NEWSCHANNEL 2 Sports Director Spencer Davidson goes 1-on-1 with Utica Comets broadcaster Joe Roberts to discuss life at home during the AHL season suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic, confidence level in the AHL season returning, best Comets player to live with under quarantine, and more!
Fans - but broadcasters as well.
Earlier tonight - i caught up with the voice of the utica comets - joe roberts - to see what he's been up to and how life has been different since the season was suspended on march 12.
Joe: we have been doing a lot of restaurant stuff so there's been that, we have been trying to keep comets content going out whatever little we can.
Since jessica went back to work i am a stay at home dad, i am a full-time stay at home dad so it is actually kind of cool because that was never supposed to happen, that was never time i budgeted for so to have that is actually really cool.
Spencer: been doing play-by-play of every day life?
Joe: no i have no problem shutting that down.
My focus has been on nora and it's just because my wife is it back at work and so it's just been me kind of learning what it takes to be a dad and make sure that i don't break anything before she comes home.
Spencer: biggest adjustments being at home versus on the road for eight months of year?
Joe: i see a lot more of my wife which is funny because we always joke around during hockey season when you're in the grind of the whole thing it gets challenging, it puts a strain on a relationship, you work the hours and you travel quite a bit and you do things over the phone or on facetime and that kind of stuff and then now you're like sitting there staring at each other like what are you doing here.
Our joke was sort of during the season she kind of hopes that it finishes quicker now she would do anything for hockey to come back to get me out of here so it's strange it's strange for everybody.
Spencer: confidence level about a-h-l season returning?
Joe: we are remaining very optimistic and following the lead of the nhl and the all anybody wants is to make sure that conditions are going to be healthy for everybody that is involved, players, staff, officials, fans etc.
Spencer: have you talked with any of the players throughout this suspension?
Joe: i've been in touch with a few guys and i think that they're all on orders or very strict recommendations from the players association and the leagues in management etc.
So they're all doing the best they can to stay healthy and flat in the curve so they are all doing their part and i think they are probably getting a little antsy, you tell a pro athlete he can't go out and do his job i imagine it's very very challenging for them so i'm sure a lot of them are chomping at the bit or to get back to action and we are continuing to hope that everybody can be put in a healthy situation and at hockey can return at some point.
Spencer: which comet would you want to be quarantined with?
Joe: that's a good question, i would say there are a couple of guys that are coming to mind.
I think one that is popping out right now is guillaume brisebois.
I have heard he is very neat, he's as nice of a person as you'll ever meet in your entire life i have to imagine that he's very easy to live with.
I think he was teammates with frankie perron this season and they were always great, they were always happy, they were always fantastic so these are apparently has a reputation of being a neat guy as well i'll take that.
Thanks to joe for taking the time to talk with us.
That was just a snippet