INTERVIEW WITH JACK MICHAELS

The first thing I want to say before I write the interview is...Thank-you Jack for taking the time to do this interview. I know your schedule is busy, and it is appreciated that you would sit down with me for this. I hope I can do it Justice here on the blog.




I learned quite a bit about Jack from this and he was very gracious to do it. I have truncated this interview into the highlights. Jack gave me an hour of his time, and we did talk a lot about the play recently of the team, especially lately. And I may do a part-two to this interview, that will include those comments from Jack.


I wrote what I thought you, the reader, would like to know about Jack. I hope you will enjoy it.


I was not able to get any pictures unfortunately. I did confirm with Jack that he's willing to do another interview in the future, hopefully I can get a couple then.


Please leave any comments you may have about this interview below.


The Interview...




realoilfan: "Have you had an opportunity to check out my blog?"
Jack Michaels: "I haven't no, did you ever send me a link to it? If you texted it to me that's a guaranteed way to lose it. It's either got to be in an e-mail or, it's in one ear an out the other. i don't have the greatest memory in the world."


realoilfan: "The reason I wanted to do this interview was because of the contrast I noticed between the Edmonton broadcast and the Calgary one, the night of the game on the 26th of October. When you do a broadcast, is there some sort of written or un-written rule, where you try to be as objective as possible? Or when you're broadcasting in the home town for the home team, do you try and cater to the home town fan?
Jack Michaels: "That really depends on a person's own individual idea of what broadcasting is. I can tell you this...no-one I've ever worked for has ever said "we want you to broadcast like this... or we have a certain idea."


My personal belief is, you"ve got to call'em as you see'em. You can't sit there and say things like..."the only reason we lost to the Rangers is the refs were lousy, or we got cheated, you know, or that they got a couple of lucky goals and we didn't get any luck." You've got to say "hey...we can't give up 7 goals in 30 minutes."


You've got to call it as you see it. I've always lived by the credo of ...at the end of the day, I want people to know it's an Oilers broadcast, but I don't want people to necessarily know that it's an Oilers broadcast by a guy who is paid by the Oilers. I really don't want it to be so objective that you don't know if I work for TSN or whatever, but at the end of the day...I want them (the audience) to know that I'm pulling for Edmonton, but I want it to be subtle. I don't want it to be in your face.


It depends on what kind of broadcaster you want to be, there are guys out there that I think are die-hard fans doing broadcasts. One of the reasons Rod (Phillips) was so popular, was that he lived and died by every Oiler win and loss. Hey...I want you to know that I'm pulling for the Oilers, but I'll never be confused with Rod (Phillips) as far as that goes.


I guess what I'm saying is...that I'm sure Rod's (Phillips) not real popular in Calgary because everyone there is thinking he's a huge Oiler guy." "Look, there are some guys who have made a living at this because they know how to ingratiate themselves in the market." There are so many differing views on broadcasting that I couldn't begin to tell you where the Calgary guy's frame of reference was coming from."


There's another approach to broadcasting where you kinda come up with your own schtick, and stick by it no matter how ridiculous it may seem. And, I'm not saying that is the guy in Calgary, but he may just be putting on a show or be in character. There are so many differeing ways to go about being a professional broadcaster in this business, that i couldn't even speculate where the guy in Calgary is coming from.


realoilfan: Is being objective in the broadcast, kind of the goal?
Jack Michaels: "Not across the board it isn't, no. I mean, there are people like me, I mean...there's a section of people that believe that's the goal, but not across the board.


realolifan: You're an American right?
Jack Michaels: Yeah...I'm from western Pennsylvania.


realolifan: So...are you a Pittsburgh fan or Philly fan?
Jack Michaels: I was a Penguins fan, but the funny thing is...the reason i started to follow the Oilers is, I mean I really hated Philly! I mean i still don't like any Philadelphia sports team.


realoilfan: I'm sorry to hear that, because the Broad Street Bullies were probably one of my favorite teams.
Jack Michaels: I was a little too young to remember that. I came along when the Oilers and the Flyers played two out of three back in '85 & '87. And that's one of the reasons I became quite familiar with the Oilers, because I was rooting for them so intensely, not necessarily for them, but against Philly! and I'm still like that, there's not one Philly sports team that I root for, nor would I ever! I wasn't a huge Penguins fan either. I was like everyone else in the late '80's when they started building a team. I was like every other band-wagon fan who was like.."you know what this is pretty cool."


