Calling the Canes: Behind the Mic with Carolina Hurricanes Broadcaster Mike Maniscalco

This episode of What's Up Wake goes behind the mic with Carolina Hurricanes play-by-play announcer Mike Maniscalco. Mike shares how his love of sports turned into a career in broadcasting, from student radio and television to calling Hurricanes games and covering some of the biggest moments in franchise history.

Mike talks about what makes hockey one of the hardest sports to call, the preparation that goes into every game, and how he learns from both his best and worst broadcasts. He also opens up about working alongside Trip Tracy, the importance of having chemistry with your broadcast partner, and what it is really like to call a game live with thousands of Caniacs reacting to every moment.

The conversation also looks back at the Hurricanes’ run to the Stanley Cup Final, including the emotional moment when Mike and Trip realized the team had finally reached the championship series. Mike shares what makes Carolina’s fan base so special, why he considers the Lenovo Center one of the loudest buildings in the NHL, and how the Hurricanes have helped turn North Carolina into a true hockey town.

Mike also discusses being named the 2025 North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year, why he hates hearing his own voice, and the surprising fact that despite his job requiring him to be extremely outgoing, he is actually very shy.

The episode wraps up with a What's Up Roundup lightning round covering the hardest Hurricanes player name to say, Jordan Martinook’s personality, the game Mike would love to call in sports history, his favorite catchphrase stories, which player he would call in an emergency, and who he would choose to sound the siren before a Hurricanes game.

00:00 Smart Shades Intro
00:10 In Home Window Consults
00:38 Local Sponsor Spots
01:52 Meet Mike Maniscalco
02:57 Early Sports Dreams
04:39 Buffalo Hockey Roots
06:13 Breaking Into Radio
07:28 Advice For Broadcasters
08:20 Calling Hockey Fast
09:19 Prep And Repetition
12:47 Live Mistakes And Fun
14:08 Broadcast Partner Chemistry
15:25 Inside The Canes Crew
16:56 Caniacs And Game Atmosphere
22:30 Stanley Cup Booth Cam
25:28 Team Bonds And Loyalty
26:28 Calling Big Games Calmly
27:04 Playoff Moments That Stand Out
28:20 Athlete Mindset And Consistency
29:28 Game Six Vegas Nerves
31:22 Sportscaster Of The Year Honor
32:15 Shy Off Mic Reality
34:56 Lightning Round Hurricanes Picks
39:20 Dream Siren Sounders
40:58 Season Wrap And Thanks

Creators and Guests

Host

Melissa

Host of What's Up, Wake + social media manager + writer + travel editor

Guest

Mike Maniscalco

Play by Play for the NHL Carolina Hurricanes

What is What’s Up, Wake?

What’s Up, Wake covers the people, places, restaurants, and events of Wake County, North Carolina. Through conversations with local personalities from business owners to town staff and influencers to volunteers, we’ll take a closer look at what makes Wake County an outstanding place to live. Presented by Cherokee Media Group, the publishers of local lifestyle magazines Cary Magazine, Wake Living, and Main & Broad, What’s Up, Wake covers news and happenings in Raleigh, Cary, Morrisville, Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, and Wake Forest.

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[00:01:52] Speaker 2: Today we're dropping the gloves and skating at full speed into the world of hockey.

Dare I say this episode will be a total hat trick? He's the voice that Canes fans know and love, calling the action, breaking down the plays, and surviving the heart-stopping moments. And alongside with Trip Tracy, keeping up with the fast-moving puck, nonstop twist and turns, and of course, storm surges.

Now entering his 11th year with the Hurricanes and seventh as the team's television play-by-play announcer, not to mention fresh off a Stanley Cup championship, he's got quite a story to tell.

From what it's really like to call a game when the puck is flying faster than your brain can process, and keeping his cool when thousands of fans are losing theirs, he's here to give us a glimpse of life behind the mic. So lace up your skates, grab your jersey, and let's drop the puck because we're getting the scoop from the man himself.

I'm thrilled to welcome Carolina Hurricanes play-by-play announcer and North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year, Mike Maniscalco to What's Up Wake?

[00:02:53] Melissa: Mike, you have had quite a year- Yeah ... to say the least. Yes, I have. But I wanna go back to the beginning of your career, even kid Mike.

Did you always love sports? Is this something that you always wanted to get into? Yeah. I mean, from the earliest memories, you know my severe lack of talent was gonna prevent me from- ... being a professional athlete, so, you know, what's the next best thing? So you knew that early on. Yeah, well, found that out, you know, early.

[00:03:18] Mike Maniscalco: I- Mm-hmm ... I got a little bit better as an athlete, but I was never, never gonna turn pro. Yeah. We'll leave it at that. But yeah, I was always interested in... I, I actually wanted to be a writer. You know growing up being a columnist and covering the teams and writing for, you know, your, your newspaper or writing for The New York Times or writing for Sports Illustrated.

And then, you know, I, I was growing up in that age when SportsCenter became a big thing and everybody- Yeah ... wanted to be a SportsCenter anchor. And then- Yeah, people don't realize SportsCenter is just, like, within our lifetime. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, this wasn't an always thing for- That- ... for kids that were out there

[00:03:51] Melissa: way back in the 1900s, yes. You know, there was the, you know, you wanted to be Dan Patrick or you wanted to be, you know, Bob Ley. You wanted that, that job. That was great. Or, you know, the CNN Sports Night as well I'd remember. You watch all of that. Um, and then radio came into being and that kind of became my path in school.

[00:04:08] Mike Maniscalco: I, I got involved heavily with the student-run radio station and then the student TV stations and did play-by-play for my Division III school because, um, when I was younger my knee went one way and I went- Uh-oh ... the other way. So that kind of precipitated the end of anything that- Yeah ... I would've done. Not that I was...

You know, nobody was knocking on my door. Notre Dame and North Carolina and NC State- Yeah. ... were trying to, to line me up to go play for them. Um, but no, it was, it was something that I always had a passion about and something I always wanted to be involved with. And you are from Buffalo, is that right?

