Tommy Daniels, Voice of the Americans

** Part One of a two-part series **
ALLEN, Texas – Allen American supporters have experienced some exciting action in the franchise’s first three years – not just in person on home ice, but on the road as well. The excitement of the team’s road games is transferred over the Internet through streaming radio broadcasts and into the fans’ minds eye thanks to the inspired narrative of Tommy Daniels.
 
Daniels’ voice is awash with a passion for ice hockey; listening to just one of his broadcasts makes this evident to even a non-hockey fan. The man lives and breathes the game and his excitement is infectious; something necessary in a medium whose success relies on a speaker with unbridled enthusiasm and the ability to paint a vibrant mental picture to keep the listener engaged and coming back for more.
 
Tommy is one of those fortunate few who knew from a very young age exactly what he wanted to do with his life – to be a sports broadcaster.
 
“It was something I knew pretty much from the time I was five years old”, says Allen Americans broadcaster Tommy Daniels, reminiscing about the spark fired within him by a gift his mother bought for his fifth birthday, a tape recorder.
 
“I would sit in front of the TV, turn the sound down and call my own game, so it started at a young age,” Daniels said. “Did I know this was ahead for me, all that I’m doing now? No, but it’s what I hoped”. 
 
A simple mother’s gift began a life long fascination with the microphone for Tommy, one that would draw out his own gift of being an engaging and successful radio personality and sports broadcaster.
 
Hockey has always been Tommy’s passion but he got his start calling football, basketball and baseball games at his first radio station. It was fitting that Daniels got his start in broadcasting calling football games, since that is how his dream began – sitting on the floor of his living room with a muted television set and a tape recorder as his imaginary broadcast booth.
 
A native of Buffalo, N.Y. and lifelong Buffalo Bills fan, Tommy had been doing his impromptu broadcasts as a young child for about two years when he worked up the courage to call his idol, Buffalo Bills announcer Van Miller during Miller’s radio show.
 
The then seven-year-old Daniels told Miller that he wanted his job someday, to be just like him. For most people that would be a childhood memory to be chuckled about fondly later in life, but not for Tommy or for Van Miller.
 

Fast forward to 2005, the Bills were hosting the Dallas Cowboys and Tommy got a tremendous thrill when he was able to have Van Miller as an on-air guest during Daniels’ Fox Sports radio show. He reminded Miller of that phone call when he said that he wanted to be just like him and be on the radio someday.
 
Miller was overwhelmed by Daniels words, seeing how he had inspired a young boy to follow his dream of being a sports broadcaster. Through tears, Miller told Daniels that he had just received the nicest compliment anyone had paid him in his 50-year broadcast career. It was a special moment for both men, one that Tommy will always cherish. Over the years, working for various radio stations as a morning host/DJ, sports reporter and broadcaster, Daniels has had a wide assortment of experiences. Daniels called games for many young talents before they became professionals, including future NFL players Skip Hicks and Chase Daniel and Olympic Gold Medalist and Women’s World Cup Champion Mia Hamm.
 
Tommy finally got a taste of hockey broadcasting of sorts when he was invited to MC the NHL All-Star game when the Dallas Stars played host to it in 2007. As luck would have it, the day of the event was also his birthday. After enjoying the festivities and duties assigned to him, Tommy was able to cap off the night with a celebratory birthday shot alongside NHL star Brendan Shanahan, who also shares the same birthday.
 
Through all his years on the air, Tommy’s desire to broadcast hockey games continued its slow burn until the first opportunity presented itself. His good friend, former NHL player and two-time Stanley Cup Champion, Craig Ludwig was key to two major career moves for Daniels.
 
Ludwig knew the local NAHL Junior team, the Texas Tornado were in need of a radio broadcaster and he recommended Tommy for the job. Daniels was offered the position and in taking it, made a couple of important contacts along the way, Dwight Mullins and Matt Canavan. Mullins is now the Head Coach & General Manager of the Allen Americans and Canavan, the organization’s President.
 
When the Americans organization was forming, the determination was made by co-owner Steve Duchesne that the team would need a full-time radio announcer, someone who would travel on the road with the team. Once again, Ludwig recommended Daniels for the position and Duchesne agreed.
 
Tommy was at first hesitant to step away from Dallas on-air work to become a full-time team broadcaster but within days warmed to the idea, seeing this as his opportunity to finally realize his dream of broadcasting hockey to the masses.
Daniels sees the decision to become the full-time broadcaster and Director of Media Operations for the Allen Americans as the best professional decision he’s ever made – and so do his loyal listeners.
S tay tuned for part two when we’ll get a glimpse of what a day in the life of a hockey broadcaster looks like on game day.
Contact the writer at Maurice.Fitzgerald@prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer at Robert.Keith@prohockeynews.com