For the first time in 20 years, the Columbus Blue Jackets will have a new voice in the television booth. For Murrysville, PA’s Steve Mears, it’s a full-circle moment.
Mears was named as Jeff Rimer’s replacement, who retired after last season. It was thanks to genuine hard work and working up the ranks that helped Mears to the Blue Jackets’ seat.
That journey started at Bowling Green University. With stops in the Central Hockey League, the New York Islanders and the Pittsburgh Penguins among others, Mears now comes back to Ohio to lead the next era of Blue Jackets’ hockey on TV.
Mears stopped by and chatted with the Hockey Writers about his journey and much more. From his beginnings in hockey to memories along the way and from his excitement about being in Columbus to what to expect from him, we cover it all in this 10 question and answer conversation.
You will see that Mears’ preparation stands out. He hopes to bring excitement and fun to the broadcast. Here is our conversation.
Steve Mears Q&A
THW: Steve, just thinking about all the time that it took for you to get to this point, where did you get your hockey start from just a fan perspective? And then who did you look up to when you got that start?
Mears: “Well, I think just as with everybody, it starts with just being a fan. You’re a fan of the game, and then you realize that maybe the best job outside of actually playing in the game, which of course for me was no possibility, was to be an announcer. And it’s something that you could do for a long time. And it’s something that’s exciting. The thought of bringing the game to an audience, whether on TV or radio, is thrilling. So right away, it was like, wow. I get in for free and you get to talk to the players. You get to talk to the fans and the audience while bringing the game to life on radio or television. I just thought it was the coolest job in the world. So just right away wanted to take the steps necessary, really starting at age 10, to try to fulfill that dream of one day calling games in the NHL.”
“Then you start looking up to various people in the business, and there have been so many of them over the years, whether it was Doc Emrick or Mike Lange or some of the great non-hockey announcers like Al Michaels and Joe Buck and Bob Costas. All of these people, they all had a hand in influencing you in some way. And then you just over the years develop your style, and here we are, a new chapter for me, and I’m excited.”
THW: Then how were you able to break into the hockey industry knowing the interest that you had just that you talked about?
Mears: “Well, it’s working your way up, almost like a player. You’re going to college and you’re honing your craft. I had the chance to go to Bowling Green, which is a terrific broadcasting school, and had an opportunity to get hands-on experience right away as a freshman and doing college hockey games, (Division 1) college hockey games with some future NHLers. What an unbelievably valuable experience that was just to get those reps and lay that foundation early on. So you work in college, and then you get a chance at a minor league team. And I packed up my car after I graduated from Bowling Green and moved down to Shreveport, Louisiana, and you get a chance in minor league hockey. And there, you learn so much more than just broadcasting. You learn about the business side of the game and how the sports franchise is run and operated. Along the way, you make such wonderful friends, whether it was players or executives on the team or fans, many of which I keep in touch with to this day. You just get to know all of these people and these facets of sports. You just hope for your big break in the NHL, and I was lucky to get it with the New York Islanders.”
THW: Now your time in Pittsburgh, I think many will remember that because it was recent. Just when you think back to the time that you spent there, what memory will you have of that? And then ultimately, how did that time there make you a better broadcaster?
Mears: “I’ve definitely enjoyed living in Pittsburgh just with the hometown connection and everything. I think the most memorable aspect of it is the players that I got to cover. I got to cover first and foremost, Sidney Crosby, who always treated me with such class. And to watch him on a daily basis, how he approaches the sport and approaches his craft, that is inspirational. It really is. And then all the other ones, whether it was Evgeni Malkin or Phil Kessel or Erik Karlsson or Jake Guentzel. The star power that they had there and the players that I got to watch on a nightly basis, that’s really what stands out the most for me. But now I’m really excited to get this new opportunity with Columbus and to be living in Ohio again, which is where I started, and it’s just come full circle here. This is the place where I first did a hockey game. The first time I was on the radio was in Ohio. The first time I called a hockey game was in Ohio. So it’s really come full circle and I just can’t wait to get started.”
THW: What specifically was appealing to you when the Blue Jackets opportunity became open?
