Interview with Maple Leafs Announcer Mike Ross

Overtime Heroics Editorial

1930 days ago

I recently interviewed Mike Ross who is the arena announcer for the Maple Leafs. Mike and I talked about the early days of his career and working for the Maple Leafs. We also discussed what he has been up to since the NHL went on hiatus.

In this interview, I will be referring to Mike as MR and myself as JR.

JR: As an Ottawa native, were you a Senators fan?

MR: My fandom history is complicated. My grandfather was the biggest influence in my life as a sports fan and he brought me up on the Maple Leafs. We watched HNIC on Saturday nights, and if we couldn’t be together, we’d be talking about the game after church on Sunday. My first Leafs personalized jersey was #10 for Vincent Damphousse. But I was a fan of Salming, Vaive, and Sittler, then Clark, Mats, Doug, and Felix.

In the late 90s, I began working on the Senators radio network. So my Leafs fandom was slightly subdued but ever-present. It was funny because I was a Leafs fan reporting from the Senators locker room, and the host of the post-game show was a Sabres fan. (We both eventually ended up working for our favourite teams)

In the early 2000s, I moved to Toronto and was covering the Maple Leafs. But in 2005, I joined NHL Radio and thus began a decade where I could not openly cheer for anyone as I was covering the entire league. Plus, in 2010, I was asked to fill in for the Senators PA announcer while he was at the Paralympics. I would continue to fill in for him (between 3 and 5 games a season) until 2015/16.

So, as you can imagine, I was thrilled to be hired by my boyhood team in 2016… I never would have guessed that I would be the arena voice for the Leafs… the best PA gig in sports.

JR: What was it like working with Jim Tatti and Gary Green on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio?

MR: Working with Jim and Gary was an amazing experience. I had just worked with Jim Van Horne (formerly of TSN) at The TEAM Radio Network, and that was outstanding. JVH taught me how to be a radio pro.

Tatti and Greener took what Van Horne had moulded and refined it even more. They re-enforced the message of effort, work ethic, professionalism, and dedication that Van Horne had instilled in me. The other benefit of working with Greener was that he knew EVERYBODY in hockey. His relationships benefited our shows tremendously and he taught me so much about the importance of networking.

JR: Do you have a favourite Jim Tatti story?

MR: Yes. One day, as my role was transitioning a little from producer to host/co-host, I was doing a show with Jim. There was a story breaking… it was a league-wide story because there was a press release put out by the NHL, and Jim asked me to read it. Now, in fairness, you must know two things, I was reading live and cold, and it contained a word I had NEVER consciously encountered in my life: Epitome.

So, as I am reading the release, I came across the word “epitome” which I read as “eh-pih-tome”, instead of the correct “eh-pit-uh-mee”. As I moved onto the next sentence, Jim asked me, with a straight face, to re-read the last sentence; I did.

When I reached “epitome” and once again mispronounced it, he burst out laughing… that moment taught me two things: I needed to expand my vocabulary a little, and Jim Tatti loves a good laugh. We see each other on Leafs game nights at Scotiabank Arena. Even 15 years later, we can each get a roar out of each other by uttering just one word: epitome.

JR: How fun was it to co-host ‘In the Slot’ with Phil Esposito?

MR: Working with Espo was outstanding. He is the most feisty person I ever worked with. He always fought the good fight when we found ourselves on the opposite sides of an on-air argument… and he was passionate. He loves the game and everything about it. He is one of the rare people out there who has done it all in hockey. A player, coach, GM, President, owner and fan. Heck, he even got to drive the Zamboni not too long ago.

He is legendary around the planet and I am so lucky to call Phil my friend. We’ve had drinks, we’ve broken bread together and I still give him a shout on his birthday and a couple of times a season.

JR: What was it like to be the arena announcer for the 2015 World Junior Hockey Championship?

MR: That was my “foot in the door” moment at Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE). Knowing that Toronto was co-hosting the tournament, and knowing that every time Canada had previously hosted the tourney, they hired a French announcer and an English announcer, I reached out to Hockey Canada and asked if they were holding auditions for the 2015 gig. They said yes and I was on the schedule. Once they heard me and saw that I was 100% fluent in French and English, I was offered the job. They got two jobs covered by one person and one salary, good deal.