Buffalo, New York. So is that where hockey comes into play? Yeah. Absolutely. You were always a hockey fan? Yeah, I was. The funny thing is my dad wasn't, so. Oh. And, um, I wanted to play, but I, I do know a few things about the game, you know, being around it as long as I have, and skating is really important, and I am not a very good ice skater, so.

Mm. Yeah. So. Gotta be- gotta know how to skate. I could, I could do anything else you want me to do, Yeah ... but yeah, the skating thing kind of became a hindrance. But- Mm-hmm ... My dad wasn't a big hockey fan so, you know, he didn't ever think I'd have an interest in playing. So- Yeah ... by the time I showed that interest I was nine years old and it was gonna be too late.

I was gonna be playing catch-up with the group that I was in. So the urban legend story that my dad told me was, um, and I do remember this day, he put me out on skates. His friend was a good hockey coach and, you know, evidently it was like watching a baby deer stand up for the first time. And the story goes the, the, the coach turns to my dad, he goes, "Your son looks like he's gonna be, like, 6'4.

That's really tall. Basketball's a good winter sport too." Yeah. So, so that kind of ended- That's a positive spin at least. Yeah, that kind of... At least they kept, you know, pushing me to a sport instead of retiring prematurely, yes. Well, and, and what you've- You know, made your career is such a great way of keeping your love of sports- Yeah

[00:05:55] Melissa: as a part of your life. And, and to your point about S- SportsCenter- Yeah ... um, there's so many paths and avenues for kids these days coming up. They see that they're not gonna have a path- Yeah ... you know, playing professionally or even playing in college, but this is a way to still st- keep s- keep sports alive.

[00:06:12] Mike Maniscalco: Oh, yeah, absolutely. And you know, it's funny because we talked about, you know, SportsCenter hasn't been around forever. ESPN- Yeah ... you know, the notion of a 24-hour sports station, well, that's crazy. Well, on radio there weren't 24-hour sports talk stations if you go back to the, the mid-'90s except for maybe New York, Los Angeles, like really big cities had it.

Mm-hmm. But that's kind of how my break happened there. The radio station I worked for was news talk, but we had a sports show in the afternoon, and we did sports on the weekend. That's where I got my foot in the door. Well, we flipped to a 24-hour sports talk station. So I was there and, and I was ready for the opportunity when it came about.

Now, I take a look at the things where these college students, they are so far advanced of where I was. You know, they're doing podcasts. They're doing podcasts- Yeah ... with video. They're doing livestreams, you know? It's- Well, they, they understand all the tech side. Well, hell- Whereas that's confusing to me.

[00:07:08] Melissa: Well, we, well, we used to. I mean, we were tech-savvy, you know? Yeah. It's, it's always for, it's always for that group. But, like, now you can produce an entire game- Yeah ... with, like, you and your friend. And you know, what used to take a, an army to, to help put it together, it's two people as long as you can connect to the Wi-Fi and, and make sure that you've got a, a good enough equipment to get through there.

[00:07:27] Mike Maniscalco: So that's the amazing thing. And so I like to tell, um, first of all, any time people ask me for advice, I go, "Don't get into this business." And I'm just doing that to keep the competition away from me. Yeah. But the, the important thing that I tell them is, you know, "Don't close doors. You have so many opportunities, you know, just because you don't have this job or there.

You know, create a podcast. Get-" Yeah ... "get yourself some exposure. Intern where you can." And that's where a lot of the, the doors opened up for me, not on the podcast side, but interning and, and just working around people who were doing the job, and then you pick it up from them. Yeah, you're right, because you don't really need that whole army behind you- No

[00:08:02] Melissa: nowadays. No. You don't need a station or a company that's already established to do anything. Put it out yourself. Yep. It's like what Justin Bieber did. He, he became famous. He became famous on his own- Yep ... and then he was discovered that way. So you never know, kids, kids out there listening. I would think that hockey has got to be the hardest or one of the hardest sports to call, though.

Everything is moving so fast. How do you process your brain to work at that type of speed and be able to, to call, to call the plays so fast? Well, it's, you know, it's funny. People, um, ask me that. Um, I'm like, "If you read on the internet, there are a lot of people who think I don't process it fast enough." So that's, thank you.

[00:08:46] Mike Maniscalco: But no, um, I, I go to practices and, you know, you stay sharp and you watch what the team is doing. Mm-hmm. So I also joke in my, couple of my teachers back home didn't like this line when they heard it the first time. I, I do more homework now than I ever have in my life. Yeah, yeah. So and- You've got to

[00:09:03] Melissa: and- You have to keep all of the, the names fresh in your mind, um, for both teams, I'm assuming. Yeah. I mean, it's not just, and it's not just plays and names. It's, it's just moving so fast. Yeah. Yeah. I, I can't even com- complete a sentence you know in time before the, the next play is starting. Well, it, it's preparation.

[00:09:21] Mike Maniscalco: Like that's- Yeah ... really the big thing, and it, it's, you know, it sounds cliche, but cliches are those because that's why you do it. It's one of the things that, that works. And for me, if you don't put in the prep, you're not gonna be able to do the job. Like you, you don't just walk in, you know, if puck drop is at 7:05, you don't walk in at 7:00 and say, "Okay, let's go.

I'm, I'm ready to call the games." Mm-hmm. You have to put the work into it. And, you know, it's, it's funny. I'm very fortunate. I have a wife who likes sports, and she likes hockey. So when I'm watching, you know, opponents, you know, San Jose and Anaheim, my wife's not sitting there going, "Why are you watching? Can we do this?"

Mm-hmm. She's like, she's always like, "Oh, you know that Macklin Celebrini's on a four-game point streak?" I'm like, "Thank you very much." Wow, you lucked out. That's, oh, I, I hit the lottery at least for my job, for sure. Yeah. Um, but there, there's just a lot of work that goes into it. Mm-hmm. And then I, and this isn't kind of to sound trite.

Like there's, there's no formula. There's no practice to it. The only thing you can do is you call the games, and that's how you get better at it. Yeah. Um, and, and you get to the repetition. And it is, for my money, 'cause I've called basketball. I've called football. I've, I've done baseball. Hockey is by miles the hardest of the, the four major sports here in North America to call because it is constant action, and players are changing- Mm-hmm

while the, you know, the object that they're playing after in this case- Yeah, in and out ... while the puck is in play. Yeah. So, you know, you gotta keep up with things. But you, you just kind of as you move on, you pick up the rhythm of- Mm-hmm ... of how the game's going. And, you know, you have to like the game and have, have a, a working knowledge of it to kind of see things that, hey, this is what's gonna happen, or kind of anticipating things.

