George Matthews is the current radio play-by-play announcer for the
Charlottetown Islanders
The Charlottetown Islanders are a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, the Islanders play their home games at the Eastlink Centre, which has 3,717 arena se ...
of the
QMJHL
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (french: Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec; abbreviated ''QMJHL'' in English, ''LHJMQ'' in French) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The l ...
. He was the original radio play-by-play announcer for the
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
, a
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
franchise. He held this position since the team's inaugural 2000–01 season through the 2012–2013 season. He hails from
Summerside,
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...
, Canada.
Entering his 37th season of hockey broadcasting, he is known for his passionate broadcast style and also his penchant for rhyme.
He performed limited broadcasting duties during the 2013–2014 season on the Blue Jackets Radio Network through their flagship station
WBNS (FM 97.1).
In addition to calling play-by-play action, he was also a regular contributor to the "Between the Pipes" radio show that airs weekly on WBNS during the hockey season.
Catch phrases
Matthews' trademark is his ability for improvised
rhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (usually, the exact same phonemes) in the final stressed syllables and any following syllables of two or more words. Most often, this kind of perfect rhyming is consciously used for a musical or aesthetic ...
. Some examples:
General
* "Hey hey, whaddya say?" - in reference to an exceptional play.
Referring to Skaters
* "He boot scoots it..."
* "What a steal, that's the deal!"
* "Jumpin' Jack Flash,
Rick Nash
Richard McLaren Nash (born June 16, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who serves as the director of player development for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). After being selected first overal ...
!"
* "Ka-Ching It's
CASH
In economics, cash is money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins.
In bookkeeping and financial accounting, cash is current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-imm ...
, RICK NAAAAAAASH!"
* "Nick! (
Nikolai Zherdev
Mykola Olehovych "Nikolay" Zherdev ( uk, Микола Олегович Жердев; born November 5, 1984) is a Ukrainian-Russian professional ice hockey right winger who is currently playing for the HC Merano of the Alps Hockey League.
He p ...
) with the flick for the Jackets!"
Matthews is also known for referring to a goal as "burying the
biscuit
A biscuit is a flour-based baked and shaped food product. In most countries biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also be ...
" or "burying the stash" (specifically when referring to left winger Rick Nash).
Referring to
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...
s
* "Holy Moley, what a goalie!"
* "Return to sender! What a 'tender!"
* "Jim dandy, Mr. Handy!"
* "Goodness Gracious,
Leclaire's Sensatious!"
* "
Norrena is showing to be a whopper of a stopper tonight!"
* "
Lightning quick with the leather
External links
Matthews to step away from full-time radio duties
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, George
American color commentators
Columbus Blue Jackets announcers
Living people
People from Summerside, Prince Edward Island
Year of birth missing (living people)