When the puck drops and the Dragons hit the ice, there is an unmistakable voice that comes through the broadcast, who is living a dream as a volunteer, calling the Dragons.
Ray “Razor” Kristinson has been volunteering with the Dragons for 12 years. About five years ago he had the opportunity to be an announcer for hockey TV and he jumped at it.
“Hockey TV has been on the air for five years, and I have been on since day 1,” said Kristinson. “Before, I worked as an off-ice official.”
“My wife said I used to sit and watch hockey games on TV and I had my own running commentary about what was going on,” he said. “When I was in Grade 4, my teacher made us print out a paragraph about what we wanted to do when we grew up. I wrote a paragraph about wanting to broadcast hockey games on TV, and it took over 50 years for it to happen.”
Volunteering is not a new thing for Kristinson. He and his wife M’Liss Edwards, who also is a Dragons volunteer, used to volunteer with the Calgary Stampede prior to coming to Drumheller. They also both sat on the board of the Calgary Immigrant Education Society. In Drumheller, they volunteered with the Ag Society helping with Richard Cosgrave Memorial Rodeo and Chuckwagon races.
He said he learned a lesson from his wife, who was a military child and moved around a lot. Her father said the best way to integrate yourself into a new community is to volunteer.
“I have done that ever since and I found that to be true,” he said.
Game day for an announcer is not simply showing up in the booth and turning on the microphone.
“I’m there a couple of hours before game time. I will chat with a few players, and usually have a chat with the coaches from both teams. I’ll get my lineups and referee lineups, and then go upstairs into the booth and do research on players from both teams and what kind of details might be pertinent to that night’s game. Basically, I do a lot of preparation,” he said, adding pronunciation of players’ names is very important. “You have to get them right because they have family watching.”
He recalls when he first started, it felt natural.
“I didn’t think anything of it. I like to talk, and you are commenting on what you see,” he said. “It’s just like having conversations basically.”
He understands the importance of volunteers, especially with the Dragons.
“Without volunteers and billets, we don’t have a hockey team. That’s the bottom line.”
