FEBRUARY 2018

Voice of the Charlotte
Checkers
From childhood passion to full time profession, Jason Shaya
goes from watching hockey games to calling them
BY ASHOURINA SLEWO
With a lifelong passion for
hockey, it was only a matter
of time before Jason Shaya
carried his passion into his broadcasting
career. While Shaya’s broadcasting
career started in 1983 when he was
only 17 years old, it was only after receiving
his broadcasting career that he
realized he wanted to be a sports caster.
After high school, Shaya attended
Specs Howard School of
Broadcast Arts where he earned his
broadcasting degree. From there,
Shaya then went on to receive his
Bachelor’s degree in radio and television
communications from Madonna
University. Following his graduation,
he found himself at WDIV, the NBC
affiliate, in Detroit, where he worked
as a sports producer for one year.
“There [at WDIV] I worked with
Fred McLeod who at the time was did
play-by-play for the Detroit Pistons,”
said Shaya. “I saw Fred’s passion for
calling games and it was infectious. I
wanted to share the same enthusiasm
so I decided to work for the one sport
I truly enjoyed.”
It was then that Shaya decided that
not only did he want to be a sports
broadcaster, but he wanted to call
hockey games. According to the Charlotte
Checkers’ website, “He began his
hockey career in the United Hockey
League with the Motor City Mechanics
and then the Chicago Hounds before
moving on to Charlotte in the East
Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and the
American Hockey League (AHL).”
In 2007, Shaya became the official
voice of the Charlotte Checkers
and has continued to reach many
milestones, calling hundreds of
games and even filling in as a goaltender
for the team in November of
2017. It was on December 19, 2017
that Shaya reached a major milestone
that he won’t soon forget.
Shaya was called up to call his
very first game in the National Hockey
League (NHL). He was selected
above others to fill the full in role because
the Charlotte Checkers are the
top affiliate of the Hurricanes. Shaya
would begin preparing for the Toronto
game one month before his debut.
“It was very satisfying but also quite
daunting,” explained Shaya. “I had a
month or so to think about it before
it happened so I went through a lot
of preparation to ensure I was ready.”
Shaya contributes his ability to truly
pursue his passion to his father. “I dedicate
my NHL game to the greatest man
I ever knew, my father Shafiq Shaya,”
said Shaya. “Because he had the guts
and foresight to raise his family in a different
country from where he was born
and raised, it gave me and my siblings
a chance to live a much more fulfilling
life. He taught me the necessity of hard
work and the importance of studying in
order to become successful.”
“It was incredibly stressful but also
very exciting,” said Shaya. “I’m very
happy with my work for that game
and I am looking forward to my next
broadcast on February 6th in Raleigh
against the Philadelphia Flyers.”
Looking to the future, the Detroit
native’s aspirations remain the
same. “My full-time job is to be the
Voice of the Charlotte Checkers in
the American Hockey League,” explained
Shaya. “My goal remains the
same however, to become a full-time
NHL broadcaster. Occasionally, at
this point, I will continue to work
[Hurricanes] games when needed.”
Shaya’s advice to broadcasting
hopefuls, in and out of the Chaldean
community, is to remain focused on
the goal, no pun intended, and work
hard as the industry can be difficult
to break into.
“My message would be the same
to any up and coming broadcaster:
if you work hard enough and are a
upstanding person with integrity,
you can accomplish your goals,” said
Shaya. “This is a very difficult business
because there is almost no turnover.
Getting a job in the NHL is
extraordinarily rare. Practicing your
craft and meeting the right people is
essential to advancing.”
22 CHALDEAN NEWS FEBRUARY 2018