Firebirds Name Brian Gardner Director of Communications and Play-by-Play Announcer
FLINT, Mich. – The Flint Firebirds announced on Friday that Brian Gardner has been hired as the team’s Director of Communications and Play-by-Play Announcer.
“I am thrilled to join the Firebirds,” Gardner said. “In my short time in town so far, I have gotten a taste of the passion of the fan base and it’s infectious. I can’t wait to feel the energy inside the Dort Financial Center on Opening Night.”
Gardner arrives in Flint after spending the past two seasons in the Black Hills of South Dakota as the Manager of Media Relations and Broadcasting for the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush. Prior to his time in Rapid City, he was the Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations for the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs of the SPHL for four seasons. He was a finalist for the ECHL’s Media/PR Director of the Year award in 2022 and was named SPHL Broadcaster of the Year in 2019.
“We are very excited to have Brian join our franchise,” Firebirds President Jeremy Torrey said. “He has been recognized for his talents both on and off the mic in both the ECHL and SPHL and brings a lot of experience to the organization. We are confident that Brian is going to do a great job as our Director of Communications and Play-by-Play Announcer.”
A native of Burke, Virginia in the Washington, D.C. area, Gardner brings 10 years of professional broadcasting experience to the Firebirds. In addition to his years in pro hockey, Gardner spent time in minor league baseball with the Salem Red Sox and Binghamton Mets, college hockey with Middlebury College and college basketball at Radford University. He is a graduate of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications.
Gardner will be on the call for Firebirds games all season on US 103.1 FM and OHL Live. You can hear him for the first time when Flint opens up the season on September 29 on the road against the Soo Greyhounds. Fans can get access to OHL Live on CHL TV with a special, limited time discounted offer of $79 for the full season pass, or Firebirds Season Members can get it for $59 by visiting the Dort Financial Center or The Bird’s Nest during business hours.
Single-game tickets are on sale NOW, available at Etix.com or in-person at the Dort Financial Center Box Office. Additionally, suite rentals are available now for the home opener and group tickets can be preordered by calling the Dort Financial Center Box Office during regular business hours.
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