Historical Moment: Voices of the Titan
The fabric of any hockey town – or city for that matter— are its fans and community. It’s the people who show up game-after-game to raise up their players during the lows, and celebrate them during the highs of the major junior cycle. Woven throughout that narrative are a select few individuals – a group of people behind the scenes- who willingly give their time, passion and knowledge to the game. As the seasons and decades tick by, they become as synonymous of the team as the mascot, players or many staff members.
For us at the Acadie-Bathurst Titan our record keepers and storytellers are Peter Assaff and Gilles Degrace. Since the beginning of our time here in 1998, Assaff and Degrace have become The Voice of the Titan. Assaff and Degrace have shared some of their highlights from the 25 years they’ve been with us.
Degrace
Q: When did you become involved with the Titan and how long have you done the play-by-play for the team?
A: I was the first to announce on CKLE FM that the Titan were moving to Bathurst. As far as the play-by-play, I started with the first Titan road game of 1998 in Quebec city. I’ve done the Titan away from home games for 23 of the Titan 25-year history.
Q: What is your favourite moment to date covering the Titan?
A: Doing the play-by-play of the 2018 Memorial Cup championship game in Regina, and describing the Titan winning the Memorial Cup. Doing the play-by-play of the 1999 President Cup win is also a great souvenir.
Q: What history-making moments have you had a front-row seat to and what was that like?
A: Seeing Jeffrey Viel accepting the Memorial Cup from Mr. David Branch of the CHL is just unforgettable.
Q: How do you feel knowing you and Peter Assaff are the voice of this team?
A: Proud to be part of a great experience.
Assaff
Q: When did you become involved with the Titan and how long have you done the play-by-play for the team?
A: I’ve been covering the Titan since the day the announcement was made that the team was moving to Bathurst from Laval, Que. That was in the spring of 1998 and I have never missed a season providing everything from radio, newspaper, television and online reporting over the past 25 seasons. My first time doing play-by-play for the team was during their first season in Bathurst. Although I mostly did colour commentating that year, I did some play-by play as well, including being on air from the Memorial Cup in Ottawa. After doing a handful of games each season, I became the full time English play-by-play voice of the Titan in 2006 when the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League started broadcasting all home games from the K. C. Irving Regional Centre and called my 700th Titan game earlier this season.
Q: What is your favourite moment to date covering the Titan?
A: That is a hard question, as there have been so many great moments. Definitely being able to broadcast both President Cup wins in front of sold-out crowds at the Irving Centre is something I will never forget. It is one thing to cover a big win on the road, but to be able to do it while the hometown crowd is in a frenzy is an experience that I will never forget. Both times the Titan won the President’s Cup the atmosphere at the Irving Centre was amazing, the roar of the crowd unforgettable and the emotions from the players (as I interviewed players live on the ice during both celebrations) was priceless.
Q: What history-making moments have you had a front-row seat to and what was that like?
A: Again, there are so many to choose from, which is a testament to the amazing hockey we’ve seen in Bathurst. One that really stands out happened during the team’s second season in Bathurst when Mathieu Benoit and Francois Beauchemin, who were both part of the club’s first President’s Cup win six months earlier, teamed up for an historic night on November 14, 1999. In a 12-3 win over Chicoutimi, Benoit scored eight goals while Beauchemin added eight assists. Both QMJHL records. What started out as a random game, in a rebuilding season, turned into a night that few who were in attendance will ever forget. Just over a month later both Benoit and Beauchemin were traded to Moncton in a blockbuster deal, but on that night they gave fans in Bathurst one of the greatest history making nights in franchise history.
Q: How do you feel knowing you and Gilles Degrace are the voice of this team?
A: It has been an honour to work alongside Gilles all these years. Getting a front row seat to 25 years of amazing junior hockey has been a privilege, and getting to be one of the voices of the Titan has been a humbling experience. I’ve been very lucky to have had the opportunity, and have had the chance to work alongside some talented and passionate people (like Al Hebert, Paul Cormier, Steve MacDonald, Wayne Parker, Gerry Greene, Craig Eagles and my longtime friend and co-host Mike Ballak). Each of them has taught me a lot and made me a better play-by-play announcer. After 25 years I still get a little extra spring in my step every time I walk into the rink, and love seeing the familiar faces of the fans that I get to chat with on the way to my seat as I get settled in behind the microphone for another great night of Titan hockey.