And I'm not saying that I'm great at that. But the more you do it, it's not the easier it becomes, but it becomes a routine. And then you can keep up with it. Yeah, you do. You definitely have to train your brain. Yeah. I am wondering, though, sometimes when I watch you guys, do you ever just- end a game and think to yourself, "Man, why didn't I go into golf?"

Oh, all the time. All the time. Golf or tennis or something that is a lot slower paced. Yeah. I, I could have been a, or I could have been a doctor or a lawyer. Oh, yeah. You know, why am I here? Yeah. Yeah, sure. I, I... It is funny. There's a, a thing amongst broadcasters, I'm sure you've had this, where I've always said the day I do the perfect game, I'm gonna take my headset off, I'm gonna set it down, I'm gonna get in my car, I'm gonna go home, and I'm never coming back- Yeah

because you're never gonna do that again. There's always something that you feel that you could do better. And, um, what I've learned, especially early on, and, and I think this is a good lesson for young broadcasters coming up- I- if you think you've done something great, go back and listen, and you're like, "It's not as good as you thought it was."

[00:12:01] Melissa: Especially, like, a few weeks- Right ... yeah, away- Oh, for sure ... away from it. Yeah. And then if you, and this is the, the big one for me, if you felt that you've just absolutely butchered your, your profession, you know, had a bad game and terrible calls, and, you know. There's, there's a lot of time to think because we're on the road.

[00:12:19] Mike Maniscalco: You know, you're sitting on, on a bus, and then you get on a plane, and then you're like, "All right, I wanna hear it back and cringe, but then, you know, how can I learn from it?" But then you go back and listen. You're like, "Well, you know, it's really not as bad as you thought it was." Mm. So you have to, to find the medium.

You have to self-critique. Um, there's a way of being, you can be too hard on yourself. Exactly. And then the other side of it is, you know, don't, don't break your arm patting yourself on the back. You, you have to know, okay, other things, there are other things you can do to get better, but yeah. Well, as, as far as the podcast world goes, I am very pleased that mine is not live, and everything you say is live.

[00:12:56] Melissa: So do you ever think after a game- Mm-hmm ... "Wait, what did I just say?" I, I even do that when I'm on on tape or- Yeah. ... on video now. You know, it's, it's actually funnier when you do it live. There's, you know, you don't have the protection of the net, like- Yeah ... like I call it. Yeah. Because when you know that at any point in time we could just look here and go, "Stop," and we'll do something- Yes

[00:13:19] Mike Maniscalco: you, you get... And I don't think it's a bad thing, but you get consumed by perfection. Like- You can, yeah ... I, I could have said something different, or, oh, I stumbled over that word and everybody is going to... And when you're live, it's like, you know, it's, I always equate it to climbing up the ladder to get off the diving board on the high dive.

You know, you climb all that way up there. Now what are you gonna do now? Yeah. Like, don't turn around and wa- walk down. Climb back down. No. Yeah. Just take the jump and, you know, maybe you'll belly flop, but maybe you'll, you'll stick it. Either way, you're gonna have fun, and that's that's the other part of it.

You have to have fun especially in the sports world. And I'm so lucky to work with the people who I work with. We, we make it fun. We, we don't try to make it a joke. We try to have fun, and, and that helps. But, you know, when you go live, you just don't think about it, right? Yeah. You're, you're in, you try to be in the moment.

This is getting, like, inside the actor's studio right now. I'm talking about the craft, but- Well, I do think it's, I do think it's very important to like who you're working with. Oh, yeah. And, and your type of job especially because people would be able to, to call you out and, and, and tell that you don't like each other.

[00:14:23] Melissa: But you also have to have that camaraderie- Yeah ... of you know what he is probably about to say. He knows what, where your angle's probably gonna be coming from. How does, how does that play in? liking your partner. Oh, I, I think it, I think it helps. It is funny. You'd be surprised to know how many people out there, like, they actually don't get along.

[00:14:41] Mike Maniscalco: Oh, yeah. That is weird. I am, I would not be surprised. Yeah. I, I'm, that to me is, I'm like, I don't know how you, you do that, right? Mm-hmm. Um, and we've all had workers where, you know, you've had a bad day and, you know, you just wanna get out of there. But the, the good thing is you get to a point, and for as long as, as I've done it now, you know, in my seventh season of, of doing Play-by-Play and working with Trip Tracy I like to joke: Have you ever seen the movie Tommy Boy?

[00:15:04] Melissa: Yes, of course. So they just took the personalities of David Spade and Chris Farley and switched the bodies. They put David Spade in Chris Farley, and they put, you know, Chris Farley in David Spade's body. Yeah. That's how, why Trip and I work. And, um, you know, we have, we have fun. We take the game serious.

[00:15:22] Mike Maniscalco: Mm-hmm. We wanna make sure that we, you know, project that. Well, Shane Willis is one of the, the best people I know, and Hannah Yates is perfect. You know? Yeah. I, I joke, there's gotta be... I, you know, there's gotta be something that Hannah does that I don't know what it is, I don't wanna know, but you cannot be this nice and this good as Hannah is.

But I, I work with four good people- Mm-hmm ... in front of the camera. And then luckily behind the, the camera, I've, I've been able to work with just a ton of, of great people. You know, people who have won Emmys, people who've produced Stanley Cups and Olympics and, you know, y- you learn to lean on them, and you kinda become a family o- on the road, like I say.

Yeah, sure. Once the season starts, you see these people more than you see your- Mm-hmm ... your wife or your, your kids or anything like that. So, um, you know, it, it comes together. But we have fun. You know, not saying that there aren't times where you're like, you know, it's not all- Get me outta here ... sunshine and rainbows.

