The new voice of the Vancouver Canucks has been doing hockey play-by-play for 24 years. Not so surprising until you learn that Brendan Batchelor is only 28 years old.
Yes, the BCIT grad was that kid, providing running commentary when he was playing street hockey in the driveway of his parents’ home in Coquitlam, or playing table hockey in the basement, or even watching NHL video games on the TV.
Last week those playful game calls of childhood paid off for Batchelor – big time. He was officially named as the lead play-by-play man for Canucks radio broadcasts on the team’s new radio home, Sportsnet 650.
It was also announced his colour commentator will be former Canucks goalie and Hockey Night in Canada analyst Corey Hirsch.
The new gig is the fulfilment of a lifelong dream that started when he’d emulate the radio voices he listened to growing up: Jim Robson, John Shorthouse and Jim Hughson.
“I was huge into hockey,” Batchelor said of his childhood. “That was always my sport. You’d watch the games on TV and then go out and play them.”
It wasn’t until he was preparing to graduate from high school that Batchelor realized he might be able to turn his passion into his profession.
He eschewed a formative notion of becoming a lawyer and enrolled in the broadcasting program at Burnaby’s BCIT. He also began the long process of paying his dues by volunteering his winter evenings doing the public address announcements for the Burnaby Express and then following the team when it moved to Coquit-lam. He also worked as an overnight producer for Team1040 and its various sister stations.
“It was all about getting experience,” Batchelor said. “I was working toward my dream, not resting on my laurels. I just wanted to get in on the ground floor.”
In 2012, Batchelor became the play-by-play announcer for the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles. The next year he climbed into the rafters at the Pacific Coliseum as the voice of the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants.
Stepping up to calling the Canucks after just a handful of seasons as a paid professional is a huge progression in Batchelor’s career. It does come with the pressure and expectation of a fiercely impassioned fan base, however. Shorthouse remains the team’s voice for TV, but the newcomer, alongside Hirsch, will cover the radio duties.
In the weeks leading up to his first calls for the Canucks at the team’s Young Stars Classic in Penticton, Sept 8 to 11, Batchelor is busy learning the minute details about the players, especially the prospects, hitting other broadcasters up for guidance and getting familiar with his new partner, Hirsch.
“There’s definitely a learning curve,” Batchelor said. “But being a Canucks fan, you’re always in the know of what’s happening with the team.”
And while Batchelor has achieved his childhood dream, he’s not about to let himself become complacent. He knows the bar has been set pretty high by the voices who preceded him.
“I’ve got to put my head down, treat it the same way I’ve always treated play-by-play,” Batchelor said. “Let’s drop the puck.”
