Ahlers seeks play-by-play job in NHL

This week marks the end of a broadcasting era for the Portland Pirates with the departure of longtime play-by-play man Dave Ahlers and the hiring of his replacement, Greg Glynn.

After nine years as the radio voice of the Pirates, Ahlers has resigned to pursue a similar job in the National Hockey League.

“It’s sort of a good kick in the butt for me and one I had to make right now,” Ahlers said. “I’ve been here for nine years now with the Pirates and after you’ve been in one place awhile, you either continue to grow or come up against some limited horizons.

“I felt like I’d done everything there was for me to do here and maybe it was time to go and get one of those NHL jobs I keep talking about every year.”

Ahlers, who was a finalist for the Boston Bruins radio play-by-play job a couple of years ago, has already applied for play-by-play jobs with the Phoenix Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche.

The 37-year-old University of Maine graduate has been with the Pirates for 11 seasons, the last eight as the team’s radio voice and the last three as play-by-play man and director of communications.

“Other than a frosh year at RPI, I’ve been in Maine all my life,” said the Cumberland native. “It was more of a feel kind of thing. I’ve never been one to write out a playbook. I know some people will say ‘Is this guy crazy?’ but it just seems like a good time to do this.”

Ahlers acknowledges the chance there may not even be an NHL season next year with the threat of a lockout hanging in the air, but he’s not letting that dissuade him.

“If there’s no NHL next season, maybe I’ll just have to go out and try something else. Hopefully I can find a situation that will work for me,” said Ahlers, who is not currently employed. “After nine years, a little break doesn’t hurt. The season runs six to seven months and is very demanding. I went two months without a break at one point and some of those days are 16-hour days. There’s certainly some anxiety in taking a leap like this, but it also brings with it some motivation, and I felt I needed to take a leap.”

Despite the long season, the dual responsibilities, and demands of his job, Ahlers missed just one broadcast out of 776 in his nine seasons.

Ahlers has won two Maine Association of Broadcasters’ awards for radio play-by-play (1996) and television play-by-play (1997). Last year, he was given the James H. Ellery Award in radio by the American Hockey League for outstanding contributions to the progress of the AHL.

Glynn comes to Portland from Hamden, Conn., where he was a broadcaster at WQUN-AM. He has been calling Quinnipiac University hockey and women’s basketball games the last four years. Before that, he spent two years as the MAAC beat writer for U.S. College Hockey Magazine. Last year, Glynn also worked for New England Cable News.

Sox Nation expands borders

Red Sox Nation is expanding its frontiers. Thursday night marked the advent of Boston Red Sox TV broadcasts on New England Sports Network over the Comcast cable system in New Haven, Conn. The game broadcasts will also be available in Hamden and West Haven.

Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr., and other civic leaders gathered at a ceremony emceed by Sox radio broadcaster Joe Castiglione Thursday night in New Haven.

Andrew Neff can be reached at 990-8205, 1-800-310-8600 or at aneff@bangordailynews.net