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Jay Moran: Public Address Announcer

If you’ve attended Buffalo Sabres games at HSBC Arena, you probably recognize his voice. In fact you might be able to hear it inside your head right now… [Power Play goal by Jason Pominville, assisted by Derek Roy and Tyler Myers]. Moran, who is also the man behind the mic of WNED-AM 970’s Morning Edition­­, is in the midst of his sixth season as the Sabres public address announcer, informing fans of goal and penalty announcements. Here’s hoping the Sabres keep him busy.

How did you end up the voice of HSBC Arena?

John Maddock at Canisius College Athletics asked me to try out for the public address spot for the NCAA Basketball Tournament in Buffalo, and I was lucky enough to be picked. Rich Wall, who ran the Sabres’ game presentation, heard me and said he would use me once the NHL lockout ended. I’ve been with the Sabres since.

Have you ever been recognized in public thanks to your voice?

Not really. Once or twice, I’ve been given a strange look when ordering at a restaurant.

What was the most memorable Sabres moment that you have witnessed on the job?

The silence in the Arena when the fans were asked to remember the victims of Flight 3407. The crash had occurred less than 24 hours earlier. There have been other moments, including some great goals and wins, but I’ll never forget that night.

Have you ever flubbed a line or a name badly? Whose name did you have the hardest time pronouncing correctly?

My memory doesn’t work so well for this question. Maybe because there are too many flubs to pick out just one. Chris Drury’s name was hard to annunciate so I simplified it for myself, calling him DREWWWWW-REE. Karlis Skrastins is a visiting player who I pray never scores or gets called for a penalty.

Do you try to put a bit of flair into your calls-a la Rick Jeanneret or just stick to the pertinent facts of the call?

For my first ten games or so on the job my bosses kept calling for ‘more energy, more energy’ in my calls. I just wasn’t getting it. Then my wife Sandy suggested that I announce goals while gritting my teeth like I do when we argue. They’ve never asked for more energy since.