There are- Yeah ... there are days where I'm like, "We're not gonna talk until tomorrow." Yeah. You know, no talking. Don't call me. No, no talking on the plane. Let's just look straight ahead. Yeah. I'm gonna watch whatever I've downloaded on- Pretend to nap. And get from there. Watch a movie, close my eyes, and- Mm-hmm

that's that. But but those are things where you quickly get over it, um, because Trip's just a great guy. I mean, period. And it, he makes it easy for me to work with. Yeah. Because it, it, it kind of becomes, you know, like you're, you're playing music, you get into a rhythm. And I know what he's gonna do, he knows what I'm gonna do, but we also, you know, you're there to back each other up.

"Hey, I..." You know, he's the first one to say, "That was great," or, you know, you know, "We can do this better." And it's- Yeah ... it's great to have that, so I'm very fortunate. Let's get into the fans' side of things. Hurricanes fans have gotten a little bit of a reputation in the NHL for being a little rowdy. Yes, they have.

[00:17:05] Melissa: A little ex- excitable. How would you describe Caniacs to someone who's maybe never been to Lenovo Center? Um, if you have ever been to a college tailgate where everybody who went to that school, this is my team, and I'm gonna be fired up for that team. A- and, you know, I think sometimes in sports when you're talking professionally, you hear the connotation like, "Oh, it's a college town," or it's that...

[00:17:31] Mike Maniscalco: It, it's kind of viewed negative. Here, I think it's a huge positive because, you know, it's not, "Oh, you went to UNC, and I'm State," or, "You, you know, went to Duke, so go back to New Jersey." I've heard all of the jokes on it- ... by the way. Um, but I think what, what the Canes do is they bring that fever, that passion for your school and the school sports here that ruled forever before Carolina got here, before the Hurricanes got here in, in '97.

Well, now that's one team they all cheer for, and they all know how to be passionate about their school. It is the only thing that could have brought us all together. Yeah, it does. A- and, you know, winning helps. Clearly, it does help. It absolutely helps, yes. But, um, the tailgating experience. Mm. I brought up the tailgating for, you know, a college game or a college football game.

You're tailgating for a hockey game, and then you get in, and hockey is the best sport live. You know, I, I, I shouldn't say this because it kind of... I don't wanna take away from the viewers who are out there. Yeah. Please watch all of the games. But it is the best sport to go in person because where you sit, the game can change how you perceive it.

You sit close, you see how fast and how physical the game is. You sit up high, you see the skill and the plays, how they develop. So, um, it, it's just great. And then the fans get involved, and I tell everybody now because I grew up in Buffalo, right? So I grew up in a hockey town. Mm-hmm. And I grew up... I, I joke I'm an eighth Canadian 'cause I could make it to Niagara Falls in 20 minutes from my house.

And, you know, my friends, when I moved to Virginia for my first job out of Buffalo- My friends would be like, "Do you go to the city a lot?" And I'm like, "Toronto?" And they're like, "No, New York." I'm like, "No, New York's like, you know, eight hours away." Yeah, it's really far. Toronto's like 90 minutes. Yeah. Um, so I, I've had to deal with the, oh well, you know, hockey doesn't work, or it's never gonna work, or it's not this or that.

I'm like, "If you come down for a game, you'll- Mm ... I'm like, the atmosphere is, it honestly is second to none. I got Ottawa fans mad at me this year when I said that Lenovo Center is the loudest building in the NHL, 'cause it is. Mm. Not maybe the loudest sound. Like Montreal, there were sounds like, okay, that's a louder boom 'cause they've got 21,000 people in the building.

Ottawa's got more people in the building. But for consistent noise, and no team feeds off of their crowd almost in any sport, but in particular in hockey, than the way that the Hurricanes feed off of the fans. It's, you can see it. They, they help shift momentum because they stay with, they stick with the team as long as they're, they're putting in that effort.

But i- it's, it's great. And I get to tell people now, I'm like, "It's a hockey town." You know, I walk down the street, you know, when I got here in 2007, and then, you know, really started to get involved covering the hockey team, could go anywhere. You know, now I go to the grocery store and somebody's asking me, you know, not, "Can you get out of my way?"

But they're like, "Hey, what do you think about the power play? Can we get the- Yeah. Yeah ... And, and that, that to me is great. That's, that's a huge sign. And, um, it, it's just fun to be a part of it because of how invested. It's, it's not, it's not, you know, oh, it's fine, it's, it's a team in the city. It's, it's our team, and, and the fans are really invested in it.

And it's, it's fun to be a part of that.

[00:22:30] Melissa: One moment that really stands out to me when I'm looking at you is, is the moment that you and Trip realized that we were going to the Stanley Cup finals. The booth cam that I think you probably know what I'm talking about. Yep. You guys were excited. It was just a, just a heartwarming scene.

Can you break down that moment for us?

[00:22:49] Mike Maniscalco: Well, yeah. One, it was good that Trip wasn't coming off the top rope like we were in a WWE Championship match- Yeah. ... like we were in all of the other videos that got out there- Yeah, yeah ... that got popular. But y- you know, we're-

[00:22:59] Melissa: Just getting tackled.

[00:23:01] Mike Maniscalco: Um, I've got physics on my side for, for most of it, you know.

Um, but y- you're around it every day, the way that we're around the players and the coaches. And, and this is where I, I've gotta give so much credit to Rod Brind'Amour and what he has done, where he took a, a program, he took a team that most people eight years ago, before he was the head coach, you know, "Oh, Carolina has a hockey team?"

Like, you know, one of those things. And he, he put them on the map to not just be relevant, but to be the standard, to be the best team. And, you know, they'd made the playoffs eight consecutive years, but everybody was talking about, "Well, they haven't gotten to the Stanley Cup final. And, you know, is this team good enough to do it?

And, you know, is Rod the guy?" And he believed in it, and he kept sticking with it. And you, it's easy to buy in it when you're there every day. But then if you're not getting to the ultimate thing, you can see people kinda say, "Ah, I don't need to be here." Well, you never saw that with this team. You know, I've seen Sebastian Aho since he was a teenager, and now he's got, you know, he's got a kid, and it's fun to see that.

Yeah. And, you know, Jordan Staal is just one of the best people on Planet Earth. Yeah. And I'm around these guys every day. Jordan Martinook is... The- these are all good guys. Yeah. And, and you want it for them as much as, you know, for me, yeah, you dream of, "I'm gonna call a Stanley Cup game," or, "I'm gonna call the clinching of the Eastern Conference Final."

