Friday, May 27, 2011

Great Save!

"Great save Luongo!" Jim Hughson is the play-by-play announcer for the CBC broadcasts of the Vancouver Canucks' games this year. In previous years he was the radio announcer for the Canucks... and years before that, he started in radio in my home town of Fort St John, BC on CKNL radio (CFNL in Fort Nelson). Now, to be honest, I actually don't remember him on the radio...although I'm pretty sure I listened to him call a few Flyers' games (that's the Fort St John Flyers) that I wasn't able to attend. (Most of the time, at least one of my older brothers would be going to the game, and I'd beg my brothers to take me with me with them. Usually, that didn't work. So I'd go and cry to my mother, who would call the siblings on the carpet and force them to take me. That still didn't always work though, and I'd take the radio into my bedroom and listen on the radio.)

Hughson went from Fort St John to Kelowna and then to Vancouver, where he became the understudy of my all-time favourite hockey announcer, and Saskatchewan native, Jim Robson. He eventually replaced Robson as the official CKNW Canucks' announcer 1994, and then went on to work TV games for Sportsnet and now for CBC.

Hughson's "calling card" call is saying "great save (insert goalie's name here)", and he does so with great vigour. And, as a Canucks' fan, it gives great comfort to hear those three words "great save, Luongo" time after time as they now head to the Stanley Cup finals against either Boston or Tampa Bay.

Now, as comforting as it is to hear those three words... I have to admit that inserting another name into that catch phrase actually makes a world of difference. "Great save, Jesus", while sounding a little sacrilegious, actually provides comfort to anyone on the planet who simply decides to join "God's team". Of course, Jesus doesn't stop pucks for us, but rather stops the wages of sin... and saves all of us players on the team...not for just one season, but for eternity.

Oh, and by the way, He'd love to have you join his team. Where else can you join a team that is guaranteed to win?

Joell
PS Go Canucks. :)

No comments: