‘Dream come true’ for BGSU alumnus named voice of the Columbus Blue Jackets

Steve Mears ’02 becomes lead play-by-play announcer for NHL club’s television broadcasts

By Nick Piotrowicz

At this stage of his career, Bowling Green State University alumnus Steve Mears ’02 has called games in the Stanley Cup Final, hosted shows on major TV and radio networks, broadcast international tournaments and seen just about every major hockey venue in North America.

But there was nothing quite like the first time he walked into Slater Family Ice Arena to call a hockey game as a BGSU freshman.

Mears, a western Pennsylvania native who adored hockey and dreamt of being an announcer, said he couldn’t believe he had the chance to call a real, live Division I game on WBGU-FM.

To an 18-year-old Mears, the Falcons’ hockey game was the single most important event in the world that night.

“I remember when I got to do my first game, it was against Michigan State, and I treated it like it was the Super Bowl times 10,” Mears said with a laugh. “I was so overly prepared and so overly excited to call the game.”

Two decades later, Mears will return to Ohio in the realization of a lifelong dream: he is now the play-by-play voice of an NHL television broadcast after being hired by the Columbus Blue Jackets to call their games on Bally Sports Ohio.

Mears will replace longtime play-by-play voice Jeff Rimer, who retired after the 2023-24 NHL season, and join analyst Jody Shelley.

Obtaining a top play-by-play position is often a career-defining role in sports broadcasting, an incredibly competitive field with precious few openings at the top levels of sports. Mears said being an NHL announcer always was his goal, and he used his time at BGSU to take crucial first steps into the industry.

“When you think about it, there are only 25 NHL teams based in the United States, so there are only 25 TV play-by-play jobs, and they’re very competitive and people from all backgrounds and levels are interested in these positions,” Mears said. “It’s not easy, but I committed to it from day one at BGSU. I got on the air as a freshman to call hockey games, and that opened a door for me.

“People thought I did a decent enough job, and then you start to go through the steps. It’s almost like being a player: you graduate and you go to the next level and work in the minors, then hope for your big break.”

After college, Mears left to become the voice of the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs of the Central Hockey League. Mears caught his big break in 2006 when he was hired by the New York Islanders to be their radio play-by-play voice.

"I would encourage any student interested in a similar path to do the same thing: go to BGSU and you’ll have the time of your life.” - Steve Mears, voice of the Columbus Blue Jackets

Mears later spent five years with NHL Network – where he called games for NHL International and served as host for programs like NHL NOW and NHL Live – and hosted MLB Tonight on MLB Network from 2015-17.

He spent the past seven years doing both TV and radio broadcasts for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Earlier this year, Mears called Stanley Cup Playoff games on TNT and hosted NHL Datacast, an analytically focused broadcast that gave fans an in-depth look at the Edmonton Oilers' series defeat of the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final.

Mears first applied to BGSU largely because of its hockey history. Hall of Famer Rob Blake, Olympic champion Ken Morrow, Stanley Cup-winning coach Dan Bylsma and Stanley Cup-winning executives George McPhee and Brian McLellan are all Falcons.

When he discovered BGSU also had a quality School of Media and Communications – its journalism program is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) – all there was to do was visit.

The rest was history.

“I just fell in love with the campus and with the town,” Mears said. “It was the perfect size, the perfect setting and the people were wonderful. It was a dream setting for me when I visited.

“It was a completely idyllic four years, and I would encourage any student interested in a similar path to do the same thing: go to BGSU and you’ll have the time of your life.”

As a BGSU junior in 2000, Mears traveled to see a game in Columbus during the Blue Jackets’ inaugural season.

He said the memory stuck with him, making the chance to take the helm for the club’s television broadcasts even more special.

“it was incredible – everything was so new and fresh, and it was so exciting as a hockey fan,” Mears said. “Now, to be calling games for the Columbus Blue Jackets all these years later, it’s a dream come true.”