Griffins Power Play with Bob Kaser

Voice of the Grand Rapids Griffins Bob Kaser joins us for our weekly Griffins Power Play!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And this is West Michigan's morning News. Steve Kelly Schmidty
back with us soon it's brooks In for Bakita. Let's
go in the power play with our Grand Rapids, Griffins
and our friend Bob Kaser. But we have to lead
in our conversation with Bob by starting with this.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Oh he's got the puck behind his net, gives it
to Logison it got away from him. No big hit
Centaarice Shines has laid out as man Gryffin Soderblaum puck
shot star Elmer's soda blomb. He's done his first and
the Grifflins with a terrific come from behind whin and
credit Dominic Shine, who absolutely obliterated Robotott center Ice freed

(00:45):
up Soderblam.

Speaker 1 (00:46):
I gotta tell you, Bob, I don't know if you're
like me, but I can't get enough of my own voice.
What a treat that must have been for you?

Speaker 3 (00:53):
Oh what a great dat way to wake up the morning.

Speaker 1 (00:56):
Yeah uh, you won another award. You're a eleventh Michigan
Association of Broadcasters award over the weekend. With that call
and the stuff that we're used to hearing, can you
put hardware in perspective. In your great career that I
mentioned started about the same time that mine did in
about the same place.

Speaker 3 (01:18):
With Outwood Radio. There's no awards, right like you guys
are you guys are play a big role in it.
You know from day one, Steve like that, you know
they not looking at the National Hockey League is the
closest thing to it. You guys treat the Griffins like
we're the National Hockey League and it's just been a
great relationship for a long time. And you know, I've

(01:41):
also said, like I don't know many teams, even at
the major league level who have been on the same
radio station for all twenty nine years of their franchisees existence,
Like that's almost unheard of, so especially this Dain agency.
So that's a testament I think Di iHeart and you
guys and you know, the relationship to Griffin have had
with with iHeart for so long, it's it's been it's

(02:04):
been gold. We've got blast with it, that's for sure.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
We certainly have two on this side of the microphone.
And congratulations again and and to that call as you
hurtle toward the postseason, the Griffins have three this week
one on the road Wednesday, they'll face the Cleveland Monsters,
then Texas comes to town Friday and Saturday night. In
that call that you won the award, it was Dominic

(02:29):
Shine scoring once again. He just returns back to the Griffins.
Talk to us a little bit about the unique situation
that minor league hockey has, and that's players with two
way contracts that go back and forth.

Speaker 3 (02:45):
Oh my gosh. I mean, everybody that follows the Griffins
understands that and follows the American hockebyg understands that. And yeah,
you get and you get to you're kind of disappointing
when you lose guys, but you know, that's what we're
here for, especially a guy like dom Shine. It's spent
seven years with us, and you know, there was along
the way, probably not that many thoughts of him playing
in the national hocketing until the last couple of years

(03:06):
where he's just developed into a heck of a hockey
player over and above, you know, being a team leader
and all of that. I mean, he's he's become the
complete package to the point where the Red Wings finally
give him a chance, and not only give him a chance,
he goes up there and he in his own mind
finds out that he's plenty good enough to play in
the National hockeya But you know, he he gets sent
back to us, and what a difference he made it,

(03:29):
he and Austin Watson. While those two guys have gone,
we're owing four scored five goals in four games, and
they come back and we sort of franchise record scoring
fifteen goals in two games. So you know that right
there tells you just how much those guys mean to us,
and and and likely will happen him now for the
rest of the year, and you'll start reving it up again,

(03:50):
hopefully getting ready for the playoffs because we've we've been
through a tough stretch here a lead.

Speaker 1 (03:54):
Speaking in the playoffs, and it has to be in
your humble opinion, what do you like about this team
team moving forward in the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (04:03):
Still love the goaltending, Still love our team defense, and
now feeling a lot better about our offense. Simple as that.
I mean, you know you've got Watson him shine back.
You know we got just to gets to our depth.
And then you got Elmer Soderblaum who scored that goal,
and he's you know, he would be. He's on our
playoff roster, so if the Red Wings can not get

(04:23):
in the playoffs, then Soda Blam would be likely coming
back to Grand Rapid, So that would be a big
boost as well.

Speaker 1 (04:29):
By the way, that kid is so tall he could
probably pass you a beverage when you're.

Speaker 3 (04:34):
Doing I've got a great I've got a great picture
of him standing in front of the the check in
desk at the hotel in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and his head
is literally grazing the ceiling and it's an optical illusion
because it just I mean, it's it's off to send

(04:55):
to the photo. Anybody listening right now isn't gonna be
able to see. I can put it on my Twitter page.
But man, yeah, he's a big boy number and he's
also thick, and he also makes a huge difference on
our in our lineup too. So yeah, lots of lots
of good things about Ammersota Blum.

Speaker 1 (05:12):
Again on the road Wednesday, that's the Monsters, then the
Stars are in town Friday and Saturday. Tickets are available.
Bob Kaser, the radio voice of the Grand Rapids Griffins
great stuff is always thank you, thanks so much, guys,