From Club Hockey to the Olympics Alex Busch Wants to Do it All

By Zachary Francis


Syracuse, N.Y - History is in the making for Alex Busch, a broadcast and digital journalism master’s student at Syracuse University. When the first club hockey game of the season rolls around, Busch will step into the announcer’s box as the play-by-play man for the club team.

When he found out his former high school coach had taken the head coaching position with the team, he knew it was time to make a phone call.

“I talked to him before I even applied,” Busch said. “If I could do something, so I could make the best of my one year here.”

While the team does have a social media presence, expanded coverage is his first goal.

“Hoping to set up a little bit of a radio broadcast, maybe television for future games and really do everything,” he said.

Even after calling games for the past two years for the Ohio University club hockey team, some might view this as a step back. Busch spent two months in Sochi, Russia interning with NBC Sports during the 2014 Winter Olympics.

“I hope to learn from what I saw from them,” he said. “We got to kind of do mock anchoring for guys, So that was kind of cool because you were actually on the set like you were going on."

The Syracuse club hockey team's first game is September 18 at Navy. Busch does not yet know if he will travel with the team, but can say with certainty he will call the home opener against Stony Brook on September 25.

Full Interview: https://soundcloud.com/acharyrancis/alex-bush-interview

Full interview transcript

Zach: Alright Alex, so you interned with NBC and worked at the Sochi Olympics, so could you just talk a little bit about that experience and what you… what you learned from them.

Alex: Yes, I uhm, did stuff on the management side of things to be honest. A lot of stuff with talent and kind of shadowing them almost and bring them place to place and kind of learning from them almost, which was kind of cool. It was more of an internship than a job, but I hope to learn from what I saw from them. I worked with guys like Dan Patrick, Bob Costas, all those kind of big, big name guys and really help them with what they needed, uhm, and I did cut a little bit of video and send that off to Stanford and other places in the U.S. while I was in Sochi. So really, all around, they called us the Operations Runners, so we really did everything there.

Zach: OK, so you were actually in Sochi?

Alex: Yes, yeah, we were there for two months. The Olympics were only two and a half weeks, but we came probably, I think it was the second week of January. We got there and helped set up everything. Uh, set studios, all different kinds of stuff and we stayed a week after.

Zach: Well, what’s the most memorable thing, what’s the most memorable memory, I guess, that you have about, that you have about the experience?

Alex: Uh, I guess when it comes to the events, I was at all the hockey games, uh, and I was able to see the USA-Russia game live when, you know, TJ Oshie, uhm, had three shootout goals in one shootout and they beat, uh, they beat Russia. That was pretty cool, especially in Russia with the atmosphere there. But when it comes to working, we got to kind of do mock anchoring for guys, for different guys before they went on air and we were basically sitting in their area where they would be and try to make sure they fit where they go and they know where they’re going and things. So it was kind of a run through before they went on. So that was kind of cool because you were actually on the set like you were going on. We kind of got to feel how they did. So that was pretty cool.

Zach: So obviously you’re a big hockey fan. Who’s your, what’s your favorite team?

Alex: Uhm, Buffalo Sabers, I’m from Buffalo.

Zach: Oh, ok.

Alex: Yep.

Zach: What did you, I mean it was a pretty classic Stanley Cup we just had. What were your thoughts?

Alex: My thoughts on that are that they Blackhawks are basically, them and I’d consider the Kings as well, are probably our best two, short lived dynasties that have really come in our lifetime in hockey. You know, the Blackhawks got Kane and Towes in one year and just tore up a storm there. And the same with the Kings, when they got two in three years there. So, it was a lot of fun to watch. I, uh, I’m from Buffalo, so Patrick Kane, I mean I live in Rochester now, but originally from Buffalo, loved watching Patrick Kane. He’s a guy that’s really fun to root for because he’s from, kind of a hometown guy. But honestly, just love to watch guys like Stamkos from Tampa Bay Lightning, so I really, I was fine with either result so it was great to see it play out.

Zach: How did you get to be the commentator, that you’ll be taking over the role for with the, uh, club hockey team here at Syracuse?

Alex: Actually, ironically enough, I, the coach here, is, was my high school hockey coach for three years in Pitchford, outside of, a suburb of Rochester. I’d been talking with him recently because I’d knew he got the job so I wanted to be involved if I came here, and I talked to him before I even applied, telling him I was thinking of applying, if I could do something, so I could make the best of the first year, or my one year here, so, uhm, I talked to him about that. They don’t even have a broadcast or anything. They do a little bit of online stuff and social, but I really wanted to take a role there, so I’m going to be calling games. Hoping to set up a little bit of a radio broadcast, maybe television for future games and really do everything. Stories, Twitter, uh, Facebook. All that kind of stuff.

Zach: Is it difficult knowing, you know, that there’s not going to be that many people that see any of the work, or hear any of it?

Alex: Not really. It’s more for my learning right now. Uhm, for the last three, or last two years I did Ohio hockey’s games, and they’re also a club team. Fans go to the games. It’s a packed arena. Like people love it. Uh, but it’s not, not many people will watch the actual broadcast besides our family and parents of the players will watch it when they’re not able to make the games. Which I’ve  actually talked to, we used to talk to some of the parents players, or the player’s parents about the broadcast when we saw them at the national tournament, but I mean, it’s really for my learning, and I’m, I’ll be able to get stuff that I can send to people and get critiqued as well.

Zach: Alright, well uhm, thanks Alex.

Alex: Thank you.