It was at that tournament where I realized just how global the game was and I had a lot of names to learn. Pronunciation was very important given the array of teams from Europe, and so it was another instance where I learned more about the importance of attention to detail and professionalism.

Furthermore, it was an introduction to many people from MLSE, including my current boss Taylor Dean (Manager of Game Presentation for the Leafs) and organist Jimmy Holmstrom, along with members of the Leafs Blue Crew and Interactive Promo Crew, who do such great work with our fans every single game.

**Toronto Maple Leafs Arena Announcer**
**Mike Ross**

JR: What do you remember the most about that tournament?

MR: Long days. I would do my radio in the morning, then head to the rink where we would do two to three games a day. The hours were gruelling, but what an enriching experience… and, Canada won the gold!

JR: Canada winning gold is always a great feeling.

JR: In 2016, you became just the fourth PA announcer in Maple Leafs history. How cool is that?

MR: It is the most amazing, fun, thrilling and terrifying thing I’ve ever done. All due respect for any other team I’ve worked for and all other NHL teams and sports teams in Canada, but there is no other gig that can touch “PA announcer for the Toronto Maple Leafs”. Remember when Brian Burke called Toronto the “Vatican” of hockey? Yeah. it is like that.

To be just the fourth in the franchise’s history, well that is some very rare and distinguished company to be in. Some franchises get maybe one legendary announcer, we had two in my lifetime: Paul Morris and Andy Frost. To follow in their shoes was very intimidating. But the fans, my colleagues and the organization have made me feel so at home and so appreciated, it’s been unbelievable.

JR: What are some memorable moments that you have had so far?

MR: There have been some momentous events in my four seasons as Leafs PA announcer: Retiring the previously “honoured” numbers along with Dave Keon’s #14 during my very first pre-game ceremony at my first home opener, the Centennial Classic, my first playoff game.

There have been some tragedies along the way too. Each receiving a moment of silence, which is in many instances the most difficult thing to do. Maintaining the solemnity of the moment while also keeping your composure. It is not easy. Especially when you know that it is going out live to millions of viewers around the world.

After doing the moment of silence for the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, someone texted me: “Great job on the moment of silence Rossy. You could hear the tears in your voice.” Just as I am doing as I am typing this answer, I choked up. I could not let my emotions take over in the moment, but after reading that text, once the game started, I cried.

JR: How excited were you when you were able to announce John Tavares as the Maple Leafs new team captain?

MR: When it came to JT being named captain, well, that was tremendous. I think the fans were hungry for a captain, but the organization waited until they knew they had the right person for the job. And keeping his intro for last, rather than first, building the suspense for the crowd at home and in the arena, was a great move.

A couple of fans recently sent me clips of the announcement from their vantage points, one in the rink and one in his living room. Hearing the anticipation in their voices and then the rejoicing at the unveiling was just so cool for me. When you are doing it live, you are in the moment. There is no time to really enjoy it and take it in. You have a job to do and once it’s done, you are on to the next announcement.

I often say “thank goodness” for YouTube and my PVR. They have allowed me to relive and sometimes really see and hear some of my biggest moments for myself, for the first time.

JR: What made you decide to do personalized goal calls for Maple Leafs fans during this COVID-19 crisis?

MR: It was an idea I got when I saw Al Murdoch, the voice of the Vancouver Canucks doing some calls of current players for his team and posting them online. I think he was just giving fans a little taste of what they were missing.

I then noticed a Twitter post by a Mom and Dad whose little boy’s birthday party had to be cancelled because of the stay at home orders, so I sent him a greeting. Someone then reached out to me and asked if I could do a goal call for them, with their son scoring the goal with Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews on the assists.

Once those got posted, I got a few more requests. So I decided to put out a video inviting requests for goals, 3 stars, etc. Two and a half months, and 1187 videos later, fans are still reaching out. It took off like nothing I could have ever imagined. Along the way, fans started offering to make charitable donations in exchange for the calls. While I never made a payment necessary, fans were so generous that we were able to raise lots of money for MLSE’s Launchpad. Launchpad is a wonderful sports centre for kids in Toronto. Others also donated to the Red Cross or their local food banks.

JR: I absolutely loved the personalized goal call you made for me back in April.

JR: How do you feel about the 24-team playoff format that the NHL released?

MR: As long as we’re in the playoffs, it matters not to me how they go about doing it. To cap off my fourth season with a fourth consecutive playoff season is fantastic.