I took a leap of faith changing my career in my late 20's. It was daunting. Leaving home for the first time in my life, moving halfway across the country, and beginning a career (broadcasting) that I been studying and learning about consistently for the last couple years but still had some nerves about the whole thing. I felt reassured when I got my first job, calling games for the Mississippi RiverKings of the SPHL, a team that was owned by a local non-profit and had been going 26 years strong. Naturally, as my luck is always this way, the RiversKings folded after one season. In my panicked brain, I thought, 'Welp, this is it. My new career is over before it really got started'. But then I got a phone call from Steve Moulton. Steve works at 97.7 ESPN The Zone out of Huntsville, Alabama. He was also the voice of the Huntsville Havoc, a team in our league. Steve was an incredible colleague and friend for me that season, helping me in the booth whenever I needed it as I learned my way. But on this day, the day of the call, Steve went above and beyond.  Steve wasn't just calling to send his condolences on the death of my employer and to wish me luck in my future endeavors, he was calling to gauge my interest IN a future endeavor. Steve's idea, though not fully-fleshed out at the time, included a partnership with myself and him in the booth. I can't begin to tell you how selfless that is. Especially in the cutthroat world of radio broadcasting. A firmly established, voice of a team, offers up his seat to a young kid guy just getting started in his career? Just, wow. To this day I don't know what he saw in me, but at that time, Steve's call was the first person to offer somewhat of a solution to me. Not only that, it was the first call that told me "Hey TJ, maybe your career isn't over before it began. Steve wants you, he sees something in you, you'll get more chances just like this." 

​I was completely on board with joining Steve and the Havoc, in whatever capacity. If it could keep my broadcasting dream alive, sign me up. After some time, deliberations between the team and the station, it turned out that there just wasn't any room for me so our plan never came to pass. That said, I landed on my feet okay in Minnesota, and he remained calling games for the Havoc with this past season being his last. I'll never forget his kindness, his offer, his selflessness. We've kept in touch throughout the years and he's always there offering me help of one kind or another. Giving me advice on using a new piece of equipment like my first Rodecaster Pro or offering up logins for different websites so I could bolster my broadcast. Steve is good people. Every broadcaster, young or old, should aspire to be Steve because every broadcaster, young or old, needs a Steve in their life. 

No good broadcaster gets anywhere without the help of his or her support staff. From coaches, to equipment managers, to front-office members, to friends and family, it takes a village, as they say. You need people to coach you, to advocate for you, and to guide you. For me, one of the biggest advocates early on, was my friend Ron Budrik. We met during my time with the Austin Bruins, where he worked (still does) with Power 96 - the rock radio station out of nearby Albert Lea, MN. Of course at the NAHL level, my duties included media relations and corporate partnerships, so having connections with local businesses, ESPECIALLY those in the sports media world, was pretty important. 

For Ron and I,  it didn't take long for our business dealings to turn into a friendship. He was my contact at the radio station where we had some corporate partnership dealings, but the entire time I worked with him he kept trying to plant the seed "you know, we should carry your games". It took a few years, but eventually, the deal came to pass - Austin Bruins Hockey and TJ Chillot was going to be featured on Power 96.

During our chats, usually at the Wendy's in Albert Lea right off highway 35, Ron mentioned that he'd love to come on and be my color analyst for the season, something I hadn't experienced yet in my career. For me, Austin was all about growth - all about turning this lump of clay into something somewhat resembling a broadcaster - so the deal with Power 96 turned out to be an incredible move. Not only was I selfishly excited at the bigger exposure of a 25,000 watt radio station, but to have a full-time color analyst to help expand my skills in the broadcasting department. What I got though, was even better. See Ron, he is a master of the microphone. Any kind of microphone. He works at the radio station full-time, is a damn good singer - dotting the southern Minnesota and northern Iowa map alongside Steve Boyken to form "Ron and Steve Unplugged", and in the early stages of his career, was a hockey play-by-play broadcaster. FUN FACT: Ron was the broadcaster of the Pelham (AL) Prowlers in the SEHL during the 1999-00 season. On the roster that year? A young defenseman who would go on to become the Austin Bruins GM/Head Coach, Steve Howard. I'm sure Howie will pop up on #ThinkingBackTuesdays sometime really soon. I don't know if it was that season in Pelham or the fact that he grew up in the Chicago area, but Ron's love for hockey just poured into his call. He was an incredible teammate, too. Going back to the fact that I was trying to shape myself into a major-league level broadcaster at that time, I knew that the broadcast had to have a certain feel. It had to be professional and far from amateur, even if it was being entirely run by myself (a rank amateur). Even still, the color analyst portion of the show completely played into that, so if I was going to have one, there needed to be professionalism and chemistry. Ron was exactly that. Our conversations about improving the broadcast were always open, with him willing change or adapt to the narrative I saw in my head. He could have easily big-timed me - "hey kid, I'm here because it's my station that we're on, and I'll tell you what has to happen". That never once happened, not even remotely close, because that's not who Ron is. So who is Ron? He's a terrific father, husband, and friend - who happens to be a maestro on the mic, too.  Don't believe me? Take a listen for yourself in the sidebar.