Voice of Mooseheads for 20 years is stepping down

After 20 years of gruelling road trips and watching young stars take the ice, veteran broadcaster John Moore is stepping down as the voice of the Halifax Mooseheads and will no longer call their games over the radio.

"I gave it a lot of thought and I just felt that it was time," said Moore.

Moore is a long-time sports broadcaster in Halifax. He started his media career in Halifax with CJCH/C100 in 1983 when the newsroom had a thriving sports department.

But local radio sports were cut back and eventually Moore was left looking for a fresh start. That's when he forged his first deal to call Mooseheads games.

"I approached CHUM and sat down and discussed if they would consider me purchasing the air time from them and try to broadcast the games on CJCH," said Moore.

"At first it was just the road games but eventually they allowed me to call the home games."

Since that first season Moore has been a road warrior. Travelling with the team on dozens of long bus trips each season has taken a toll on the 62-year-old.

"I think a lot of people don't understand the wear and tear of travelling on the road," said Moore. "You were there to work and it was a demanding schedule that often included returning at 3 a.m. and being away for five or six days at a time."

While the years of hitting the highway have been tough, Moore said he always loved being around the next generation of young hockey stars.

Moore grew up in Sackville, N.B., and attended Mount Allison University, where he played hockey from 1976 to 1979. He spent a year playing in Holland, then returned to Canada and took broadcast journalism at Fanshawe College in London, Ont.

Moore, who has a 17-year-old daughter who recently played volleyball for Nova Scotia at the Canada Games in Winnipeg, said it's been a privilege to see so many talented young hockey players come through the Mooseheads system.

He said the Memorial Cup win in 2013 was the highlight of his two decades with the team.

"I remember that week in Saskatoon vividly," said Moore. "It was certainly a season to remember and if you check the CHL record book the accomplishments of that team were among the best of all time."

Moore said his attention will now shift to his expanding Sports and Moore website where he continues to provide local sports coverage.

The Mooseheads say the search is now underway to find a new play-by-play announcer for this season, which begins Sept. 21 in Saint John.

John Moore's all-star lineup

When asked if he could name his own Mooseheads all-star lineup from the past 20 years, here's what Moore came up with.

- Goaltender: Jean-Sebastien Giguere

- Defencemen: Milan Jurcina, Jared McIsaac (current member of Mooseheads)

- Centre: Nathan MacKinnon

- Left wing: Jonathan Drouin

- Right wing: Nikolaj Ehlers