Second Interview is Coming!

The problem with being a part-time blogger is that you have other stuff going on in your life. I was unable to watch the Carolina game and am still processing what the SO loss means. Hopefully nothing.

Further, when you are not in DC it is tougher to get TV access to every game. Thankfully, the Blue Jackets game is on Versus tonight and I'll be watching.

I conducted my second interview yesterday and am in the process of verifying a few things before publishing the post.

In the meantime, tonight's game reminds me (and many people) of what RJ Umberger said about the Caps last year (link).

Well, you know the rest. The Caps lost in the first round. They changed their system up. RJ broke his arm patting himself on the back.

We get ready for the Jackets/Caps game by celebrating this moment in RJ Umberger history:

Slash You Very Much!!!!!

The Caps lost 2-0 in Ottawa and won 2-0 in Montreal.   I don't have much to add to the games, but I would like to call out Montreal "pest" (putting it nicely) Tomas Plekanec and his 1st period slash on John Carlson.

How was this not a penalty again?

Anyway, I'd like to thank you for your kind words re: the Mike Fornes interview. And I appreciate the mentions, links, blogroll adds, and retweets from bloggers Japers' Rink, Russian Machine, @CapsNewsNetwork, @Cnichols14, and @CP2Devil.

My next interview should be out later this week and will heavily reference someone in the above picture.  Hint, it's not Tomas Plekanec.

Mike Fornes Photos

Just in case you haven't been convinced that Mike Fornes is a class act - he was kind enough to share a few photos from his broadcasting days with me.  You can see them below:

Mike Fornes Interview: Part Two

Mike Fornes on getting the job in DC:

"When I got the Washington job it was a little different.   It was one of those times that was unusual.  I didn’t have to send in a tape.  I didn’t apply for a Capitals job. 

I got the Capitals job because the Whalers didn’t make the playoffs in ‘84.  I remember being in the hallway of a hotel in Edmonton very late in the season – maybe one or two games left in the season -- 

-- and I was told that I had a phone call and needed to call a man in Washington who was running - at the time - Home Team Sports.   

And when I called there they said they had some games that were going to be done on a brand new network and asked if I would be interested in working those playoff games with Gordie Howe because Gordie Howe was going to be the color man.  

Then I was referred to David Poile [Capitals GM] and I called him and he explained everything to me.   I asked if he’d contact Emile Francis, who was the Whalers GM, and ask permission for me to do this.  And [David Poile] did.   I thought that was very classy.   

And Mr. Francis gave permission and so I did the playoff games.  And when the playoff games were over, the offer came to be the Capitals TV person the next season.   

So that was it.  Away I went.    

The first series I did was against the Flyers and Mark Howe was playing for Philadelphia.  So Gordie got a kick out of seeing his son play and here he was commentating about the game and was able to give some real good insights about his boy, Mark.  

Gordie just did that one playoff series and Sal Messina from the Rangers was brought in to do another playoff series.   And then I didn’t meet Al [Koken] until the next season when we first did a full regular season of games.  

Al did the games with me on Channel 20 and Home Team Sports and he became a good friend of mine and I really enjoyed the association."

Mike Fornes on his time with the Capitals:

"Well I think the first thing I think about is that it was a terrific time to be with the Capitals.  They were an up-and-coming team and they were a team that was on the move.   

They were acquiring players that were going to help them and we should have won the Stanley Cup in 1990.  There’s no question that we had the team that could have done that. 

If it hadn’t been for a few injuries and some bad breaks we probably would have and that would have been a wonderful thing.  But I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.

I came to Washington from the Hartford Whalers.  And the Whalers were trying to make a move and better their team but at the same time I think Washington was – it seemed like they were a generation ahead of Hartford.   

[Washington] had better draft picks, used them pretty well, were making some trades, and were really building a team that later ended up being rebuilt a little more around certain players.  

But it was just a fun time. 

When I think about what people ask me ‘What was it like to be with the Capitals?’ all I can remember are great rivalries.  We had terrific rivalries with Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, the Islanders, the Rangers, that whole division was just a great rivalry.  

There were some really tough games – some that the Caps won and some that they lost – but they were fun.  It was a fun time to be in that area.

You never knew what was going to happen.  The Caps were rising stars.  We had a lot of players that were beginning great careers.  Scott Stevens.  Mike Gartner.  People like that were on the way up.  