But I think it was that moment, because we've been around these guys, and there was so much, "Well, they're not gonna do it," that when they finally kicked down the door to get to the Stanley Cup- Yeah, you, you get a little bit of a, a flood of emotion 'cause you're just, you know, it's, it's relieved. You're, you're thrilled for the guys that they did it.

Yeah. There's all of that, and then, you know, we're also broadcasters for the Carolina Hurricanes. You know, we work for the team, no secret there. Mm-hmm. But, you know, because we, we work for the team and we're around it that way, yes, we want them to win, but w- we go through it with the team as well. So when they, they get there, they're taking us along for the ride.

So we're, we're grateful for that. And, um, you know, we're not gonna, not gonna be robots about it. I think that when you work for a team, when you call a team's game, you know, the fans wanna know that we're invested in it, that we wanna see the team win. And, and I think that was just one of those moments where, you know, they beat Montreal, and all right, they're going to the Stanley Cup.

Mm. All right, let's... This is what we've, this is what we've been waiting for. Yeah. Let's go.

[00:25:26] Melissa: Been dreaming of. And you're making a very good point about how when a team sticks together for so long, you really do become invested as a fan- Yep ... and as a broadcaster for, for you. Um, you get to know the people.

You feel like you know them, and you feel like you're a part of their lives. Whereas in college sports especially, people leave after one year-

[00:25:50] Mike Maniscalco: Yeah ...

[00:25:50] Melissa: now, nowadays. Yeah. You don't really get to know them in a way that we get to know the Hurricanes because they have stayed together for so long.

[00:25:58] Mike Maniscalco: Yeah, that's a, that's a great point because I think that was, you asked me about the fan base here.

You know, college sports used to be that way. You know, you committed, you signed your, your I'm gonna commit to this school, you were there for three or four years. Yeah, yeah. Like, if you left in, after three, that was early. And now it's, you know, you need more of a program than you ever did where pro sports players are sticking around- Mm-hmm

longer, so you can kind of build that connection with them. That's a, that's a really good point.

[00:26:23] Melissa: You've called some really big games especially with the Stanley Cup Finals. Does that, does it feel different to call a bigger game, or do you just go back to your normal attitude going into these, you know, big situations?

[00:26:39] Mike Maniscalco: No it's, it's, you have to- You, you can't go in making it bigger than what it is. You have to go in and, and you have a job to do, right? And my job is to call the game. Now, that being said, in a playoff series as it moves closer, you know, game six has a different feeling to me than, than game one because the Canes have a chance to win it and- And

[00:27:00] Melissa: they were really going back and forth too.

Yeah. I mean, it was like pins and needles every game.

[00:27:04] Mike Maniscalco: Yeah, and you know, that, that game three for me was the one where, you know, Vegas jumps out to that four-goal lead and they've got a four-goal lead going into the third period. Nobody erases that- Mm ... in a Stanley Cup Final. 'Cause normally it's, "All right, give them this one, regroup, we'll get ready for game four."

And, and the Canes, you know, kept firing back at them and tied it, lose in double overtime, but that's, that's one of those games- But they didn't give up ... but that's just it. Yeah. And that sends the message to, to Vegas, but you know, that was a game that was special. But you know, you don't treat it any different.

Like, I didn't, I didn't treat it any different, like I'm, oh, I'm gonna have this call or- Mm-hmm ... I need to say that. Um, it is funny, I do remember one of my first, my first broadcast had a really, really great guy who we worked with in the organization. And, um, I come out and I do the, you know, it's the first game of the playoffs, so I'm like, "Oh, it's the playoffs, gotta be big."

And I did the, like, Herb Brooks speech of, you know, you know, you know, you know, great moments, great opportunity. And his name is Paul Korpela. Paul, you're gonna get mad at me now, I don't care. He's one of the assistant general managers with the Florida Panthers. And he goes, it was a really good open, but he goes, "Cool it with the Herb Brooks thing.

It's only the first game of the playoffs." Right? So, and that was one of those things where, yeah, okay. Mm. You're right. You know, we gotta, hopefully we got a lot of these that we, we're gonna get through. But-

[00:28:19] Melissa: Yeah ...

[00:28:20] Mike Maniscalco: it, it's, it's, when you talk about athletes, and I, I've always been fascinated with their mindset, right?

Like, what makes a great athlete? What makes Michael Jordan Michael Jordan, Larry Bird Larry Bird, Wayne Gretzky Wayne Gretzky? What makes these guys different, right? What, what is ticking in them that doesn't tick in, in other guys who have ability? And one of them is always- The moments never get too big for them, right?

Game seven of the Stanley Cup Final for them is the same as game 35 of the season.

[00:28:52] Melissa: And that's where the preparation comes in.

[00:28:54] Mike Maniscalco: Right.

[00:28:54] Melissa: Always stay prepared.

[00:28:55] Mike Maniscalco: Right. Mm-hmm. And, and it's like, 'cause they're not gonna, they're not gonna mail it in in that game. I- if you can play at a consistent level, and I think that's the hardest thing to do in life is be consistent- Yeah

every day with what you do, but in particular for athletes. But you hear it, like, "Hey, we're going in this game. We've been here. We've played in this before." Yeah. You know, the game doesn't change. Like, they don't put in new rules, you know? Mm-hmm. They don't, they don't put in hoops of fire you gotta skate through, so.

[00:29:19] Melissa: Even though the pressure feels a little bit more daunting.

[00:29:22] Mike Maniscalco: But that, yeah, that, but that becomes the internal thing. Yes. Like, how do you handle that? Yeah. Where for

[00:29:27] Melissa: a few- That, that's the mental game ...

[00:29:28] Mike Maniscalco: and I think, you know, it's funny because I was ... I'll tell you, can I tell you a quick story before game six?

[00:29:33] Melissa: S- sure.

[00:29:34] Mike Maniscalco: All right, so- Of

[00:29:34] Melissa: course ...

[00:29:34] Mike Maniscalco: so before game six, it's in Vegas, and I'm like, "You know what? This is the biggest game of my life that I'm ever gonna call. I'm gonna go to bed at 10:00. I'm gonna wake up. I'm gonna make sure all my notes are, are set. I've, I've done my prep, but I'm gonna go over everything.