Mears: “Well, the city has always been one of my favorites where whether it was coming in as a visitor, which I’ve probably done more than any other road city in the NHL. This is the one I’ve been to the most. And whether it was when I was at Bowling Green or here for the all All-Star Game in 2015, this has always been one of my absolute favorite cities. And then you start looking into the organization and how they treat people. And then you start seeing the fan base. And as a broadcaster, you just want to work somewhere where you have that type of passion, that market. And I’ve been lucky enough. All three stops in the NHL, the fan bases have been unbelievable. Long Island with the Islanders, Pittsburgh with the Penguins, and now here in Columbus.”
“It is a really special place. And now I’m seeing it firsthand because you see it from an outsider’s perspective as a visitor, and you come in and you stay downtown, and you know the arena and might go to dinner in the hotel area. But now to really get in and get to know the people and to see the surrounding areas, this is one of the best markets in the NHL and also the fact that it’s a young up and coming team that I think has a lot of potential that’s building the right way through the draft with a lot of terrific young pieces. I’m just so excited for the present and the future in covering this team.”
THW: They always say it’s hard to replace a legend. And Jeff Rimer was certainly that when it came to the Blue Jackets’ broadcasting booth. Talk about being able to step in right after somebody like that who was a staple for so many years in that broadcast booth.
Mears: “It’s an honor to take the torch from someone like that who set such a high standard for so many years and not just with the Blue Jackets, but with a four decade plus career in the NHL and in sports broadcasting. And he has been so incredibly gracious with his time and offering any assistance that I need. Just a valuable resource for me. I just spoke with him a few days ago, and he wished me well and said if there’s anything that I need, he’s just a phone call or a text away. And I just can’t tell you how much I appreciate that. And I do understand it’ll be an adjustment period for a lot of fans who are watching because it doesn’t matter who the person is. If they’ve done it for 20 years, there’s that comfort level as a fan. I know it because I’ve lived it as a fan. When there’s change, I think there’s an adjustment period. I understand that. I totally get it, but our goal is to be one of the best broadcasts in the NHL.”
“I’ve got a wonderful color analyst in Jody Shelley who’s one of the best in the business. And I think at this point now in my career, I’ve got a good amount of experience that I can draw from having done hundreds of games and started when I was 26 years old. So now it’s like I’m tapping into my different stops along the way and trying to lean on that experience that I could bring and hope the fans enjoy it.”
THW: You just mentioned him, Jody Shelley. You guys will be working together. You’ve gotten to know him a little bit now. What were your first impressions of Jody Shelley?
Mears: “Just very diligent with his preparation. I knew that for a long time, but then to now see it firsthand, the way he prepares for this season, the way he prepares for a game, and the conversations, the notetaking that he’s getting done right now just to prep for that opening night. That’s what makes him one of the best in the business. It’s not a case where I played, so I don’t need to do the homework. He does the above and beyond level of homework, and then that’s what makes him one of the best. I love that approach. I’m kind of the same way when it comes to doing the homework and the preparation. I take a lot of pride in that. I think when you have two people who are making that type of commitment, it should all add up to a great show. And with Jody, he’s always been one of my favorite people in the game because of all the games over the years at morning skates. Our paths have crossed so much. We’ve had so many conversations, and he always has his finger on the pulse of the team.”
“If I ever had a question about the Blue Jackets, I knew I could reach out to him, whether as a player, what’s really going on with the team, what’s the vibe with the team right now. I knew I could always tap into him because he knew exactly what was going on. And he was almost a 100% accurate with any type of an assessment when I had those conversations with him at morning skates or at 5:00 before a game. I think that’s what makes him one of the best. It’s nice to know that as a play-by-play guy, you could just kind of sit back. My job is to tee him up to make sure he shines because he’s the expert and he’s the former player. I think that’s the really important role of the two in television. He’s the one doing the replays, and my job is to set him up to shine and to really tap into his expertise.”
THW: Steve, what do you really feel like makes a good broadcaster? You mentioned some of the guys that you looked up to over the years, and they all have something that just makes them great. What in your mind makes a great hockey broadcaster?
Mears: “I think you have to start with the nuts and bolts, and that begins with the preparation. The best announcers in any sport are the most well prepared. It starts with the preparation and going through not just stats, but storylines and background stories and what really is the trend of the team, the arc of a season, what’s happening with not just one team, but two. It reminds me of the great Jiggs McDonald when I did my first NHL game, he was doing Islanders TV at the time. I asked him for advice, and he said never forget. It takes two teams to play this game, Steve. It takes two teams. Just knowing both sides, just having a good grasp on the main storylines of any given game and then bringing the requisite amount of passion and excitement, knowing the rules and also having fun. I think if we’re not having fun on our end, it can’t be fun on the viewer’s end. So Jody and I, we’re going to have a good time, and I think it has to be that way because as a general manager once said to me, we’re not building rockets here. It is a profession and a medium where you better be having fun and make it fun for the audience. I think we’re going to do that.”
