CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – It’s not always the players who move up but the broadcasters as well. That is now the case for former Corpus Christi IceRays play-by-play broadcaster Josh Bogorad, who after spending seven seasons in south Texas will now be moving back into the state, this time, for the National Hockey League.
The Dallas Stars announced yesterday that Bogorad, 33, will now serve as a radio co-host alongside Bruce LeVine for all pre-game, intermission and post-game shows for the upcoming 2013-14 season. The man who once called Corpus Christi home for many years now has fulfilled a childhood dream to work in the NHL.
“It feels incredible. I have honestly dreamt of making it to the NHL since I was a little kid, and the fact that it’s now a reality hasn’t fully sunken in yet,” said Bogorad. “I think once I get to Dallas, and start going to the rink every day, and am in the building on opening night, I’ll be able to look around at 18,000 people and just take it in that I’m there. It’s a moment I’ve been looking forward to one day happening for a long time, and it’s completely surreal that it’s just weeks away from materializing. The fact that the job comes with the Dallas Stars makes an already incredible scenario that much better. I’ve always felt at home in Texas, since I landed in Corpus Christi a decade ago. Plus, I think the organization is on the rise. They have a completely revamped, young and exciting roster. They have a new proven head coach. They have a new GM with an incredible track record. And they even have a new logo and color scheme for the first time since moving to Dallas. It’s a team that is rebranding itself, and has a very bright future. I’m so excited to be a part of the new era of the Stars organization.”
The Los Angeles, California native has 17 years of broadcasting experience prior to landing with Dallas. The road to the NHL began right here in Corpus Christi where he spent seven years (2003-2010) as the IceRays broadcaster in the Central Hockey League.
“Josh is certainly very deserving of this position as he paid his dues at the minor league level,” said IceRays general manager Pat Dunn. “He was patient and also very loyal to his last two employers, now he is finally rewarded. On behalf of the IceRays organization, we wish him all the best.”
In his tenure with the IceRays, Bogorad collected the CHL’s Best Broadcaster in 2008, 2009, and 2010 while being selected to call the CHL All-Star Game in 2005, 2007, and 2010. On top of it all, he captured the CHL’s Communications Executive of the Year Award following the 2007 season.
For Bogorad though, the seven years spent in Corpus Christi prepared him more than anything else for the challenge he faced with the Aces.
“My time in Corpus Christi was immeasurably valuable in terms of my career progression,” Bogorad added. “I was fresh out of college when I joined the IceRays, and it’s where I really honed every aspect of my job. It’s where I improved as a broadcaster, and where I took on all the additional non-broadcasting responsibilities that helped pave the way for my position in Alaska. The longer I stayed in Corpus Christi, the more responsibilities I assumed in the front office, and the more polished I got on the air. Without that, I would not have been ready for the move to Alaska where I jumped into the roles of Vice President, Alternate Governor, and took over for a NHL play-by-play broadcaster. My years with the IceRays undoubtedly prepared me for everything that has followed. Even though I worked as a broadcaster through my youth and college, I will always look back on Corpus Christi as the place where I started my pro career, and set the tone for the rest of my career. In light of that, I find it incredibly fitting that my NHL break came in nearby Dallas.”
As the IceRays switched to the North American Hockey League, Bogorad advanced to the Alaska Aces where he served as the TV and radio play-by-play announcer and in 2011 was voted as the ECHL’s top broadcaster. In all, Bogorad has stepped into the press box over 700 times for professional hockey games. He will now re-unite with former IceRays standout Ryan Garbutt with the Dallas Stars who took the ice in Corpus Christi while Bogorad put on the headset.
Now only about 7hrs away, Bogorad eyes catching an IceRays game at the American Bank Center this upcoming season “I said when I left in 2010 that Corpus Christi had become more than just a place I worked. It had become my home. It still very much feels that way. I’ve kept in touch with great friends in the city, including guys like Pat Dunn and Cassidy Lange who are still a huge part of the IceRays organization. I also have family and friends outside of the team that help keep Corpus feeling like home. My wife’s family lives there, so we always have a reason to go back, and it will be a lot easier and more frequent now that we’re so close. After the Stars made me an offer, I joked with Pat Dunn about how I might finally get back to see an IceRays game now. Because of the overlapping seasons, I haven’t seen one since the last one I called in spring of 2010. It’s something I definitely want to do this season. Of all the amazing experiences, I know I’m going to have over the upcoming hockey season, getting back to the ABC and seeing a lot of old fans and friends at an IceRays game is high on my list.”
Bogorad isn’t the only recent IceRays broadcaster to move up. Following his only season in Corpus Christi, Ryan Holt took on broadcast duties with the Bakersfield Condors in the ECHL beginning in the 2011-2012 season.
Season tickets for the 2013-2014 season of IceRays hockey are now on sale. Call the front office at 361-814-7825 for details or check out the pricing and seating chart online at www.goicerays.com.
Stay current with the latest team news by visiting www.goicerays.com. In addition stay connected with the IceRays on Facebook (/corpuschristiicerays), Twitter (@goicerays), and the team’s Youtube channel ICERAYS TV (@goicerays)
