Sunday Chat is a weekly feature appearing in The Blade’s print and digital platforms each Sunday.

COLUMBUS — Steve Mears will never forget the first Columbus Blue Jackets game he went to when he was a student at Bowling Green State University more than 20 years ago.

He can’t wait to create even more memories with the organization in the coming months and years.

Mears, a 2002 BGSU graduate who has had a highly successful broadcasting career, was hired as the Blue Jackets’ TV play-by-play announcer in July. He replaced Jeff Rimer, who retired at the end of last season after 20 years with the Blue Jackets, and will join color analyst Jody Shelley for the team’s televised games on Bally Sports Ohio.

Mears’ wealth of broadcasting experience began at BGSU when he called Falcons’ hockey games. Following graduation, he was the voice of the Central Hockey League’s Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs for four seasons, including being named the CHL Broadcaster of the Year in 2005.

From 2006 to 2009, Mears was the New York Islanders’ radio play-by-play announcer before becoming a host on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ radio network and contributor on PensTV for the next three years. He spent the past seven seasons calling games on TV and radio for the Penguins, and his career also included a handful of seasons with NHL Network.

Other highlights for Mears have included calling Stanley Cup Finals, All-Star Games, and the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships. The 44-year-old Murrysville, Pa., native has been grateful for every step of it.

The Blade caught up with Mears to talk about his broadcasting career.

The Blade: How excited are you to be taking over as the Blue Jackets’ TV play-by-play announcer?

Mears: “It’s a thrill of a lifetime. Just as someone who always wanted to do this since I was 10 years old, and then especially as I started getting into college at Bowling Green and knowing that this was the dream job, to be working for a first-class organization like the Blue Jackets, it’s such a thrill. I just can’t wait to get started. I’m already just wishing the season would begin tomorrow, been having those feelings for a while. … Just can’t wait for opening night and what should be a fantastic season.”

The Blade: You attended Blue Jackets games when you were a student at BGSU. Did you ever think back then that you’d be in this position with the team?

Mears: “Any time I went to an NHL game, no matter where I was back then, I always had an eye on the press box. I was always looking, and I’d have one eye on the game, one eye on the press box. Even during the play sometimes, like glancing up and watching the announcers and seeing the bright lights of the TV booths, I distinctly remember looking up there when I was at Nationwide [Arena]. The whole circumstance was really cool. I had a broadcast partner when I was at Bowling Green, his name was Dave Crane, and he’s from Columbus actually. So my junior year at BG was the Jackets’ inaugural season, so we had to get down there. It was the 20th game in franchise history. I posted on social media [recently] the ticket stub, which I saved from that first game, and they played the Florida Panthers. It was so cool. The arena was just immaculate, and I still think it’s one of the best venues in the NHL. But everything was just exciting, and it was something totally new. I hadn’t been to many other NHL buildings growing up, and to go to this brand new arena and brand new franchise and that early in its existence, it was incredible. ... They always had a special place in my heart just for that connection, so when you’re there and you’re studying broadcasting and you’re trying to achieve this dream, absolutely your mind wanders and you start thinking, well what would it be like to someday just call games for any NHL team? But to have it come full circle now and for it to be the Blue Jackets when I went to games in that inaugural season, it’s surreal.”

The Blade: Going back to your BGSU days, how much did your time at the school and calling games for the Falcons’ hockey team help you out in your career?

Mears: “It was critical. That was the foundation. I was laying the foundation for what’s now been almost a 20-year NHL career. Just getting those reps, it was so important to get the reps early on. I was a freshman, and I got to do games, Division I college hockey games, I got to be on the air as a freshman at like 18 years old. That’s unheard of at a lot of schools. To get that type of experience, that hands-on experience, it’s one thing to get on the air in some capacity, but to do the exact thing that you wanted to do as a freshman was just unheard of.”

The Blade: One of the players that you got to see at BGSU, Dennis Williams, was just hired as the Falcons’ hockey coach. Thoughts about him taking over the program?

Mears: “You remember him really well as just a hard-working forward. If he brings that type of work ethic that he had as a player to his coaching duties at BG, then the Falcons are going to be really successful because he was always, to me, one of the hardest-working players that the Falcons had in my four years there. So if he brings that level of commitment and diligence and work ethic, and obviously he has to reach this point. He’s already had success as a coach at different levels, and now to get back to BG and reach this point in a program with such a rich history like Bowling Green, that tells me he’s already bringing that work ethic. I’m sure he’ll continue to do so. It’s really exciting.”

The Blade: To have called as many high-profile NHL games as you have in your career, and to work with the teams you’ve been with over the past 20 years, what has your broadcasting career and the opportunities you’ve had meant to you?

Mears: “I’ve been incredibly fortunate. There have been so many people that have helped me along the way, and whenever you get an opportunity like this, you can’t help but reflect on all the hands and all the fingerprints, all the people that had a hand in your success. It goes back to Bowling Green and I had some great mentors there and a wonderful broadcast partner. And then working in the minor leagues, and that’s where you really cut your teeth. That’s where you learn the business side of hockey and people that I’m still dear friends with. And then I get to the NHL and I get a big break with the New York Islanders and the people I’m surrounded by, the Islanders’ broadcasters, the Rangers’ broadcasters in the New York area. Doc Emrick, Bowling Green alum, was doing TV for the New Jersey Devils, so I got to see him regularly and got to talk with him all the time. I had a great broadcast partner with the Islanders in Chris King, who’s still a dear friend of mine. All the way through, you don’t get here by yourself. There’s just so many people that had a hand in it, and now I’ve got a wonderful wife and a beautiful baby. I really appreciate all the people who helped me along the way. … I take the job seriously, but I don’t take myself seriously. It’s an important role, especially as the conduit between the fans and the team. But I do realize that it’s a really fun job. It has to be fun on our end, and I’ve just loved every second of it.”

First Published August 18, 2024, 11:30 a.m.