Even to someone unfamiliar with the sport, the Stars moved like a well-oiled machine, as if following a routine that originated from within. The sharp blow of a whistle brings the arena to complete silence except for the powerful voice of the coach as he instructs his players. With another blow of the whistle, the players disperse into two teams, getting into position, waiting for the puck to drop. When it finally does, they take off. Back and forth across the ice they follow the puck, manned with hockey sticks and an unshakable determination, white powder flying up from their skates and falling to the ice like snow. A few well executed motions accompanied by hasty shouts to one another and the game is changed. Each goal brings with it cheering and sticks raised in celebration, allowing the onlookers a glimpse into the true passion the players hold for the game. The image before the young teens is mesmerizing.
After a quick lunch, the excited young reporters were led to a conference room where they were presented with a panel of sports announcers and players from the team. The first to speak was Ralph Strangis, play-by-play announcer for the Dallas Stars. His words of wisdom and kind suggestions embedded themselves into his audience’s brains, bringing to light things that before were trivial and meaningless sayings. The passion Strangis has for his job exuded from every pore, was heard in every inflection and was seen in every exuberant gesture of the hand.
“If you don’t love something, find something else,” Strangis said. “Be excited about what you are doing.”
Former Rangers announcer John Rhadigan followed Strangis with his own anecdotes of early days in the media business. He spoke of the hard work and late nights that he put into his career and gave the aspiring reporters advice on how to be successful in the industry. CBS 11’s anchor-reporter Gina Miller then talked about the adversity she faced when she entered a male-prominent profession. The high school students were then graced with the appearance of the very experienced sports blogger Mark Stepneski. Each of the four reporters were funny, relaxed, and visibly happy to be there talking about their jobs.
After a quick question-answer session with the media panel, three Dallas Stars players entered the conference room where a mock press conference soon took place. The audience got the opportunity to behave like the reporters they so admired, asking questions of the players to their hearts’ content. Every person in the room that day left with a greater understanding of what it means to follow your dreams.
“I do what I love and I love what I do,” Rhadigan said. “You can do anything you want to do.”
