Chris Toltzman) Rockford IceHogs Public Address Announcer

AW) When did you first start doing P.A. work for the IceHogs? Had you done any PA work elsewhere before you came to the ‘Hogs?

CT) This is my 9th year of announcing for the IceHogs- I auditioned with about 10 other people for the job back in the summer of 1999. The only other announcing I did was in college at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville when Bo Ryan, the men’s basketball coach at the time (now with the University of Wisconsin) asked me to give announcing his games a try. You don’t say no to Bo Ryan.

AW) Are Hockey announcers more important than announcers in any other sport? In other words, do you have more fan interaction in Hockey than you would elsewhere?

CT) Besides announcing for the IceHogs, I’m also the announcer for the NIU Huskies Football team in DeKalb and the Hononegah High School boy’s basketball team in Rockton, so I have experience with several different sports. I definitely have more fan interaction in my job with the IceHogs. I think it’s due to several reasons. First, I have always thought of myself as a fan first, and announcer second. I think our fans have picked up on that and have embraced me because of that. Also, being open to the arena and the atmosphere- as opposed to being enclosed in a quiet press box high above a football field- allows me to feed off the energy from the players and fans and give it right back in my performance. Plus, I have more than 9 years and more than 400 hockey games in which I have been able to form a relationship with our fans- and the football and basketball jobs simply can’t compete with that.

AW) What got you interested in Hockey? When did you decide you wanted to do PA at Hockey games?

CT) Honestly, I was never a fan of hockey until I had to be. I didn’t know much about hockey when I auditioned for the job, so when I was told I was chosen I got right to work learning as much about the sport as I could. I checked out books, I rented movies, I went to as many games in the area as I could so that I didn’t make a fool of myself and the team on opening night back in 1999. The more I learned the more I fell in love with the sport. I mean, come on! You have players that possess the athleticism of a basketball player and the toughness of a football player, combined with the chance of being killed by a puck or a skate blade at any moment. What’s NOT to love?!?!

AW) You generate a lot of excitement with the fans, were you influenced by other PA announcers who were able to capture that same excitement?

CT) I really can’t recall any public address announcers that have influenced me, but I do have a long list of announcers that I love listening to. For a long time- and this goes for all sports, not just hockey- the job of the announcer was to be the voice that relays important information to the fans. It was neither a flashy job nor a position where personality was a key ingredient. But more recently you are finding more announcers who are being relied upon by the team to be an integral part of the fan experience- so you are finding more announcers who have a certain style or trademark to what they do. To use me as an example, I am relied upon by the IceHogs organization to make sure our fans have a good time whether we are leading by 5 goals or losing by 5 goals. That’s where the announcer-fan interaction becomes critical. I can’t do a thing about what happens on the ice, but I have a lot of influence in making sure people have a good time while they’re at the game.

AW) What, to you, is the difference between a “good” announcer and a “great” announcer?

CT) In my opinion, the difference between a good announcer and a great announcer lies in the details. A great announcer will take the time to learn the correct pronunciations for the visiting team, and will make sure that every time he or she opens up the microphone they know exactly what they are going to say and do it in a manner that’s easy to understand. But most of all, a great announcer knows the difference between saying too much and saying just enough. That only comes with experience.

AW) Tell me about some of the iconic IceHogs chants - How did Tick Tick Boom get started? When did the Cowbells become huge?

CT) Tick Tick Boom refers to the IceHogs goal song- “Boom Shake the Room” by Will Smith. From our first game in 1999 and into our third season we were using Gary Glitter’s “History of Rock n Roll Part 2″ song for a goal song, which was the same song the majority of teams in the league were using. During the 2001-2002 season I made a mix CD of Will Smith songs for my wife and she commented that the chorus to Boom Shake the Room song would make a great goal song. So I proposed playing it as our goal song to the owners at the time and they were all for it. It didn’t take long for our fans to embrace it and design choreography for it! Because it was so unique and popular among our fans, I know of two teams in the former UHL that were thinking of stealing it for their goal song. But in the end they decided against it because it was just too unique to Rockford. As for the cowbells, they are a traditional hockey noisemaker. But I think their popularity with IceHogs fans started with the farm-theme of our mascot and grew larger and larger every time our fans were told they couldn’t use their cowbells at road games because the home team’s fans were complaining about their noise!

AW) What is the coolest thing you’ve been invited to do or person you’ve met while working for the IceHogs?

CT) There have been many cool things I’ve been a part of during the 9 years working with the team. Meeting and working with Saliva on this year’s opening video ranks up there, and being able to co-host the Jersey Auctions is also a favorite of mine. Recently I went to a Blackhawks game and got a tour of the press box, including having my picture taken at the Blackhawks organ. But I think the time I first met Rick Nielson stands out. In the early years of the IceHogs Rick had season tickets and attended most home games. I began to notice that every time I played a Cheap Trick song Rick would look up at me in the press box and pump his fist in the air, so I started returning the gesture. One time we had a piece of glass shatter during the game, and since it was going to be about 20 minutes before the game resumed, Rick decided to come and visit me in the press box. We talked about music and what songs from other bands would work well at hockey games. It was totally cool and laid back. The fact that he took time to come up and meet me will always be a special memory.

AW) What changes have you noticed that you like since the IceHogs joined the AHL? What changes have been difficult for you?

CT) I have really enjoyed the quality of play on the ice and the large-market cities we play against, like Toronto, Milwaukee and Houston. I also really enjoy the new press box in the MetroCentre and the increased level of professionalism we all have stepped up to. There haven’t been many changes that have been difficult for me personally. At the start of the season it was challenging integrating the new video board in with the established game operations, but it’s going very smoothly now. I guess I’d also have to say that the player’s names seem to be more difficult to pronounce this year than in years past. There are more foreign-born players in the AHL than in the old UHL the IceHogs played in. I’ve gotten the hang of Russian names, but I still struggle with the Swedish names!

AW) What do you like most about being the announcer for the IceHogs?

CT) There are two things I love most about announcing for the IceHogs. First, the support of the fans is off the charts! The reason why I’ve had success calling IceHogs games is because our fans support all the crazy stuff I do. Our fans and I have a working relationship that most announcers could only dream of. They know that I’m just like them- only I have a microphone, and they know that I give it my best every single game. The other thing I love is the support of the IceHogs staff and ownership. I’m very fortunate to have the latitude I’ve been given when it comes to developing and implementing new ideas to the game operations. They know that I take my job very seriously and I’m always looking for ways to improve both my performance and the fan experience. Even though I’m technically a “seasonal employee” I have never been treated like a part-timer. I’m sometimes invited to team functions and many times treated the same way as the rest of the full-time staff, and I really appreciate the amount of respect everybody associated with the IceHogs gives me.