Local lad makes it to the big league

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/05/2018 (3014 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The excitement the Winnipeg Jets have brought to our city this year is remarkable. Paul Edmonds is the radio voice of the Jets and he has been there all the way calling the play-by-play for TSN 1290.

I met Paul when he joined the Winnipeg Goldeyes in 1995, when I was the team’s general manager. He was the team’s broadcaster for 19 years and was an integral part of our connection with the community. I knew how lucky we were to have him, as Paul is a major-league talent.

Paul poignantly describes the moment, when he was eight years old, listening on his radio with a retractable antenna to CJOB’s Ken (Friar) Nicholson on a Jets broadcast back when the team was in the World Hockey Association. He was caught up by what he now calls the “theatre of the mind” as he hung on every word. Once he realized he was not going to make the NHL as a player, Paul decided to pursue a radio career.

Paul is a happy, funny, energized personality who is entertaining to be around. He is also a philosopher with opinions on a multitude of issues. Whenever I was a little too stressed at work back in my Goldeyes’ days, it was very therapeutic to hang out with Paul and get his view on life.

I literally watched Paul evolve as a broadcaster during those years we spent working together and I take great pleasure in watching how successful he has become.

He was not initially chosen to be the Jet’s radio broadcaster, though he was interviewed for the job. The same day he was turned down for the Jets job, he received a call from the Selkirk Steelers junior hockey club and was asked to do their play-by-play broadcasts.

“One door closed and another one opened,” he told me. “On the exact same day.”

The rest is history. TSN noticed his work during those years with the Steelers, which led to Paul now living his dream as a broadcaster and flying all over the continent!

I asked  him if he feels pressure being a voice of the Jets. He agreed there was pressure and says he places some of that pressure on himself. His desire to be the best he can be is partly what makes him so good.

How many of us go to work and have tens of thousands of people listen to every word we say? That is the world Paul and other broadcasters live in. I know a huge number of people who love his broadcasts.

Paul is a Manitoba treasure, He has a special gift which he shares with so many of us. He gives back to the community by finding time to speak at dinners or emcee events. Paul has always gone above and beyond the call of duty to help our community.

We are lucky to have him in Winnipeg and I am proud to call him my friend!

John Hindle is a community correspondent for St. Vital. Email him at john@johnhindle.com