It’s been fun to watch and see how well they did.  And they didn’t all stay with the team.  But they were good people and they had good careers.  And they were the right people at the right time for the Capitals to have.  

I just wish that team would have won the Cup.  Because it was a winnable thing.  I think they could have done it had they stayed healthy.  I was shocked and very upset when they didn’t.  And I’m sure the players were."

Mike Fornes on the Capital Centre:

"It was a place that became home.  They had the ice crew there – they did a terrific job.  Sometimes in some of those playoff runs the ice was pretty ‘risky’ at the Capital Centre and it was very warm outside and they did a great job of working so hard to keep the ice in good shape.

The Capital Centre was a place where you knew the ushers.  You were down seated in the stands so the ushers that came by were friendly and you’d know them.  The TV crew people that were there were the same people so you got to know them.  

The off-ice officials were people were mostly in law enforcement so I got to know quite a few of them well.  There were just a lot of friendly faces that I remember from those days.  More than the facility I remember the people who made it such an enjoyable experience.

[I really liked getting to] sit midway up into the stands.  Right in the middle of the crowd.  And that was a great seat to have.   

And I liked the Capital Centre for that reason because it was a good spot for me to watch a game.  I felt like I could do a better job from there."

Mike Fornes on attendance during the 80’s:

"It was climbing.  It was really starting to climb during those years.  And I remember the full house total was 18,130 and I remember there were a few nights where that was the crowd.  

They were a team on the move.  They were playing well.  They were attracting fans.  They were a very saleable product.  People wanted to go see hockey and they wanted to see the Capitals."

  

Mike Fornes on other DC/Baltimore sports teams:

"I was focused on hockey.  I knew other teams had done well or hadn’t done well.  I would go out and see the Orioles play sometimes.  But I really wasn’t concerned with any other team except the Capitals.  That was my focus."

Mike Fornes on the 4-OT Easter Epic:

“I have a tape of that game and I titled it on the label as ‘The Greatest Hockey Game Ever Played.’ To me, it was. I never had another experience like that. 

There were so many chances for both teams to win it. I recall Greg Smyth hitting the post on a dump in from centre ice, that's how it could have ended.

The goaltenders were fabulous...how Bob Mason and Kelly Hrudey played so well for so long in all the heavy wet gear is beyond me.  

Andy Van Hellemond wound up reffing some of the biggest games of my career and later we used to talk about all those overtimes. How did they have the legs to skate that hard for that long? 

The fans were a story unto themselves. Little kids were asleep in their parents' arms. There were no cell phones in those days, and the lines to the pay phones were long at the intermissions. 

Many people were calling home, calling babysitters, whomever, to say that they were still at the hockey game. It was a long time for everyone to be on the edge of their seats, for sure.

When it ended I couldn't believe it was really over. In later years, I became friends with Pat LaFontaine and we often spoke about his goal and about the game. He is a class act.

After the wrap-up, I went downstairs to the dressing room about 40 minutes after the game ended and many of the guys were still in their gear, numbed by what had happened.

A fantastic hockey game, no matter who won, but it broke all our hearts, those who followed the Capitals.

Of course, the game set the stage for the Dale Hunter trade, which [led to] the very next year in OT against the Flyers."

Mike Fornes on the Caps’ struggle during the 80’s in the playoffs:

"Well I think that was part of the learning curve.  That was part of the process that team had to go through and they seemed like they could do it in the regular season and consistently could not in the postseason.   

And that’s when the team kind of had to be re-tooled.   When they decided to make that trade on draft day and acquire Dale Hunter from Quebec for the rights to the number one draft pick, which turned out to be Joe Sakic that was a big move."

                                                                                                                 

Mike Fornes on the Caps’ visit to the White House in 1988:

"I remember when the Olympic team came to town and played the Capitals and President Reagan was in office we all got the opportunity to go down to the White House and be a part of a ceremony in the Rose Garden.   

Pete Peeters wore his goaltending gear and they brought a net and some of the plastic ice set up and Pete Peeters was in the goal.   

And that was a fun thing.  I remember Rod Langway shaking hands with the President and giving him a few pointers on how to shoot a puck."

Mike Fornes’ favorite moment with the Caps:

"My highlight with the Capitals was calling the goal that Dale Hunter scored to beat the Flyers and that pushed the team out of the first round.  It was a terrific thing."