Gonna be good to go." Well, it's Vegas, so it didn't exactly work that way. Oh. And, you know, there were-

[00:29:54] Melissa: The slot machines were calling.

[00:29:55] Mike Maniscalco: Well, I- I- I would never do such things because I play blackjack. So that's another story. Um, no. Um, but it was one of these things where it wasn't like I was staying out to stay out, but, you know, I had

My wife had, had come out and we were with some friends, and then, you know, you look up, we went out to dinner, and you look at your watch, and you're like, "All right, well it's- Uh-oh ... it's- it's 11:00." Yeah. All right, past that thing, and then, and then I go back and I'm like, "Well, I can't sleep," right? 'Cause now I'm-

[00:30:23] Melissa: Wound up

[00:30:23] Mike Maniscalco: thinking about it. Yeah. Wound up. So, um, you get into it, and I think I finally fell asleep like, I'm like, I was gonna go to sleep and wake up and go over my notes, but I kept going over them, and got ready, and stayed out much later than I ... Didn't expect to. There are some Canes fans who are gonna sit there and it's like, "How- how did he do this?"

I'm like, at like 1:00 in the morning, if I'm up, I'm drinking like water or coffee. Oh, yeah. Like, 'cause I'm- Mm-hmm. Yeah, coffee, that's really good. That'll help you go to sleep. Yeah,

[00:30:50] Melissa: yeah.

[00:30:50] Mike Maniscalco: But like that plan just blew up, but I did get a nap in and got ready.

[00:30:54] Melissa: And adrenaline, I'm sure,

[00:30:55] Mike Maniscalco: kicked in, for sure. That was the big thing.

Yeah, that was the big thing. Yeah. But it was weird because I didn't int- no other game I was nervous. Like everything was- Yeah ... but all right, game six was the one where it kind of kicked in. But then as the day moved on, I'm like, "You know what? I've called this game. Let's go. We'll be ready to go." Mm-hmm. And then, you know, they put on that performance, which makes my life easy, and we're talking about the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes now.

[00:31:15] Melissa: Exactly. Yeah, you're, you're making a very good point that they're making your job easy- Yes ... by, by doing their job so well. You were named the 2025 North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. What, what does that mean to you? Or do you just try to-

[00:31:34] Mike Maniscalco: No, that's- ...

[00:31:35] Melissa: put it out of mind?

[00:31:36] Mike Maniscalco: You know, I'm ... Accolades and awards and things, you, you know, it's, you, you do the, "Oh, hey, that's great," or- Mm ... "No, thank you," and I'm, I'm deeply touched, right? Yeah. All of the ... But this one was different because the NSMA, um, that's your peers who vote for you. You know, this wasn't- Ah, gotcha ... it's not, it's not a popularity contest.

Yes. It's the, the people who do the job. Mm-hmm. And so this one was special that, you know, my-

[00:32:00] Melissa: It's like the Oscars.

[00:32:00] Mike Maniscalco: Right. My peers in North Carolina feel I do the job r- you know, well enough to- Mm-hmm ... to be recognized. So, um, that was, it's pretty humbling. I'm really honored for that one. That's, that's, that's one that's special, for sure.

So.

[00:32:12] Melissa: That's great. Congratulations. People hear your voice and associate it with these huge moments. What do you think people would be surprised to learn about you?

[00:32:23] Mike Maniscalco: I hate my own voice. I hate the sound of it.

[00:32:25] Melissa: Hey, nobody likes the sound of their own voice, do they?

[00:32:29] Mike Maniscalco: I don't know. There, there's some people I know who are in love with their own voice, but, You know, I, I hear my voice back and I'm like, "Wow, they let me do this job?"

Um, which is, you know- And

[00:32:38] Melissa: wow, do I really sound like that?

[00:32:39] Mike Maniscalco: Yeah. No, I know what I sound like. That's why it bothers me Yeah ... to hear it back. But that's one. Believe it or not, I'm you know, I have a job where I have to be extroverted and, you know, I, I, l- I like people, but I am... It's gonna sound weird.

I am extremely shy.

[00:32:58] Melissa: You know what? Mm-hmm. I was going to ask you that because I'm the same. We have to be- Yep ... extroverted for our jobs, but w- as soon as I leave the studio, I'm kind of like, you know- Put my blinders on. Like to be at home, don't wanna talk all the time. Yep. So you're the same?

[00:33:15] Mike Maniscalco: Oh yeah, absolutely.

[00:33:16] Melissa: So how do you feel about people coming up to you in, in the grocery store?

[00:33:18] Mike Maniscalco: Oh, I mean, it's, it's great because they're cheering for my team. I'm sure it's flattering too. Yeah, very much so. Yeah. It's, it's very weird at times- Yeah ... right? So and it's, for my, you know, for my wife it can get awkward at times because it's like, you know, you're out and they're just talking to you and you're like- Yeah

"Hi, my, I'm here with with my wife." But no, it's, it's, um, you know, it's fine. And, and it's, you know, 99.9% of the time it's all great stuff. I'm sure. So somebody- Yeah ... you know, just saying, you know, "Hey, it's great," or it's things like that. Mm-hmm. I did have a, a coworker of mine because you know, selfies are the big thing and they're everywhere.

Mm. And she goes, "Does it bother you that you're probably on like thousands of people's, you know, social media pages and things for pictures- Yeah ... and all that?" I'm like, "Well, I never really thought of it that way."

[00:34:03] Melissa: Yeah. Thanks for bringing it up.

[00:34:04] Mike Maniscalco: I'm like, "Well, it does now. Thanks, Jess." Um, but, but um, no, it, it's one of those things where, like I said, I'll go back to the diving board reference.

When I'm out, okay, I'm out, but I am very happy going home and-

[00:34:19] Melissa: Yeah ...

[00:34:20] Mike Maniscalco: and you know, sitting at home and just chilling out and, you know.

[00:34:23] Melissa: Not yelling into a microphone and-

[00:34:25] Mike Maniscalco: Yes, yes ...

