For 10 years since I was an eight year old girl playing at recess in my John Tavares jersey, going to games at the Coliseum, and staying up late for overtime, I have looked to the Isles on MSG broadcaster Shannon Hogan as a personal hero. Shannon was always an inspiration to me. As a woman in a territory long considered to belong to men, Shannon carried herself with all of the confidence and wisdom of any man on the job. She was a beacon of light for a little girl forced to “name five players” by the boys in her class every time she wore her favorite Islanders jersey. It wasn’t until the end of sophomore year after years of watching Shannon’s broadcast that I realized I wanted to be in the action. I needed to work in hockey and it had to be as a broadcaster. Of course, I know I can’t set such a specific path for myself before taking college classes and learning the ins and outs of the industry, but still, I knew where I wanted to be. I set out on a mission as a junior in high school to get Shannon’s attention, and my mission was accomplished.

In December of the 2022-23 season, I entered UBS Arena with a letter written to Shannon in hand and I passed it off to her stage manager on the MSG Networks set to be given to Shannon. By the end of the game, Shannon and myself had each other’s contacts and I felt confident that I was headed in the right direction towards where I wanted to be. From this interaction came months of emails and eventually an opportunity for me to “shadow” Shannon and the Isles on MSG crew from pregame to post-game on game night. This included former Islander Thomas Hickey on the broadcast with Shannon, another childhood hero and one of my all time favorite players. Islanders legend Butch Goring and his partner on the play-by-play call, Brendan Burke welcomed me into their booth and the producer of the whole show nearly kept me in the production truck for the rest of the game after the islanders scored four goals in the second period with me there. Everybody I encountered from cameramen to stage directors to former MSG interns now living the dream as employees was so welcoming and helpful. I was sure from this night on that I was headed the right way. I kept in touch with Shannon and worked out a second shadowing opportunity on April 11th, a last chance before I leave for college and start working towards my degree in Broadcasting and Mass Communications from SUNY Oswego.

I went into this seasons shadowing with much more confidence and assurance than last time. I knew the names and faces of veteran crew members and they remembered me. I had an artillery of questions for Shannon and the best last minute business casual outfit the Isles faithful had ever seen. My night started at the Dime Club entrance of UBS Arena where I picked up my media credential and headed up to the set on the main concourse of the arena. Here I watched Shannon and Thomas on the pregame broadcast and took notes on all of the moving parts and coordination of a professional broadcast. From here, I went with Shannon to her reserved seats center ice next to two cameras. Chances are if you were watching the game, I was watching the camera whose view you saw as the camera man tracked the puck around the ice.

I spent each intermission on set watching the broadcast and each period on mini adventures around the arena. During the second period I was once again sent down to the production truck accompanied by Joe, an MSG employee who I spent much of  last year’s game with. In the truck, I stood in the editing room watching the guys whose job it is to cut and file every move from hits to shot attempts to blocks for replays, highlight reels and recaps. I couldn’t wrap my head around how many screens, buttons and machines they were working on with ease. It was a side of the job many people don’t know exists but is imperative to the show. 

The third period was spent in the play-by-play booth with Butch Goring and Brendan Burke on the call. While I wasn’t able to chat with Butch and Brendan this year as I did last year, standing next to Brendan Burke as he delivered one of his iconic overtime goal calls was a thrill stronger than any goal I’ve seen scored at any game I’ve ever been to. After Palmieri scored the game winning overtime goal, I rushed back to set to take my seat before the cameras started rolling. My mom, dad, grandma and sister came down from their seats to watch the post game and pick me up to head home, before we left, though, I had my only “fan-girl” moment of the night when Thomas Hockey himself not only remembered me from last year, but complemented me to my family. This is what dreams are made of. 

These two experiences with MSG are nights I will never forget. They solidified my dream and showed me it’s possible to reach it. Shannon’s wise words will stay with me forever. “Be a kid,” she said, “and never be afraid to ask questions.” Shannon reminded me that in an industry still largely dominated by men, some people may not want to see me in a position to report on sports in college or in a professional career, but the opinions of hateful people will never ring louder than my own self confidence, knowledge and skill. I can’t wait to visit when I’m home from school and hopefully someday work with some of the amazing people who guided me through the night.