Real Life Podcast Episode 198 – Talking hockey and life with Jack Michaels

Welcome, citizens, to a brand new Monday episode of the Real Life Podcast that’s ready and primed to get your week started. On today’s show, the guys were thrilled to welcome Edmonton Oilers play-by-play announcer, Jack Michaels, to talk about his journey in broadcasting, the upcoming playoffs, and a whole lot more.

To kick off today’s episode, the boys jumped in with a look at Jack Michaels’ career and how he rose the ranks from the ECHL to the NHL, including a brief math lesson after Yaremchuk bungled his 10,000 hours metaphor. Thankfully those math skills weren’t preventative in lining up today’s guest for the podcast. Speaking of getting one’s at-bats in, it’s almost hard to imagine that Jack Michaels has been calling Oilers games for more than a decade after a winding journey that saw him announce 919 minor-league games in Alaska. Thankfully, Jack was happy to tell the story about how he ended up in the City of Champions and what it was like to finally get the call after so much time grinding in the ECHL. Not only was it great to hear the come-up, but it was just as wonderful to hear Jack talk glowingly about the city that has embraced him so passionately over the past 10 years. Lastly, the guys had a great time wrapping up the interview by asking Jack about his favourite Oilers calls, celebrity encounters, all-time announcers, and everything else that shaped his career to this point.