realoilfan: So when you came to Alaska, you were doing the broadcast for the AHL team or...?
Jack Michaels: Actually they were in the ECHL. I started in a league called the West Coast League. I wasn't with Alaska then, I was with Colorado. The east coast teams really hit hard times and lost a whole bunch of teams like Louisiana and Mississippi, and to gain strength in the league, they absorbed a bunch of teams in the west coast league.


as I solidified my position in Alaska, I was offered a bunch of jobs in the AHL, but by then I was having kids and I had pretty decent pay, and so...I was not going anywhere unless it was the National Hockey League. And luckily things worked out.


realoilfan: As an American coming to Canada, is this the first time you've don the broadcast for an NHL team or a Canadian market team?
Jack Michaels: Yes, in fact...as far as I know, I'm the first American to ever broadcast for a Canadian NHL team. I'm almost positive of that. I can't say that with 100% accuracy, but i believe I am.


realoilfan: So...as an American coming not only to a Canadian market, but the National Hockry League, and seeing the rabid fans here, what's that been like?
Jack Michaels: The one thing you have to remember is, that up in Alaska, It's the only pro-sports team in the state. So they really treat it like the NHL. and they are pretty hard-core, obviously Edmonton is on a different scale, based on population, so...f you were to multiply Anchorage's population to equal Edmonton's...you would get to the same relative level.


There's a lot of Anchorage kids that are making waves in the NHL. Brandon Dubinsky for one, and Scott Gomez was really the first guy. Ty Conklin is another. It's a hockey town. The number one sport in Alaska is hockey.


Edmonton is tough minded and "hockeycentric" place, and from that stand point of hockey being top dog...the transition has been relatively minimal. I'm used to it, I'm used to being in an environment where people care about the team and think of it as the biggest thing in town.


realoilfan: So...how is it coming in and taking over for a guy like Rod Phillips? I know you don't want to try and replace Rod, because no one can do that, but he set the bar really high, and so now you either have to try and set your own bar and take it higher, or completely dissolve that bar and make it your own. Is that something that you're trying to do? Is it something you are trying to live up to?
Jack Michaels: Not really, I think the only way you're ever going to graded out on something like that is over time. I don't think an broadcasters go into it thinking..."you know what, when I leave here I'm going to be known as the most important voice in the history of Edmonton sports." That's all by someone else, Rod certainly didn't trumpet himself as a hall of famer. He was elected by his peers. And from my standpoint, the first 3 or 5 years...whatever it is, how I'm graded out, won't be by me. It'll be by my boss or by the listeners.


They'll either recognize that I'm not Rod, and they'll enjoy listening for what I am. Or, they'll be like..."this guy isn't Rod and I don't think he's that good." And, one of those two things will happen. I don't think as a broadcaster, you can ever control what people think of you, other than by what they think of you off the air.


realoilfan: I guess, what I am trying to get at is...is there a goal for the broadcast? Or, are you trying to shape it in a certain way?
Jack Michaels: My goal is to entertain everyone that is listening, for as long as they listen. In other words, I never want them to be like..."this is brutal! put on some country music." all I wat people to do is, no matter what time of the game, or what the score is...I want to give them a reason to listen and hang around. That's my job. My job is ultimately to entertain.


I really have no goals as being personally viewed one way or the other. I just want people to be interested. I want the broadcast to sound like there's been work put into it.
 And a broadcast that comes across as pretty intelligent. but at the same time, I want people to know they're listening to someone who knows what they're talking about.


realoilfan: How have you been received in Edmonton? I have not listened very often as I am at the home games and if the team is on the road...I am watching on TV. But, I have heard you when it's an early start on the way home from work or when I'm on the road for work, and I like what I've heard, but what about others?
Jack Michaels: As best as I can tell...I'm a believer in "no news is good news" type of deal. I'm pretty sure if there was a huge out-cry on the blogs or somewhere else...I would've heard about it. I guess what I'm saying is that no news is good news. And, if not that many people are talking about the broadcast, to me that's probably a good sign. Because if they were talking about it, they'd probably be like "holy cow, this is going to be a long adjustment period."


realoilfan: Do you get recognized on the street now that we're 16 games in? Do people know who you are?
Jack Michaels: Not yet. That doesn't matter one-way or the other, but yeah...no, it hasn't happened yet. I was in a restaurant with Rishaug (Ryan Rishaug of TSN) and they recognized him, but time will tell.


realoilfan: What's it like working with Bob Stauffer?
Jack Michaels: I like working with Bob,  I mean Bob is...whatever you want to say about Bob, I know bloggers like to have fun with him...Bob is intelligent. He knows the game, and that's what makes him a perfect partner for me. Because I fell like when I'm talking to him, I'm talking with someone who I can have a conversation with. I don't have to work at it. We've all been in that situation when you feel like you're carrying the conversation...I don't have that with him.


He adds things in areas that I couldn't possibly know about. Anyone can read in a book that Edmonton and Calgary have a big rivalry, but Bob's lived it...you know. He's the classic colour guy, in the sense that.... play-by-play is kind of like a marriage. Whatever the husband might be bad at,  the wife is good at...you know? It's all about gap control. he fills in the gaps really well. I think my strengths compliment his too. I can give you the rapid fire play-by-play without a stumble and tell you some stuff about guys, but Bob can fill in all the little flourishes that I don't know the first thing about. And to be honest with you, that I don't want to know.


realoilfan: I like the fact that you get involved in the broadcast, pre & post game. Rod Phillips didn't really do that too often. Are you interested in doing you're own show?
Jack Michaels: I don't necessarily think I need to have a show, I don't know how much you want you're play-by-play guy getting too involved in the other stuff. It's hard to go out and have a real strong opinion on a show, and then go do the play-by-play stuff. you run the risk of having a one-sided broadcast that way. Bob (Stauffer) does it because he's been given a mandate to be "Bob" doing colour as he was on the air on his show. I think sports talk is most interesting when there's a particular opinion at stake.


I'm the kid of guy that is open to pretty much anything, if they want me to do a talk show, fine. If they want me to do a talk show from here everyday (Timmy Hortons location in Sherwood Park) fine. You want me to do the show here, while serving coffee every day, that's fine too. I'd do it.


If the Oilers are fine with me doing a show, then I'm fine with it. But, this first year for me is a lot about getting the lay of the land and the feeling out process. I'm not coming in here with any sort of expectations other than what's in front of me. Which is to do a damn good job and make the transition for everyone as easy as possible.


realoilfan: What bout writing? Have you ever considered writing your own piece?
Jack Michaels: I write all the time, my dad's an english professor actually, I've done nothing but writing. So...all that stuff, whether it's contributing a coloumn or talk show or whatever...I think that's something I'll gravitate towards and grow into as the years come upon me.


When you have a show in Edmonton...you need to be a little bit established as an Edmonton guy. I think it would be awfully presumptuous of me, in the first year or two, to start clamoring for a show or have the gall to say that I'm an Edmonton guy now. You've got to earn that. I have volunteered to do just that in the past...so we'll see what happens.


realoilfan: How do you feel about bloggers vs. the MSM guys? Would you like to see bloggers in the press box or locker room?
Jack Michaels: Honestly...to me, if you were asking just me, I could really care less. I think bloggers would have to be held accountable, if they're just spouting off. I don't think any blogger that put's the work in will cross the line, but it needs to be about quality of the work. I think from a team perspective, the danger of accrediting bloggers, is that now you've got this influx of guys who are "fans" that are all of a sudden like.."oh, hey I'm blogging now" well, where do you draw the line. All of a sudden you could have a couple of hundred fans saying they are bloggers and now you have a locker room without any sort of control.


I think at some point someone will set the bar for a "standard" for these types of things. But I don't think that will happen for a few years, but I think it will probably need to happen as this type of media grows.


realoilfan: So...how does your family like being in Edmonton?
Jack Michaels: It's good, they like it. The kids have made an easy adjustment and we have a school right around the corner from us here in Sherwood Park. We're pretty pliable people, I mean you can just drop us in and we'll take care of the rest.


realoilfan: Has the novelty of your new position worn off yet?
Jack Michaels: I'm in a profession that's relatively unique. Certainly amongst my friends and probably the general populous. How many of us really like doing what we do for a living? There's not a ton...there's some but, a lot of people go to work and punch the clock and are grateful for the paycheque, but ultimately in a perfect world, if you ask them "what would you absolutely love to do for a paycheque?" If you ask me...and I mean anything for a paycheque, I can honestly say that I would want to be calling play-by-play for Oilers / Blackhawks on Wednesday!




GO Oilers GO!