 

Mike Fornes on fans' belief that Hunter’s goal is most memorable in team history:

"I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that at all.  It sure is my favorite goal.  I think of different goals that were big goals and with all due respect to the '98 team – which they deserve – but that was a totally different team.   That was a totally different team than 1988. 

And it just seemed like the goal that Hunter scored gave the team some respect and it gave vindication it cast away the demons it let everybody who was a Caps fan finally be able to hold their heads high.

You know Flyers fans used to come into the Capital Centre and parade around the building and do their chants and Rangers fans would do the same thing.  It was very tough to be a Capitals fan.   

And it was tough to be the announcer for the team – the play-by-play voice - when you would have to be describing such anguish.  Did I want that team to win?  Hell yes I wanted that team to win! 

That goal and all of those people wearing white and waving the white towels – they all do it now – all the franchises do it now – but it was really unique back then.  And it was special."

Mike Fornes on the '89-'90 season:

"The '89-'90 season was a year of turmoil, despite the great playoff run. Bryan Murray was fired and Terry Murray took over. A very unusual set of circumstances. 

I admired Bryan a lot. He taught me a lot about hockey and a lot about coaching. I wish that he had been able to finish what he had started many years before, but that's the way things go sometimes. 

Terry picked up the pieces and led the team through the playoffs. We had a lot of luck in some of those games. Eventually, injuries and nagging hurts played a role.  

‘John Druce was on the loose’, I used to say, and he provided a much needed spark. In the end, the Boston Bruins proved to be too much and swept us in four straight. 

The Caps had run out of gas and out of luck. I still think if the team had stayed healthy - I still think if we could have beaten the Bruins - the Capitals would have had a tremendous final series against Edmonton and might have won the Cup. 

We'll never know....but I still feel that way."

Mike Fornes on the significance of the Caps making the 1990 Conference Final:

"The team had never played in the month of May.  And it was great to get the demons off their back and really to be able to say they had played in the month of May.  

Of course we played against Boston and the Bruins swept us in 4 straight and that was the comeuppance.  But that was because of injuries and that was because of things that really had nothing to do with their spirit of winning – which I think they had finally proved [they had] at that point.  

So it took a long time – I mean the Islanders had a spell on the Capitals there for a while – and it seemed like other teams in what was then the Patrick Division also took turns – the Rangers did it to us - the Devils did it to us – and the Flyers enjoyed doing it to us – to finally get past all of them – there was some real justification in that." 

Mike Fornes on being let go from the Caps:

"I had a 3 year contract at the time.  I had been there before, but the contract I was on was ending.   I had 3 different ‘masters’.  I worked for one TV station, Channel 20, which did the games on the road.   I worked for one TV station, Home Team Sports, which did the games at home.  

And I didn’t get any paychecks from the Capitals, but the Capitals had a say in which announcers were used.  I think there was pressure on management in terms of marketing.  They wanted to sell tickets.  

I think the marketing part was probably on the forefront of their minds.   It’s a business.  I understood that.  I understand that today.  For me it was all hockey.  I was trained to announce hockey.  

I was knowledgeable about the game and that’s really what I wanted to talk about.   I didn’t really get as excited about how many times you would talk about selling tickets for the next game or whatever.   

I think that probably related to their sense that they maybe wanted to do something different.  And that’s their prerogative.   They are the ones that have the say-so.

I wanted to announce a hockey game the way that I thought the fans wanted it announced.  I wanted to be able to describe the game to a fan and I think the fans had a real trust in me in the way that I called the game.   

I think they knew I was going to tell the truth.   I wanted the team to win.  But if the team didn’t win I was going to tell why.  Just like I was going to tell why they won.  I was going to tell why they lost.  

And I think the marketing mentality at the time - which I think is even heightened even more now - is inclined to try and make it more of a marketing tool than a reporting tool.  That’s the way I was cut out.  

I was not that type of a guy.  I was the guy who was going to tell what happened, tell the truth.  I think the players respected that.  I never had any problems with players.  I wasn’t the type to get on a player’s back.  

If they made a mistake, I just said they made a mistake and that was the end of it.  I think my focus was more hockey oriented and I think the team wanted to go in a direction that was more marketing oriented."

Mike Fornes on how he found out he was no longer the Caps’ announcer:

"I got a phone call from a reporter from the Washington Times.  That’s how I was notified." 

Mike Fornes on if that surprised him:

"I don’t think it was what I expected from the people I had come to know who ran the Capitals."

Mike Fornes on Abe Pollin:

"I had a lot of respect for the late Mr. Pollin.  You know, he was the ownership I was associated with and he wrote me a very nice letter after I left the team and told me he appreciated all that I had done.   

He assured me that people who worked for him were given jobs to do and it was up to them -- and he didn’t necessarily agree with the fact that I wasn’t going to be doing the games anymore -- but he wasn’t going to interfere because he let those people make decisions like that.  I respected that."  

Mike Fornes on Pollin being known for caring more about the Bullets:

"People used to say that.  But I was treated very well by the team when I was there.  So I couldn’t say that related to me."

Mike Fornes on the “limo incident”:

"That happened after the playoffs were over and I was already [away from DC] for the summer, so the only things I knew about it were what I read in the papers, which wasn't much."  

Mike Fornes on his relationship with today’s Capitals organization:

"I don’t think I have a relationship because I’ve never been asked to do anything.  But I would love to do something with the alumni and I wish I would be asked.  

I was part of those years and I have nothing but good feelings about those years.   It’s part of history.  It’s part of hockey history and I’m proud that I was the broadcaster for the Capitals.  

I’m a Caps fan and I would love to come back and do something with the team sometime."

Mike Fornes Interview: Part One

Mike Fornes on his hockey broadcasting career:

"I think that during the time when I worked and the time when a lot of those people were there, we were there for the hockey.   

We were broadcasting hockey.   Everything revolves around your knowledge of the game. You didn’t create false excitement. You just called the game.   

Your preparation for the game involved hockey.  It was always about hockey for me.  Any place that I worked, all those years in the minor leagues that was part of it.  

That was part of climbing the ladder and getting to a better place. My career very closely resembled that of a player’s in the sense that I worked in the low minors.

I was in the International League, the American League, the Central League, and I was in the World Hockey Association before getting to the National Hockey League.

And it was similar to a player’s career in the length of time I spent in the game and the fact that I wasn’t able to stay with one franchise as much as I would have liked to.  

I wound up being with three different [NHL] organizations.  And most of my time working in the minor leagues was spent working for Islander affiliates.   

So really, if I was a player, it would be like I was an Islanders draft choice, and when the Islanders were winning all the Stanley Cups, there wasn’t room for me so I went to Hartford, and from Hartford to Washington and from Washington to Dallas.  

So it’s almost like a career like a player would have so I can identify with what they had to go through with the changes that were made in their lives because of what I went through with mine.

But the way the broadcasters approached the game back then was concentrated on the game and I couldn’t get enough hockey. 

I really wanted to learn all I could about it.  I tried to learn everything I could learn about it as a player as a coach even as a referee.  I tried every avenue and learned everything about the game that I could.

Today it just seems that most of what is happening is all about marketing. It’s all about selling. All about selling tickets.  I think the game sells itself."

Mike Fornes on making the NHL:

"I was in the Central Hockey League with the Islanders' top farm club in Indianapolis.  I went to Islanders training camp with the Indianapolis Checkers

While I was there I found out there was an issue with the Islanders announcer having to be away at some other event he was working.   

I got called up to do a preseason game.  That was also very much like a player in the sense that I was the kid from the Central League and I was getting a shot and my first NHL game a game between the Islanders and the Rangers and that was very special for me.   

Then I worked another season in the Central Hockey League before I actually got to go to Hartford in the NHL.   Television was really starting to expand and a lot of the teams were building TV networks.  

The Whalers had just begun theirs and it was because of the Islanders that I got the chance.   

Bill Torrey, the GM for the Islanders, made a phone call on my behalf to Hartford and assured them that I was the guy they wanted for the job."

Mike Fornes' on some of his favorite buildings:

"I really enjoyed working in the old Chicago Stadium.  I also really enjoyed working in Maple Leaf Gardens and the Montreal Forum.  

I was fortunate enough to be able to broadcast the last game ever played in the Montreal Forum while I was with the Dallas Stars so that has a special place in my memory bank."

Mike Fornes on the Spectrum:

"You know the Spectrum isn’t around anymore and that was a house of horrors to visit as a player and it wasn’t the best spot to work as a broadcaster.

But you got to the point where you knew going in what it was going to be like and you did your job and you worked within the confines of that.

There was no elevator.  It was quite a workout just to get to the top of the building.  You had to climb up several flights of stairs and you had to go through the stands.  

You were always at risk a little bit in the Spectrum because Flyers fans knew who you were and they didn’t mind sharing their opinion about the team or about the broadcast.  

Some of them could see the broadcast at the time as well.  And so you’d have the odd confrontation with those people.  

That said, it was a very small area to work in but it was part of an era where the broadcasters had the best seats in the house."  

Mike Fornes on broadcasters of his era:

"The thing that I miss most would be the people that I got to work with.  I’m fortunate that I got to work in an era where there were some great voices in the game.   

Dan Kelly was the voice of the St. Louis Blues. Gene Hart was the broadcaster for the Philadelphia Flyers. Marv Albert was the voice of the Rangers.  

Getting a chance to meet those people and to be in the press room talking about the game working on your notes as to what the storylines were for the game with people like that that was incredible.

To go into a place like Minnesota and sit down and talk hockey with Al Shaver, who was the broadcaster for the North Stars at the time, those were great memories.  

Bob Wilson of the Boston Bruins was another favorite of mine. 

And it was my privilege to be able to work with people like that.  They don’t make them like that anymore.  I’m just proud I was part of the era."

Mike Fornes on how his view helped him announce better:

"In the Boston Garden I sat in the first row of the first balcony which was the first level of seats above the floor level.  They were mid-way up the building, but you hung out over the ice.  And it was a stunning view of the Boston Garden.  

I remember being with Hartford in that building.  And you could hear the players talking on the ice you were so close.  

I remember Mark Howe and Marty Howe – this would have been when I was with the Whalers – they both referred to their dad as “Gordie”.  They always called their father Gordie.   

And that’s because they were always around other players on the team.  So it was Gordie this and Gordie that.  

But I remember one night watching Mark Howe come out of the corner and start a rush and he fired a pass [to Gordie] over to the right-wing boards right below where I was sitting.  

Gordie got the puck and took about two strides and Mark [skated] ahead into an open area and [Mark] wanted the puck back and had his stick down and [Mark] just looked for the opening and he said “Dad!” 

Of course Gordie put the puck right on Mark's stick and Mark went in and scored and I thought that was a special thing --

-- that I had actually heard Mark react to his father and when he reacted he called him “Dad”, but whenever he spoke to him purposefully it was always “Gordie”.   

That’s an insight you won’t get today at the TD North Bank Garden [sic] or whatever they call it.   Most of the time now you sit on the moon for these games.  

By the time the end of my career was coming it was very difficult to see the ice.  You’ve got a TV monitor in front of you but it’s nothing like the things that you used to hear and feel and see by being close.   

The Boston Garden was just one example, Chicago Stadium was just a terrific place to watch.  You were on a gondola just hanging out over the ice and you had a perfect seat.  Maple Leaf Gardens same way.  They don’t make them like that anymore.   

All of the buildings now the announcers seem to be an afterthought.   And they have to sit way up high.  On the high perimeter, high rim-edged seats.  

Because all the best seats are sold to people and so they aren’t going to accommodate the media in a place that is a real good spot to watch a game." 

Mike Fornes on announcers then vs. now:

"We all prepared for games based on what was happening on the ice at practice or in previous games. The scoring of the game was what you told the listeners or the viewers. 

Today, the guys get flooded with so much statistical information that is available, you end up hearing an overabundance of numbers, in my opinion. 

Not enough about what is happening on the power play or the penalty kill, why the breakout is working, etc.....

There are too many inconsequential stats and they miss goals and key plays because there is too much drivel going on. 

Of course, if the guys today sat nearer to  the ice like we did, they might feel more a part of the game."

More then vs. now insight:

"I think that the game has changed which I don’t have a problem with.  But the way things are administrated now is very different.  And I think I worked during the right years.  

I think there are a lot of people now that wouldn’t have been able to work back then and it just seems – hey look around – they even have the National Hockey League in Columbus, Ohio.  

I used to go to Columbus when I was in the International League and it was a very different atmosphere from what they are projecting now.   

Things evolve and things change and expansion is something that we’ve seen many times over the years.  The game wouldn’t be as big as it is now if we just had the Original 6 teams.  

But I was happy that I was part of it during the era when I was because of the people that were involved because of the broadcasting people I was associated with.  I thought they were the best that ever were."  

Mike Fornes on the phrase, "A shot!  And a goal!"

"I grew up listening to Lloyd Pettit call the play-by-play for the Chicago Blackhawks, and that is how he called the goals. 

It wasn't until later years that I heard others say "he shoots...he scores!" and eventually realized that Foster Hewitt was the first with that call and everyone was copying Foster Hewitt -- except Lloyd Pettit. 

I asked Lloyd about it when I was in the minor leagues and he said to go with whatever you feel to express yourself in the moment. 

My first minor league game at Muskegon, when the first goal was scored I said "there's a shot...and a goal!" and decided that was how I felt comfortable calling it. 

Over the years I varied in describing goals but that phrase was what I usually used on the really BIG goals. By the time I reached the WHA, Lloyd had retired so I was the only anouncer using that phrase. 

When I reached the NHL, I stayed with it and it became my trademark because I was the only one who said it. 

Everyone else copied Foster Hewitt. Lloyd had a real command of the game when he described it and I admired that a lot."

Mike Fornes on memorable goals:

"I called Gretzky’s first goal [with the WHA's Indianapolis Racers].  If the Hunter goal was the biggest goal I called for the Capitals --

--If Neal Broten’s goal – the first goal ever scored in the history of the Dallas Stars – was the biggest goal for the Dallas Stars -- 

-- then Gretzky’s goal was probably the biggest goal I’ve called in the big picture during my hockey career."

Mike Fornes on his time between Washington and Dallas:

"I got very involved in hockey.  I’m a student of the game.  I have many interests in hockey that don’t necessarily relate to the broadcasting part.   

I became a part of USA Hockey’s national staff, I became involved in educating coaches and officials, and I wound up teaching for USA Hockey and giving back to the game.  I also offered to do things for the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association.   

And basically my interest in the game has always stayed the same."

Mike Fornes: Hockey Announcing Bio

***********************************************************

IHL:         Muskegon Mohawks ('75-'76)

AHL:        Providence Reds ('76-'77)

WHA:       Indianapolis Racers ('77-'78, Fall '78) - team folded mid-season

CHL:        Fort Worth Texans (Spring '79) - then team moved to Indy in off-season

CHL:        Indianapolis Checkers ('79-'80, '80,81)

NHL:        Hartford Whalers ('81-'84) - left HFD at end of reg. season for DC playoffs

NHL:       Washington Capitals (Spring '84 - '90)

NHL:        Fill-in work with St. Louis, Toronto, and NYI ('90-'93)

NHL:        Dallas Stars ('93-'96)

NCAA:     Lake Superior State ('96-'02)

Mike Fornes Interview: Introduction

Mike Fornes was the first Caps TV announcer I ever heard and I always thought of him as a good announcer.   Further, I consider him to be an important part of Caps history as he called games during the "glory years" of the mid-to-late 1980's.

Then the team "let him go" in 1990 and there hasn't been much communication between him and the organization since. Further, it is the Caps' former radio play-by-play man, Ron Weber, who has seemingly assumed the role of announcer who Caps fans fondly remember.

And that's fine.  Because Ron Weber rules.  He's awesome.  And he should still be announcing.  Weber was just inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010 and won the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award.  Deservedly so.

But I've always felt that Mike Fornes never got his due.  He was pretty damn good too!  Even today when the Caps score I can hear his famous call in the back of my head,

"A shot!  And a goal!"

If Ron Weber was the guy who tucked us children into bed at night during the 3rd period, then Mike Fornes was the guy who told the bedtime story on WDCA Channel 20 or HTS during the first two periods.

(In my case, I don't think my family got HTS until after Mike Fornes left DC, so he'll always be on WDCA 20 in my mind).

So, I figured, "Why not?"  Let me see if I can get some phone time with Mike Fornes.  Let me see if he will talk and what he has to say.

I did get a hold of him and thankfully he was willing to talk.

I share a few of my thoughts on the interview below and the interview itself is on subsequent posts.  Hope you enjoy what Mike Fornes has to say!

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On Friday morning (March 25th, 2011) at around 11:20 a.m. I spent a good 50 minutes on the phone with former Caps TV Announcer Mike Fornes.

