The Hockey News has always been an ever-present part of my lifestyle. Dating back about as far as memory will serve, organized copies of The Hockey News always formed a perfect stack on the right side of my bookshelf. When that collection reached the top of the shelf, it transitioned to the next. When that pile grew too high, well, it's safe to say that additional shelving units were called into action.
No, I'm not quite old enough to remember reading the magazine published by Bob McKenzie, but I have been in the picture for literally every rendition since.
On my fifth birthday, I received a subscription to The Hockey News from my Uncle Rick. At the time, it was a 10.5" by 10.5", 48-page newsprint that found its way into my mailbox every few weeks.
Throughout the early-2000s, my affection towards the various staff writers grew beyond fond adoration. It actually became somewhat of a guessing game I would play, picking out who wrote each article based on writing style without looking at the author's name.
Not to brag, but in most issues I would have at least an 80 percent success rate - not bad for an elementary school student.
Ken Campbell, Adam Proteau, Mike Brophy, Stan Fischler... you truly don't know how inspirational your content was (and continues to be) for a youthful sports fanatic like myself.
That is, until it came full-circle.
In order to fulfil the final requirements of my journalism degree, I was tasked with lining up an internship through the local Winnipeg-based university I attended.
To my surprise, the same publication that I still owned a subscription to was willing to take me on as an intern for an extended term through the spring, summer and fall months of 2015.
It didn't take much convincing to pack up shop and drive 2,000 kilometres due east to the big city.
Sitting alongside various other interns - Dom Luszczyszyn, Rachel Villari and Alexandra Reilly inclusive - I was tasked with various proofing, editing, stat-gathering and writing assignments, to which I thoroughly enjoyed.
The helpful tutelage of then Editor in Chief Jason Kay, my supervisor Edward Fraser and fellow writers/editors Brian Costello, Ryan Kennedy, Matt Larkin and the aforementioned Ken Campbell helped pave the way for some of my first by-lines in both online and hard-copy magazine.
My first published story with THN came on an assignment for an Excel gum promotional event, to which I was sent out via subway - get that, a real underground subway... something obviously quite new to a 20-year-old prairie boy - to cover a street hockey fundraising game featuring the likes of Corey Perry and Drew Doughty.
It just so happened that Perry's Ducks - at the time - had recently swept my hometown Winnipeg Jets in the first NHL playoff series in Manitoba since the original Jets' departure, which came prior to me learning how to talk.
I quickly learned the role of player representative staff and was warned more than once to 'get back to asking questions about Excel'. This may or may not have come after I strayed to ask Perry how it felt to hear 15,000 Winnipeggers taunting him with 'Katy Perry' cheers as the series wore on.
See that article below:
https://thehockeynews.com/news/how-the-winnipeg-whiteout-left-its-mark-on-corey-perry
The summer of 2015 flew by and soon enough I had completed my time in Toronto. I reluctantly travelled home to Winnipeg, where I picked up various different sports/news writing positions to help fill the void left by the THN newsroom.
I have since been working as the Associate Editor of Sean Davis' Game On Magazine under Editor in Chief Scott Taylor, where I have reported on all things related to hockey in Manitoba. The 2016-17 NHL season was my first on the Winnipeg Jets beat, and I have been lucky enough to hold that position ever since.
In 2020, I was invited to join the Professional Hockey Writers' Association by Winnipeg chapter chair Ken Wiebe and have enjoyed familiarizing myself with typical voting protocol, despite the recent COVID-related changes.
I will continue to produce content on the Toronto Blue Jays and Raptors for Full Press Coverage, alongside my monthly features for Impact US.
Clearly, my passion has always been sports.
When it's not posting obscure statistics or highlights to the Instagram page @NHL.Discussion that I co-operate with my business partner Anthony Jacob, it's managing one of my four dynasty fantasy sports leagues.
Chumming it up over something heavy at a local establishment is also never out of the question.
Oh, did I mention that I spent the past 10 winters coaching the local U-18 AA team on the side?
Quite simply, hockey has always been in my blood. And now as the Winnipeg Jets beat writer for The Hockey News - in partnership with Sports Illustrated - I am so proud to say that it is now here to stay.
Thank you to owner Graeme Roustan for the opportunity to keep Winnipeg Jets hockey right where it geographically belongs: dead centre of the map.