Play-by-play announcers for National Hockey League teams called a total of 49 goals in 10 games that were on the league’s schedule Thursday night. The calls ranged from the mundane “He shoots, he scores” to more rousing acknowledgements of players putting the biscuits in the baskets.
Panthers’ Scottie Upshall’s goals will never sound the same after Arley Londono’s call Thursday.
But the calls of that night belonged to Arley Londono, who rocked the play-by-play mike in the Florida Panthers’ 2-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes. The game was the he first of three that the Panthers will broadcast on two Spanish-language radio stations this season. Fox Sports Florida made Thursday’s radio broadcast available for television via SAP.
Londono, who was the Panthers’ original Spanish-language announcer from the team’s inaugural season in 1993 to 1996, brought his hockey knowledge and a touch of World Cup soccer flair to the Thursday’s broadcast, as evidenced by Panthers goals from forwards Brandon Pirri and Scottie Upshall.
Londono was no doubt pumped about being back on the air calling a sport that he loves and hopes will catch on with the Miami-area’s large Spanish-speaking community.
“For me it’s a special moment,” Londono told the Sun-Sentinel of Broward and South Palm Beach countines before Thursday’s game. “Now with (Cuban-American goaltender) Al Montoya on the team, it’s a great challenge to restart the mission to teach hockey to the Spanish community.”
He hopes that this season’s Spanish-language broadcasts on ESPN Deportes 1210 AM in Miami and ESPN Deportes 760 in West Palm Beach will be successful enough to persuade the team’s management to offer Panthers’ entire 2015-16 season in Spanish.
“That is the mission right now, to connect the Spanish population with this sport,” he told the Sun-Sentinel, and I hope next year we’ll have it all season.”