EVERETT — It was 90 minutes before the Silvertips would begin their fifth season Friday night and the public-address guy at Comcast Arena was rehearsing name pronunciations.
“Number 17, Dan GEN-dur.”
“Number 33, Lu-kas Var-TOV-nik.”
“Number 3, Ty-ler ELL-ing-ton.”
It seemed the same as any other game. A few more ads on the ice. Crowd seeped into the seats and to the beer concessions. Same voice on the PA.
Only, it wasn’t the same voice.
It sounded nearly identical, which felt beyond eerie. But it was a week ago that night when The Voice, Dave Piland, lost his battle with brain cancer at age 43.
The rich, clear, thunderous voice Silvertips fans always identified as Piland’s was actually Piland’s 21-year-old son, Greg.
When the home team took to the ice for warm-ups, the New Voice let loose with a “LET’S WELCOME YO-O-O-O-UR EVERETT SILVERTIPS!”
It wasn’t an easy day for Greg Piland, never mind that he was announcing his first regular-season game. That morning was his father’s graveside service. Piland had much on his mind, so many raw emotions running through his head.
“I was glad that they had someone in here to talk if I couldn’t,” he said following the Tips’ 6-5 defeat, “but I was able to do it and I know he was helping me the whole way.”
Genetic inheritance can be a wonderful thing. On this night, it was borderline supernatural, as if the son’s resounding voice was the father’s gift to the near-sellout crowd. Many have noticed the nearly uncanny resemblance the voices father and son shared.
“I’ve heard that a few times, but I looked up to him so much, any time anybody compares me to him, I take it as such a compliment,” Piland said.
Piland had several games in the preseason to warm up. But Opening Night is a different animal. More than 6,500 jammed Comcast Arena, and while the game was the main attraction, many were mindful of the change in the announcer’s booth.
Piland admitted to early nervousness, but said he seemed to get into a pattern as the game wore on.
“He’s doing great, just great,” said season-ticket holder Steve Vekved of Edmonds between the first and second period. “Tell him that. He’s doing just great.”
“There are times when you’d swear Dave was up there,” said Sarah Vickers of Everett. “It’s like his father is still talking to us from Heaven. I swear, sometimes it gives me chills.”
Toward the end of his life, Piland’s father would coach his replacement as the two would drive to work. They would discuss voice projection and the importance of correct pronunciation. Over the spring, when Dave’s medical problems mounted, it was arranged that Greg would at least fill in and possibly do the job on a permanent basis.
“He would go over things with me and he’d have me say different things, just to see how it’s supposed to sound,” Piland said. “Driving to work every day, I’d kind of yell at everybody in traffic. They’d look at me kind of funny, but I was practicing as much as I could.”
It must have worked. The night came off without a major hitch. With occasional help from Aaron Wilson, senior ticket account executive, Piland nailed everything he needed to read. He kept up with announcing all 11 goals and 23 penalties. It was a challenging first night in more ways than one.
“He’s obviously a natural,” Wilson said. “It didn’t take him long. The first couple periods in the preseason he was kind of laying back a little bit, but he was fine after that.”
It’s the beginning of a new era under the same name. As the father had the talent to rev up a building, so does the son.
And he’s only going to get better.
“He loved Everett hockey so much; he loved the Silvertips,” Piland said of his father. “He loved doing this. He had fun doing this. It was a job, but at the same time he just had a blast doing it. I know he’d be very proud. It’s something to honor him to be able to continue to do this for them.
“It’s such a great team that’s shown so much love to our family. I just wanted to come in and do my best and to preserve the legacy that he set here.”
The son is off to a spectacular start.
Sports columnist John Sleeper: sleeper@heraldnet.com. For Sleeper[`]s blog, go to “Dangling Participles” at www.heraldnet.com.
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