PHILADELPHIA – For 50 years, Lou Nolan has been the public address announcer for the Flyers.
It has been an honor for me to know a true gentleman in the sport and life.
Nolan was hired in the summer of 1972 to voice the public address scripts in the old Spectrum.
“He means so much to the city and to our fans and our organization,” Flyers chairman Dave Scott said. “He’s always there, he’s always been a great ambassador for us. … It’s a level of comfort that’s been there for 50 years.”
This Saturday, the Flyers will officially honor Nolan for his 50 years of representing the Flyers organization.
“Everybody knows him,” Scott said. “You talk to [NHL Commissioner] Gary Bettman, the other owners, he’s really famous.”
Everyone does know Nolan. And everyone who knows him admire him and respect him.
“What I find amazing about him is for his age, how young to me he sounds on the mic,” Penguins PA announcer Ryan Mill said on NHL.com. “Normally as you age, your voice ages with you. But for some reason when he’s still doing his goal calls, the PECO power play and everything, he still sounds like to me, a young guy. It’s something that strikes me every time I hear his voice.
“Plus, he’s just one of the better human beings on the planet.”
It would be impossible to find anyone in or out of hockey who would not have a fondness for Nolan.
“I remember one game he missed, I don’t know if he was sick, and the guy was talking during the game and I was like, this doesn’t sound right,” former Philadelphia captain Claude Giroux said on NHL.com. “Lou is just an amazing guy. Every time you see him, he’s got a big smile on his face, he’s happy. He just loves what he’s doing and it’s great to see.”
I have know Lou for nearly all of those 50 years with the Flyers. I am grateful for that friendship and the times we have spoken and shared media events.
Cheers to you, Mr. Nolan.
Photo courtesy of NHL.com
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