Former voice of the Prince Albert Raiders Rob Mahon is heading to Manitoba next season. (Submitted photo/Rob Mahon)

By Teena Monteleone

coveted position

Voice of the Raiders leaving P.A. but staying within the WHL

Jul 6, 2023 | 8:20 AM

Being a play-by-play announcer in the WHL is a coveted position. It’s a stepping stone to what the players on the ice also hope to achieve – a move to the NHL.

The voice of the Prince Albert Raiders for the last two seasons on Pattison Media’s CKBI radio is still chasing that dream, but next time around it will be from his home province of Manitoba.

Rob Mahon is leaving behind plenty of memories in hockey town north as he sets his sights on Brandon, MB where he will call games for the WHL’s Wheat Kings.

“That’s the team that made me fall in love with junior hockey, to begin with. The first WHL game I ever watched was the Wheat Kings so to be able to go and work with them was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up although I’m sad I have to leave Prince Albert to do it,” said Mahon.

Prior to moving to Prince Albert, Mahon was the play-by-play announcer for the Estevan Bruins of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) for four seasons.

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“It was an awesome four years. They got to the finals the first year I was there. I had a good time working down there and was able to get the reps in I needed to sharpen my skills and make the move to P.A. where the speed of the game was definitely more noticeable. I’m glad I had the experience I did going in.”

Among his favourite memories calling games for the Raiders was what Mahon called Sloan Stanick’s ‘storybook moment.’

“His overtime winner between the legs in Brandon was unforgettable. A guy twenty minutes up the road from his hometown decides to score a beautiful goal to win the game in overtime, which at the time, was really critical in the playoff race.”

And while some might cringe at the idea of long road trips across western Canada in a bus filled with junior hockey players, Mahon felt it was one of the best parts of his job.

“You get to know the players as people and once you know the guys as people, it’s pretty much impossible not to root for them. You really do want the best for every player you call games for.”

Mahon said it will be difficult to leave the Raiders, but whoever takes over as the new play-by-play announcer for the Raiders is walking into an awesome situation with both the team and Pattison Media.

“A lot of my fellow play-by-play announcers will say the offseason is when things get slow and it can be difficult finding something to do between June and August. But, for me, having the opportunity to work in the paNOW newsroom meant there were never any dull days. I had a lot of time in the newsroom to expand my skill set and keep my writing skills sharp while working with great people and getting to cover things that other people in the industry might never do,” said Mahon.

The search for the next voice of the Prince Albert Raiders is currently underway.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertNOW