New West city councillor spends personal time calling minor hockey games

You might be used to seeing him behind the mic at city council meetings, but there’s another mic you can catch him on—and it’s at the historic Queen’s Park Arena.

Clad in a beanie and a hockey jersey over a warm hoodie, perhaps you’ve spotted Coun. Daniel Fontaine calling games for New West Minor Hockey, a gig that’s undergone an eight-year evolution—save for the times he couldn’t call games during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It started with my son starting in minor hockey many, many years ago, and it started out with there being an interest in the families to play some music during the whistle breaks. Someone said, ‘hey, would you take on this role of volunteering to do the music?’”

Fontaine agreed to, but he felt there could be more to do to amp things up.

“I went out and bought those big Bud Light [style] lights, because it’s associated with hockey goals,” explains Fontaine, who notes that they’re the same kind of lights you would see at, let’s say a Canucks game when someone scores a goal. “I streamed it up by where the kids were, where I was sitting on the ice, and when the kids score, you’d light it up, and the kids thought, ‘oh, that’s cool! The red light goes on!’”

But for Fontaine, that felt like it could again be taken to the next level. That’s when he realized there was a solid speaker system in the arena.

“I bought the cord, I bought the microphone, I got the gear, and I was the tournament coordinator for a number of years. And when I was tournament coordinator I thought, ‘wouldn’t it be a fun thing to announce these games for the kids? To give them a whole other experience?’”

And that’s what Fontaine did, whether it was goals or penalties—he was on it. He says kids would approach him and tell him it felt as though they were in the NHL.

“It really fed that way, the kids really inspired me,” says Fontaine, who notes that there have also been adults who have encouraged him to keep going with the announcements—including a long-time referee.

“[She told me], ‘you used to call the games when I refereed these games years ago,’” says Fontaine, “she said, ‘I came [to this tournament instead of another one] because I heard you were calling the games!’”

While he’s no longer the tournament director, he doesn’t quite want to give up that mic just yet. Fontaine estimates calling about 20 to 25 games each season, along with the playoffs run.

“It’s quite the set-up,” says Fontaine. “I’ve got the heater going, I’ve got my notepads, the bud light [light].” During breaks, he also runs trivia questions that includes sponsored prizes—one of his favourite games is the Drivers’ Licence game.

“You’ll say, ‘if you have the number three in your Drivers’ Licence, come on down!’ And then you’ll see ten people from the audience run to make their way over,” he says with a laugh.

As for any higher aspirations to call games?

“I’m eyeing that [John Shorthouse] job up,” Fontaine says jokingly, “when I am done my political career, I’m telling you, the Vancouver Canucks and Mr. Shorthouse better watch out.”