THW: You guys will have the task of being the first voice that the Blue Jackets’ fans are going to hear in the new season given everything that has happened. So just how much thought have you guys put into first going on the air, just given the circumstances?
Mears: “It’s been a tough six weeks for the organization. I think the word that comes to mind is authenticity, just speaking from the heart when it comes to Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. Just the adversity that everyone has gone through here over these last six weeks just to tap into what the community was able to do as we leaned on each other during this time, I think that is something we’ll always remember. Whether it was the makeshift memorial right away, almost instantly outside Nationwide Arena at the candlelight vigil a few days later or just as training camp started talking with fans and grieving in different ways.”
“I may be the new guy, but it doesn’t take very long for someone to see just how close knit this Columbus community is. And I think that was on full display over the last month and a half when we all helped each other get through this. And that is an ongoing process, and we’ll continue to do so. On the broadcast, we’ll continue to acknowledge it. Just as the team has said, one thing they’re going to do is have Johnny’s presence visible in the locker room and we will continue to do that at the same time, persevering and doing what Johnny would have wanted, which is playing hockey and getting to all of our different jobs and celebrating life and celebrating the game.”
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THW: You got to watch training camp. You got to see a lot of different things. Just what stood out to you in your initial just viewings of this Blue Jackets training camp?
Mears: “Well, I love the young talent. I think that’s the biggest thing with this team and thinking about the present and the future, whether it’s Kent Johnson’s training camp or Adam Fantilli watching him score a hat trick in Washington. Aside from pretty much one game last year, this was the first close-up look that I’ve had a chance to watch Adam Fantilli’s game because I’ve watched it on TV. And then we did one Pittsburgh/Columbus game last year I believe, so before he was injured. Just to see him and his skill set and just the way he’s able to take over a game, just dominate, that really excites me. And then there are other great young players. Denton Mateychuk is one who really stood out at training camp and his future is really bright. Then to augment that with these veteran players who have a ton of experience that are going to be so helpful to the young guys.”
“Then you throw in a coach like Dean Evison who is going to demand a very high level of work ethic, structure and accountability. That’s the one thing I asked him. I said, what are the non-negotiables? What are the values? There are a billion things you could pick there, and the first word he said was accountability. It’s something when you make a mistake, you own up to it. I just love what I saw from him. He kept it positive, but it was still on the strict side and adhering to those values like accountability and structure and so forth. But throughout the training camp, they kept it very positive and very loose. It was a nice mixture. I love the approach that he took in dealing with the players and the practices, the exhibition games, and everything. He just brings a ton of experience, and I thought that was just a wonderful hire by Don Waddell to get that type of a coaching here for this team at this time.”
THW: Last one for you Steve is just what is your message to the fans? And specifically, what do you want them to know about you?
Mears: “Just thank you for welcoming me so warmly. I had a chance during the whole preseason, every single one of those games, to go down to the cannon and meet several fans and walk through the building because we weren’t televising the games. What a luxury that was actually, just to spend that time and it afforded me a chance to just go and meet great Blue Jackets’ fans, long-time season-ticket holders, some of them from Day 1. And to be back here in Ohio where I started and to be covering this team, to be a part of the community, whether it was neighbors in our neighborhood or just fans or going to a restaurant or anyone that might recognize me, they’ve been so incredibly warm and welcoming. And I will always appreciate that.”
“I just would say thank you. And it’s going to be a great season. And again, we’ll lean on each other as we have during these times. And I would love to, someday as we all have that dream of a Stanley Cup parade down Nationwide Boulevard. That’s my dream as well. I just can’t wait to get started. The main thing would be thank you for welcoming me and us into your homes. And just know that every single night, we will bring that level of dedication. There are no nights off. We will bring the same level of passion and dedication that’s expected of the players. That’s the same amount that we expect as far as doing the homework and bringing our A-game every night. And I do expect the Blue Jackets to be one of, if not the hardest working teams in the NHL this season. I would love for fans to recognize that the broadcast team will be at the same work-ethic level because I think that’s what makes a successful broadcast.”