When training camp opens this week, I’ll be entering my 10th season as a credentialed member of the Nashville Predators media. It will also be my last.
10 years ago, when I was given my first opportunity to become a full-time press box resident, I promised my wife that, if I ever felt this wasn’t going to lead to anything bigger, I would walk away. Yes, I had waited my entire life for an opportunity like this but you have to remember, I was just a blogger. When I traveled, everything came out of my own pocket. When I ate at the arena, everything came out of my own pocket. When I paid to park, everything came out of my own pocket.
April 12, 2014 (from L to R): Justin Bradford, Robby Stanley, Gover, Kris Martel and Thomas Willis.
Mogilny was born in 2012 on the heels of the NHL lockout that would eventually bring an abbreviated season. But, when the 82-game schedule resumed in 2014, it was just too hard. Lynn was essentially a single-parent trying to raise a toddler while I was working a full time job during the day and out chasing my dream at night. The Preds weren’t going to make the playoffs that year so, come March and April, I started to soak in every game, every press conference, every arena access. I even took a picture with my blogger colleagues (above) after that last game because I knew my run had come to an end.
Then, that summer, my friend and former boss approached me about a post-game gig. For the first time, I was going to get paid! I mean, it wasn’t much but it was something. I viewed this as God’s way of saying “You’re not done yet.” I’ve been contributing to the Nashville Predators Radio Network and 102.5 The Game ever since with locker room interviews for the Pre-Game Show, writing stories for the flagship station and even hosting the radio broadcast solo 11 times when they needed somebody to fill in.
Yes, I counted.
November 16, 2013: Gover fills in as Pre- and Post-Game Show host for the first time. (L to R): Dan Keczmer, Gover, Jay More.
Fast forward six years and here we are. The time has come. Mogilny is getting older and has more demands on his time. Lynn can’t (and shouldn’t) be doing it all by herself. In addition, that Pre- and Post-Game Show hosting chair isn’t coming available anytime soon and the Gover family isn’t moving out of the Nashville market so there’s no use in applying for any more Pre- and Post-Game Radio Host gigs around the country. Put another way, there’s no professional advancement in sight for me and, with that in mind, I shall keep true to my promise.
In these last 10 years, I’ve covered games in Nashville, Pittsburgh, Columbus, St. Louis, Dallas, Colorado, Vegas and Phoenix as well as NHL Drafts in Buffalo, Minnesota, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Los Angeles and Chicago.
November 21, 2012: During the NHL lockout, Gover served as a color analyst for two games alongside the voice of the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL), Nick Brunker.
I’ve been a featured guest on SiriusXM’s NHL Network more times than I can count, served as a color man for two ECHL games and even appeared as an expert panelist on three of the four local TV networks’ sports extra shows. I’ve gotten to live my childhood dream for 10 years now — that’s literally a fourth of my conscious life — and I did it all without going to college. Through my hard work and God’s undeniable guidance, I was able to live my dream for a decade despite taking an unconventional path that everybody strongly warned me against.
I’m extremely blessed.
Thank you to all the people who made this run possible. To Codey Holland and Patten Fuqua who were essential in building section303.com into one of the League’s leading websites. To Mark Hollingsworth for embracing me and trusting me with his website in the first place. To that O.G. group of bloggers in Ryan Porth, Amanda O’Brien, Justin Bradford, Robby Stanley and Buddy Oakes. To Brandon Felder who showed me the ropes those first few games. To my current (and recent) colleagues Kris Martel, Michael Gallagher, Katie Myers and Cutler Klein for the laughs every night and the frequent “second set of eyes.” To Teresa Walker for always being a perfect illustration of professionalism. To Chris Parker for believing in me when even my own boss and friend didn’t. To Sean Henry for always listening to my crazy ideas with a smile on his face and a warm tone in his e-mails. To the Nashville Predators Media Relations Department all the way back to Tim Darling and Derek Perez. To Ike Wingate, Marty Monson and Holly Kellar who understood this was my passion and let me — within reason, of course — put effort into it while still holding down my full-time jobs under them. To Bob Kohl for bringing me back every season when I was convinced every summer that he wouldn’t. To Stu Grimson for giving me the nickname “Knowledge” during a live broadcast. To Victor Bartley who was the first professional athlete to call me by name when I entered the locker room. To Christine Maddela for believing in me from the beginning. To Josh Cooper for telling me I was an excellent writer, becoming the first mainstream media member to give me that unsolicited vote of confidence. To Pete Weber for always being willing to help and always laughing with me. To Chris Mason who unexpectedly turned from a player I covered into a good friend. To Darren McFarland and Willy Daunic for more reasons than I can get into here.
And finally, to my wife Lynn who has supported me through this entire journey when most partners would’ve said “Hell no!” You not only supported me but you did so with a smile on your face. You even tried to convince me to hold off from this announcement which further validates your “buy-in” of me, not only as your husband but as a human being. I love you more than words can explain. Thank you for letting me chase my dream for so long.
There’s so much more I want to say but I’ll leave that for my book.
I’m going to try to cross a few items off the ol’ bucket list this year while I still can (cover a Preds prospect in junior, cover a game in San Jose where my love for the sport started, etc.) but my final event will be the 2020 NHL Draft in Montreal. I’m sure tears will be shed when I slip my laptop into my bag on June 27 because that’ll be it.
But, until then, let’s go have one final kick a** season, shall we?
