It was only for two brief seasons that Rob Mahon was the radio voice of the Prince Albert Raiders, but he leaves with plenty of positive memories.
Mahon became the voice of the Raiders on 900 CKBI in July 2021 following four seasons working as the voice of the SJHL’s Estevan Bruins.
“I’ve learned that I’m lucky to do what I do.” Mahon said about his time in Prince Albert. “Every day I come to the rink and I’m getting to work in the line of work (I’m in) that is a dream for a ton of people and for myself included. I don’t reflect on that too terribly often. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day hustle and bustle and have different priorities and have different things you’ve got to do at any given time. But when you take a moment to step back and appreciate the line of work you’re in, it hits you just how many people wish they could be doing something as interesting as I’ve been fortunate enough to do. If I learned anything, I would say take nothing for granted and appreciate where you are.”
Mahon was on the call for several notable plays during his time in the broadcast booth including Nolan Allan’s overtime winner at home against Winnipeg during his first season and Sloan Stanick’s between-the-legs overtime winner in Brandon
Mahon says the most memorable game he got to call in Prince Albert was Raiders come-from-behind victory over the Regina Pats on Feb. 17, 2023.
“When the Regina Pats were in town, the last trip Connor Bedard made to the Art Hauser. I remember saying to Martin (Ring) during the game, this is why we do this. Games like this, that’s the reason this job is fun. You have a 6-5 win, comebacks left and right, lead changes, adversity, a little bit of animosity, a packed barn cheering their lungs out, a wildly entertaining product on the ice. That’s why I’m lucky to do what I do.”
Mahon even got recognized by the Raiders during the 2023 Awards Banquet.
Towards the end of the evening, Raider head coach Jeff Truitt took to the stage and presented his own series of awards to members of the team, including Hayden Pakkala winning the Congeniality Award and Mahon receiving the Punctuality Award.
Mahon recalls the experience that won him the award during a road trip in Brandon.
“I blame my mother’s sense of direction for this one. I finished the postgame meal. I went to go back to the bus and the bus was not where I left it. I had walked right past the bus, which had been brought around to the front of the hotel. I saw the bus was not there (and I) turned around and sprinted back to the front and got there just in time to see the bus wheels starting to move. There is no inkling of panic quite like looking at a bus that you’re supposed to be on and watching it move away without you.”
During his time as the Raider broadcast, Mahon spent plenty of long hours with the team riding the bus to many cities across the Western Hockey League.
Mahon says he gained many memories traveling with the team.
“Getting to know the guys off the ice is one of the little joys of the job. I’m not sure I could boil that down to one moment. The closest I can think of to narrowing it down to one would be being on the ferry going across to Victoria with Jeff Truitt, Sloan Stanick and Evan Herman, and all of a sudden seeing orcas popping up out of the water and seeing how awed everyone was. You get to share those little moments like that when you’re on the road with them.”
As of publishing, Mahon has not announced any future plans.
