Glynn - This team is ruining my life (but I love them): how I became a professional hockey fan

Steve Dangle Glynn

Its November 20, 2018, and Im sitting in the Lotus room at the Sportsnet hockey studios, on the 10th floor of the CBC building in downtown Toronto. This is where we watch games while we work and throw it around about hockey: the rumours, the gossip, whos getting traded or punted all of it grist for the mill in the Lotus. But best of all, this is where we share stories most not suitable for broadcast.

Everybody has either a story or, at the very least, a thought about Dangle. Its impossible to hear his name and just shrug. When people ask me about Steve, the conversation usually goes something like this: Steve Dangle? Yeah, I know him. Hes a nice bunch of guys.

Tonight, Im working with NHLer turned beloved hockey analyst Colby Armstrong. He remembers Dangle from his playing days with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

I first saw him on one of his now-famous LFRs (I dont even know what that means) when I was playing with the Leafs. I loved to surf the net, especially YouTube. Id go down massive rabbit holes, and one night I came across this video.

Why not give it a click?

This kid popped up in his decked-out Leafs bedroom, going absolutely bananas over how embarrassing it was that we got beat by Nashville. I was laying on the couch, watching this kid as he just ripped us apart, losing it Leafs super-fan style.

I yelled to my wife, Hey, you gotta check out this Leafs fan, as I was dying laughing. This guys an animal.

When I got past how crazy and hardcore of a Leafs fan he was, I was actually pretty amazed at the style of video. I had never seen a style like that before. It was so good. I learned later its called jump cuts. I wasnt even mad he was destroying us; I was impressed at how good the video was.

But when I first met him, he was quieter than I thought hed be maybe I was expecting the guy from the video. Now I work with Steve at Sportsnet. How funny is that?

Like many of you, I first met Steve on YouTube; although, saw is a better way to put it. Actually, to say I first experienced Steve on YouTube might be even better. It was 2008, and one of his videos was linked on Greg Wyshynskis highly popular and influential Puck Daddy blog on Yahoo Sports. I hadnt seen anything like it before.

Part of me was stunned.

What is this?

And who is this guy?

Steve is a fan talking and at times screaming to himself and his alter ego, Hat Guy, call and response style. But these are more than just fan videos, and Steve is more than just a fan.

These are open letters to hockey fans about how Steve feels about his team. Part of it even seems like therapy. Steve is the fan who has to get it all out.

I love it.

Theres a rule in our industry: no cheering in the press box. But theres no rule about cheering on from your bedroom. Steve was, and still is, the epitome of the fan journalist. To many people in the broadcast and print world, those two words form a dichotomy, but in the new era of media currency, its become more and more accepted and commonplace. It represents a refreshing change in many ways: being honest about your bias.

More than anyone else, I point to Steve when I talk to young people who want to break into hockey media. His is the way you do it.

When I started at the Fan 590 in 1995, the only way to get in was to catch a break. Somebody had to hire you and, generally, you had to go to small-town Canada to learn how to work in broadcasting. Maybe you came back, but you probably didnt. This industry gives you a reason and opportunity to quit just about every day. But today, you dont need to wait for someone to wave a magic wand over your head and hire you. You can just do it yourself. Thats what Steve did.

Sure, he had some internships and caught some breaks along the way, but Steve got in because he used everything around him. Every bit of technology and every marketing platform he was on it, and he stayed on it, consistently cranking out videos and keeping his name in the mix. Steve was consistent. He started and never stopped.

Want to be a broadcaster? Start a podcast, start making videos, write a blog. This has been my message to people looking for a way in. Build a body of work, and they will find you. They found Steve.

Steve tapped on the hockey worlds shoulder for years, and when it turned around, he knew what to say.

Jeff Marek, 2018