First of all, given that my blog is new and not well-known I think it was especially gracious of Mike Fornes to do this interview.  You can also add that not only is my blog new, but there were no interviews that preceded his.

So, he had no way to evaluate my work yet still spoke with me.  It was an extremely pleasant conversation and he shared an abundance of insights with me (hockey and broadcasting related).

My challenge is to do the conversation I had with him justice and get it properly into blog-form.  It seems like for every answer he gave there could have been an infinite discussion or countless follow-up questions.

I did my best to cover a broad variety of topics and get as much detail as possible. I split the interview into two parts:  1) his overall broadcasting career and 2) his time with the Capitals.

Hopefully this interview gives you more insight into Mike Fornes' career and brings back positive memories of the mid-to-late 80's Capitals.

Again, I get it, the Caps still haven't won the Stanley Cup.  But my conversation with Mike Fornes helped me remember that the Caps teams back then were still pretty special.

Langway, Hunter, Stevens, Hatcher, Murphy (hey, he assisted Hunter!), Ciccarelli, Gartner, Gustafsson, Christian, Ridley, Courtnall, Druce, Franceschetti, Gould, Miller, on and on and on and on........

Good Lord!  How the hell did the Caps NOT win the Stanley Cup??????

It is easy to forget the time that preceded our playoff rivalry with the Penguins.  The Caps have faced the Penguins 8 times in the playoffs.

But the Caps' first-ever playoff series with Pittsburgh was following the 90/91 regular season.  Mike Fornes' last season with the Caps was the 89/90 season.

In his era, it was other Patrick Division teams like the Islanders, Rangers, Flyers, and Devils that battled with Washington in the playoffs.

Mike Fornes is now "retired and living in Northern Michigan".  For me, though, he will always be the guy who called Caps games on TV when I grew up and started getting into the team.

(As an aside, I will say that the current Mike Fornes was unfamiliar with our Mike Fornes' appearance in the new NHL Playoffs commercial, "Amends", and thought that the ad was cool.)

What's cool is:

I'M THE ONE WHO TOLD MIKE FORNES ABOUT THE COMMERCIAL!!!!!!!

Mike Fornes also says that while he has fond memories of working with Al Koken and Ron Weber, he is not actively in touch with either of them (just statement of fact, I'm not trying to imply anything went down).

Anyway, enough background.  You came here to read what Mike Fornes has to say. Please enjoy the interview and feel free to let me know what you think!

Jonathan Quick's Save: Still Shot Edition!

Puck Daddy has a column on the Jonathan Quick save in reference (link). Basically, the save was made on Monday night during the 1st period of the Calgary Flames/LA Kings game.

Yes, if you watch the video in slow motion (link), the puck certainly took a hard turn away from the goal after it had cleared contact with Jonathan Quick.

"[the save] seems to have defied the laws of physics and the logic of hockey" 

- says Puck Daddy.

I'm not a physicist.  I imagine there is some explanation for the late turn (spin, nature of contact with Quick, etc.).  

I think we all can agree God has more important things to do than prevent the Calgary Flames from getting the opening goal of a hockey game. 

Maybe people in Alberta disagree? 

(For you religious people, you'll be happy to know that God did succeed in keeping the Flames from scoring the first goal and winning the game.  Though Calgary did get a point for the SO loss.)

Anyway, the next question becomes:  

What part of Jonathan Quick's body/equipment did the puck hit?

Well, like many, I don't have the definitive answer.  But I do have a still shot:

Can you tell that what I'm pointing to is the puck?

Does my yellow circle help?  This is the same picture as above:

Go back to the video, make your own still shots.  Draw your own conclusions. This is around the 6 second mark of the video.

But, if someone held a gun to my head and made me pick where the puck hit Jonathan Quick, I'd say it glanced off the handle of his goalie stick.

Now, depth perception comes into play here.  Maybe the puck is not making direct contact with the handle of his stick on this still shot.  

It is possible the puck had already glanced off his blocker pad or a baggy part of his jersey (arm area).  So, I don't have a definitive answer - as I said earlier.

But I do have a general position on where the puck hit Jonathan Quick/his equipment and my position is this:

Point of Contact:

1)  Handle of Stick (Most Likely)

2)  Blocker Pad (Possibility)

3)  Baggy Part of Jersey (Least Likely)