Kamloops Razor

 

By James McCreath

Goalie Daryl Reaugh played for the Kamloops Junior Oilers and Blazers from 1983 to 1985. Reaugh played 104 regular season games in the WHL and posted a 4.03 career goals-against average. He backstopped Kamloops to the 1984 WHL title and was named a west division all-star for the 1984-85 season.

The Edmonton Oilers selected Reaugh in the second round, 42nd overall, in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. His pro career included stints with the Edmonton Oilers and Hartford Whalers, but Reaugh’s career was cut short by a hamstring injury in 1991.

Razor — as his fans know him — has been doing commentary for seven years on Dallas Stars broadcasts. He has also worked national games for ABC, FOX and ESPN. Reaugh provided the color analyst voice for EA Sports’ NHL video game in 1998 and 1999.

He has become a popular TV personality in the U.S. with his famous “Razorisms,” his unique one-line takes on the game.

You won a WHL Championship with the Kamloops Junior Oilers in 1983-84. Did they give out championship rings back then?

Yeah they did, I still have it. It’s in the same spot that my Stanley Cup ring from Dallas is in, a safe in our home in Dallas. I wore it for a while; it’s neat to look back at. We were the first team in Kamloops to win that and in 2004 it’s going to be 20 years since we won it.

How many years have you been broadcasting?

This will be my seventh season in Dallas. I did a year in Hartford with the Whalers before that and I did a year with the IHL Vipers before that and I did one year of play-by-play with the Dayton Bombers in the East Coast League, so I guess ten years — longer than my hockey career now.

How did you end up getting into broadcasting?

It’s something I wanted to do, even when I was playing. As the end of my playing career seemed to get closer and my injuries mounted I figured that (broadcasting) was probably going to be the next step for me. When I retired I went to a trades and technical school in Boston to kind of get a leg up on being a former pro athlete that steps into the booth, and things grew from there.

What’s harder, preparing to play goal or preparing for a TV broadcast?

They’re different. The mental strain on you playing goal is a lot higher. There are no wins in broadcasting; there are good shows and bad shows. I think I prepare more now than when I played to make sure I have every base covered. It’s like anything, if you knew then what you knew now you’d be a much better athlete — or for whatever line of work you are in. I was pretty diligent in my preparation when I played goal, but it’s grown ten fold since then in this professional life.

Were you as animated in junior as you are now?

I’ve always been a pretty outgoing personality; I like to entertain people. I think (broadcasting) gives you that opportunity — along with enlightening the fans a little bit — especially down south in the States. I can teach them a little bit about the game, but first and foremost entertain. That’s what I enjoyed doing when I was younger and playing and I certainly enjoy it now in broadcasting.

Have you been to a WHL game in the last few years?

Oh yeah. Every time we come up to Canada Doug Armstrong, who’s the general manager in Dallas, and I seem to always find a way to sneak off to a junior game, especially if the time is right and obviously if there is someone we want to watch — one of our prospects. Most of the time it ends up being the Ontario league more than out in the west, although a good friend of mine, and former teammate Dean Clark used to coach the Calgary Hitmen and that was usually the easiest. We’d come into Calgary and see a game there.

I came back the year Kamloops hosted the Memorial Cup and there were a bunch of us who came back and hung out and watched games. I always come back to Kamloops every year. I find a way to get back up there. A lot of guys I played with still live there and Mark Recchi has a golf tournament and the Blazers have a big tournament. I try to find a way to get up there and see the people that I either lived with or knew in Kamloops.

You’re originally from Prince George, right?

I haven’t been back there in almost 20 years though. I don’t think I’d even recognize Prince George if I went back. One year I’d like to get back there and see how it’s grown.

Is it true that you initiated the use of Takin’ Care of Business as the Blazers’ theme song?

There’s always a lot of folklore around Kamloops, but I was involved, just put it that way. But by no means am I taking all the credit for that.

Can you implicate anyone else?

To be honest with I don’t even remember when it started to be the anthem of that franchise, but it was in and around there. There were other things that I did coin in Kamloops, but I’m not taking credit for that.

Can you blame your 4.03 GAA in junior on the old-style goalie equipment?

I blame it on three things: the equipment was so outdated; the style of play was all offence and my abilities — or inabilities.

James McCreath writes weekly features for The WHL This Week. He can be reached at [email protected].