[00:34:25] Melissa: and having to pay attention to every single second that's right in front of you.

[00:34:29] Mike Maniscalco: It is, it is funny though, because it, it bothers my wife now at times because when I get home I get quiet.

[00:34:34] Melissa: Mm.

[00:34:35] Mike Maniscalco: And you know, she'll, she'll talk and I'll say, you know, I'll answer in like three or four words, which would be really good on the broadcast because less is more. Mm-hmm. And she's like, "You know, you can talk a lot more." I'm like- Hello? ... "I talk a lot, I know."

[00:34:46] Melissa: Yeah.

[00:34:46] Mike Maniscalco: I go, "Doesn't mean I'm not listening." Yeah,

[00:34:48] Melissa: yeah.

[00:34:48] Mike Maniscalco: But

[00:34:48] Melissa: yeah,

[00:34:49] Mike Maniscalco: it's one of those things.

[00:34:50] Melissa: Sometimes you really do just get talked out.

[00:34:52] Mike Maniscalco: Yeah, you can.

[00:34:53] Melissa: Yeah, that's a thing.

[00:34:54] Mike Maniscalco: Absolutely.

[00:34:54] Melissa: It happens to me all the time. Okay, it's time for our What's Up Roundup lightning round series of questions before you go.

[00:35:01] Mike Maniscalco: What do I win?

[00:35:01] Melissa: I'm, you, you win not getting yourself in trouble with some of the players' names that I'm going to mention.

Oh,

[00:35:08] Mike Maniscalco: too... All right. Okay. Well, too late for that. Here we go.

[00:35:10] Melissa: Too late. Okay. What Hurricane's player's name is the most challenging to say when you are trying to call a play at full speed?

[00:35:19] Mike Maniscalco: Piotr Kochetkov.

[00:35:20] Melissa: Oh, that'll do it. Making

[00:35:21] Mike Maniscalco: a save, yeah.

[00:35:21] Melissa: Yeah, that'll do it.

[00:35:22] Mike Maniscalco: Yeah.

[00:35:24] Melissa: I had the chance to interview fan favorite Jordan Martinook in the spring.

[00:35:28] Mike Maniscalco: He's the best.

[00:35:29] Melissa: He is, he was really great. Who on the team would you say has the biggest personality?

[00:35:34] Mike Maniscalco: Jordan Martinook.

[00:35:35] Melissa: Really?

[00:35:35] Mike Maniscalco: Oh, yeah.

[00:35:36] Melissa: So I, I hit the jackpot.

[00:35:37] Mike Maniscalco: Oh, 100%.

[00:35:38] Melissa: Great.

[00:35:38] Mike Maniscalco: You, you scored a hat trick.

[00:35:40] Melissa: Yes, I did. I did. I had a feeling I did.

[00:35:43] Mike Maniscalco: He, he is like- No, it, it is a Marty party, for sure ...

[00:35:44] Melissa: great guy. Yeah, great guy.

[00:35:46] Mike Maniscalco: Great foodie, too.

[00:35:47] Melissa: It, I to- that was a lot of our conversation because I love food as well. Same. And I had the-

[00:35:52] Mike Maniscalco: Well, same, same clearly.

[00:35:53] Melissa: I had the pleasure of coming to their practice facility and interviewing him there. It was just, it was such a highlight. Really, really great experience and great guy.

[00:36:01] Mike Maniscalco: Oh, yeah.

[00:36:02] Melissa: Yeah. If you could call one game in sports history, any sport, past or present, which one would you have wanted to be a part of?

[00:36:12] Mike Maniscalco: 1980, the United States beating the Soviet Union- Oh ... at the Olympics. The-

[00:36:15] Melissa: So still hockey.

[00:36:16] Mike Maniscalco: It's, yeah, it's not, it's not the gold medal game. Mm-hmm. It's the, the semifinal game. I mean, I don't think I'm ever gonna do better than Al Michaels', "Do you believe in miracles?"

Ah. I mean, that's just a-

[00:36:24] Melissa: Yeah ...

[00:36:24] Mike Maniscalco: that's a, an iconic call that you'll have, but yeah, that's the one.

[00:36:27] Melissa: Do you ever, this is a sidebar, do you ever, um- find yourself coming up with a catchphrase like that?

[00:36:34] Mike Maniscalco: No. Well, it's, it's funny-

[00:36:36] Melissa: Or do you think about it at night? Like, my brain at 2:00 AM is thinking of things that I should, you know, s- say or do.

Do you ever catch yourself?

[00:36:44] Mike Maniscalco: No. Um, some things, most of them just happen organically. Like, um, it is funny. I was walking out of the practice rink the other day. There's a prospect showcase going on depending when people are seeing this, and there was a father with his two, two sons and they're walking out, and they turn around, and we were talking about getting recognized, and they pointed, like, they can't wait for empty net goals because they say it as soon as a Canes player shoots, they wait, and they say it before you say it.

I say, "Bingo," because everybody says bullseye, right? Mm-hmm. When they... That was the big thing. And so I'm like, "Well, I'll come up with just something different for that. We'll see if it, it works." And it's fine. It does work. But no, I, you know, I, I, I just find it silly. Like, I'm not sitting in front of a mirror going, "Oh, Mama Jean-"

with the syrup." Like, I don't... You know, I can't do that. I'm not, not that talented, nor that smart. Yeah. Um, one thing did happen. I know it's a rapid fire, but there was a call that was not mine. We had a PR guy, and his name was Pace Sagaster, and I was doing games on radio, filling in. And, um, he goes, "Hey, if you could work in the term Dear Gussy.

My grandma used to say that, so I'd appreciate it." And I'm like, "All right. I'll see if I can do it." And so then it happened, I worked it in, and it was just for him. Like, I, there was no... Wasn't mine, wasn't doing that. And, you know, people are like, "Dear Gussy, what is that?" And I'm like- ... "All right, here's the story.

Here's why." And

[00:38:03] Melissa: I- But now you're gonna hear it for the rest of your life.

[00:38:05] Mike Maniscalco: Well, no, but I got... I, I stopped it. Mm. And now the Canes have a goalie named Brandon Bussey.

[00:38:10] Melissa: Ah.

