By SARAH SHAW
They shoot, they score; he analyzes.
First-year Conestoga College broadcast television student, Ryan Drury, is bringing hockey fans everywhere an in-depth look into the professional world of the sport on his online show, Conestoga Hockey Talk (CHT).
“I started doing CHT because I love the game,” said Drury, who is pleased to say that the sportscast isn’t part of any class requirement.
An avid hockey player from the time he was a child, Drury uses the on-air platform as a way to express his ideas while gaining the experience he feels he will need after he graduates.
“I wanted to have an avenue to offer people my opinions and it’s something to put on a resume someday that no one else will really have. I felt that would help me pursue my career as a sportscaster.”
And like any great sportscaster, Drury doesn’t hold back in discussing the most current topics affecting sports fans and couldn’t help but comment on one of the biggest stories happening in the National Hockey League (NHL) today – the firing of Toronto Maple Leafs head coach, Ron Wilson.
“As far as Ron Wilson being fired, I have mixed emotions on it,” said Drury. “On one hand, the team got tired of his message and stopped responding to his game plan. On the other hand, Wilson is a quality coach who has more than 1,400 games of experience in the NHL and has had success when he had talent to work with.”
Drury also insists that it’s not just Wilson’s fault that the team is losing momentum.
“Unfortunately in Toronto, general manager Brian Burke overestimated how good the team was and left Wilson with a thin roster not built to get into the playoffs. He didn’t have much to work with and I think his firing speaks more to the inefficiency of the current roster, not Wilson himself. The Leafs are going to get a big wakeup call from new coach Randy Carlyle who won’t take lazy efforts.”
Discussing pertinent topics, while still being relatable to the audience, Drury says he looks up to Canadian on-air personalities when he thinks about what he wants to offer viewers.
“My inspiration for CHT was definitely Don Cherry from Hockey Night in Canada and also TSN’s SportsCentre program. I want to offer potential viewers hard-hitting insight into the world of NHL hockey, and give them no-holds-barred honest opinions on the issues facing the league as well as all the highlights from it.”
Having started the show five months ago with Dave Hiff, Brandon Hardy and Brant Booth, all of them also first-year television broadcasting students, Drury insists that the reason behind the show is simple.
“We do it for the fun and because we’re all so passionate about hockey.”
First-year pre-health student, Sarah Doucette, is excited to hear about the local sports show being broadcast from right here on campus.
“Considering I love hockey,” she said with a smile, “I think that it’s a really great idea.
“I think seeing and hearing things from people our age would be interesting and could be more appealing to the younger generation,” said Doucette.
Happy with where the show is heading, Drury is also excited about the prospect of getting more sports fans involved.
“CHT is something that has helped me connect with people and solidify great working friendships, and I hope we can continue to get viewers and gain more interest in it in the future.”
Students wishing to catch CHT can access new episodes and those previously broadcast on the show’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com
/user/ConestogaHT.
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