[00:38:11] Mike Maniscalco: So Dear Bussey, kind of. And I walked up to him and I go, "Look, I've said this. Here's where it came from. Are you okay with that?" And he goes, "Absolutely."

But yeah, I don't have... I mean, they're-

[00:38:21] Melissa: He seems like a great guy, too.

[00:38:22] Mike Maniscalco: Oh.

[00:38:23] Melissa: He's, he's high on my list. He's-

[00:38:25] Mike Maniscalco: That, that locker room is... There's not one person you can point to and they wouldn't be great to sit down and talk to- Yeah ... for an hour.

[00:38:30] Melissa: Yeah. I, I- Or

[00:38:31] Mike Maniscalco: have a meal with or a beverage with. Yeah, they're just that good.

[00:38:34] Melissa: Yeah. I keep on adding Canes players and, of course, announcers to my- ... to my bucket list. If you were in a jam, a, a real pickle- And you had to call one player to come bail you out, who would it be?

[00:38:48] Mike Maniscalco: Jordan Staal.

[00:38:49] Melissa: Oh, yeah.

[00:38:50] Mike Maniscalco: He's the captain.

[00:38:50] Melissa: Yeah, yeah. He's, he, he's in charge of that.

[00:38:53] Mike Maniscalco: Yep. Yeah, yeah.

[00:38:54] Melissa: He's gotta bail everybody out.

[00:38:55] Mike Maniscalco: Yeah, that's, yeah, that's his jo- that's your job, Jordan. Yeah. I hope you're happy with that. Yeah. That's what you, you've now signed up for. But yeah, that's, that's, I mean, there's, there's guys, it, it's funny, it, it's a no hesitation for me. There are other guys on that list, but Jacob Slavin would be very dependable.

I know he'd show up. Mm. Same with Jordan Martin. If there's a bunch of guys I could... Here's the good thing. There's a bunch of guys I could call, but Jordan Staal.

[00:39:14] Melissa: Yeah.

[00:39:15] Mike Maniscalco: That's, that's-

[00:39:15] Melissa: Well, you also have to have somebody that you know would answer the phone.

[00:39:19] Mike Maniscalco: Fair point.

[00:39:20] Melissa: Yeah. Okay, and finally, there have been some really big names for people who have come out to sound the siren- Mm-hmm

before the games. You've had country music star Scotty McCreery. Yep. Wrestling legend Ric Flair, and NFL phenoms Torrey and Terrence Holt. Yep. I've also interviewed Torrey Holt on this podcast before. If you could pick anyone in the world to come and sound the siren before a game, who would you want to come?

[00:39:46] Mike Maniscalco: See, it, it, that becomes difficult because you want it to be a tie to the Canes, right, or to Carolina.

[00:39:54] Melissa: Yeah.

[00:39:54] Mike Maniscalco: Um, you know, that's, that's always, like, the big thing for me. So you're, you're starting to go down history. I mean, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s a big one that you can look at, and he's actually done it. That'd be a great one.

And so, yeah, he's- Oh, has he done it? Oh, yeah. Oh. Junior's, Junior's been here. I'm pretty sure he's done it.

[00:40:08] Melissa: He'd be great at that, yeah.

[00:40:09] Mike Maniscalco: He's, he's been here a few times, and he's a huge sports fan.

[00:40:12] Melissa: Yeah.

[00:40:13] Mike Maniscalco: So Junior's on that list for sure.

[00:40:15] Melissa: And of course, Michael Jordan. Well- I mean-

[00:40:17] Mike Maniscalco: I mean, that's the- ...

[00:40:18] Melissa: thinking about Carolina sports.

[00:40:19] Mike Maniscalco: Yeah, although it is, it is funny. We talked about how the Canes bring the, the triangle together, but there are times when some North Carolina or some Duke guys have been in the building and, you know, it's predominant NC State

[00:40:32] Melissa: crowd. Michael Jordan is not gonna get booed. There's no way.

[00:40:35] Mike Maniscalco: You would be surprised, Melissa.

[00:40:36] Melissa: Really? Yeah,

[00:40:37] Mike Maniscalco: I'm just saying.

[00:40:38] Melissa: Wow.

[00:40:39] Mike Maniscalco: I'm just saying it would- I

[00:40:40] Melissa: mean, I'm a Wolfpacker- I'm just

[00:40:41] Mike Maniscalco: saying

[00:40:41] Melissa: it- ... through and through, but I'm gonna cheer for Michael Jordan.

[00:40:43] Mike Maniscalco: I'm just saying it, I don't know if it would be 100% cheers.

[00:40:48] Melissa: Yeah, well.

[00:40:48] Mike Maniscalco: But it would be 94%. It,

[00:40:50] Melissa: it, it would

[00:40:50] Mike Maniscalco: be, yeah.

[00:40:51] Melissa: Yeah. It'd still be pretty loud.

It'd

[00:40:52] Mike Maniscalco: be, it'd be pretty high. Yeah. It would be Jordan's a great name to pick too. Mm-hmm. Yeah, absolutely, so.

[00:40:56] Melissa: Yeah. Thank you so much. I know you guys are starting your season. Yep. You are in a super busy time, so I really appreciate you taking the time out and being here today- Nice ... to talk Hurricanes.

[00:41:07] Mike Maniscalco: Happy

[00:41:08] Melissa: to do it. One of our favorite topics.

[00:41:09] Mike Maniscalco: Happy, I'm, I'm glad the schedule worked out, and that I could, I could swing by for a couple of minutes. I really appreciate it.

[00:41:15] Melissa: Yes.

[00:41:15] Mike Maniscalco: And thank you very much for the best water I've ever had in my life. Yeah. Wink, wink. It's really helpful. And thank you, Vic.

It's all good. Why do you think the answers were so good? Yeah. No, thank you so much.

[00:41:24] Melissa: Thank you, and great, great season ahead, I hope.

[00:41:27] Mike Maniscalco: Should be. Fingers

[00:41:27] Melissa: crossed.

[00:41:28] Mike Maniscalco: Should be.

[00:41:28] Melissa: Yes, good

[00:41:29] Mike Maniscalco: luck. I'd like another short summer if we can make that possible.

[00:41:31] Melissa: That'd be awesome. Thanks.