Goal Line Report
Christopher Botta: Living the Dream
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/27/10 at 09:03 AM ET
Comments (0)
This professional hockey writer/blogger needs no introduction. He worked with the New York Islanders as a media relations executive for many years before delving into the hockey writing/blogging world full-time for well-known outlets such as IslandersPointBlank.com and NHL FanHouse at AOL. More importantly, he’s doing what he’s always wanted to do in life and that’s be involved in hockey.
He is the great Christopher Botta. Mr. Botta was kind enough to take time out of his very busy schedule to do an e-mail interview with me where he tells us how he got into the game, his time with the Islanders, his experience at IslandersPointBlank.com and Fanhouse, and his thoughts on the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Enjoy:
PH: How did you get into hockey?
CB: During my junior year at La Salle University in Philadelphia, I interned at WIP Radio for Merrill Reese - the longtime play-by-play man for the Philadelphia Eagles. I would help him get “sound” for his morning sportscasts by interviewing Flyers, Sixers and Phillies after their games. On the last day of my internship, the Flyers asked me what I was doing during my senior year. (Free help!) I worked the entire 1986-87 season when they went to the Stanley Cup Final. I worked in PR and wrote a lot of stories for their team publications. If you look at the Flyers’ version of their Stanley Cup Final program, I pretty much wrote the whole thing. It was an incredible experience for a young lad.
PH: Growing up, who was your favorite team/player?
CB: I became an Islanders fan when they were born in 1972 and I was 7. By the time they won their first Stanley Cup, John Tonelli was my favorite.
PH: At what point in your life did you know that you wanted to be involved in hockey?
CB: Probably during that Cup Final year with the Flyers. All those players—Dave Poulin, Brad Marsh, Tim Kerr, Mark Howe, Ron Hextall, the late Peter Zezel—they could not have been nicer. I didn’t know what to expect. I started thinking that if the culture in the NHL is so friendly, maybe this would be a fun and exciting place to try and make a living.
PH: Tell us about your media relations gig with the New York Islanders. What was that experience like?
CB: Unless you have a few hours, I honestly would not know where to start. Let’s just say that I was very fortunate to be able to work for the team in a variety of capacities for 20 years. Through all the ownership changes, the franchise was very good to me. I earned a living and raised a family doing something I loved, and with the only major pro sports team ten minutes from my house.
PH: How did you get the hockey writing gig at IslandersPointBlank.com? Tell us about your experience at the site and how it has helped shape you as a professional hockey writer/blogger.
CB: About a month or so after I left the Islanders in May of 2008, Chris Dey asked me to lunch and wanted to know what I thought of doing a blog that would cover the team. The Islanders’ coverage is not very deep (only one newspaper travels) and it would give me a chance to kind of serve an apprenticeship in my next chosen field of sportswriting. I was grateful for the opportunity. It helped me, in a big way, get started. It also led to my gig at AOL FanHouse.
PH: What do you try to provide readers on a daily basis?
CB: I think every writer ventures to bring something different to the table. I do not always succeed at FanHouse, but I’m learning. I’m sitting in the TD Garden press box now as I write this e-mail, thinking of some good angle I might be able to bring to Game 6 between the Bruins and Sabres. It doesn’t always happen, especially when I like to finish 60 minutes after the final horn so the reader has something fresh. I’ve been very happy with some of my stories. Some I look back on and think, Boy, I really blow. My hope is that my batting average gets a little better with each week I do this.
PH: How did you get the national hockey writer gig at AOL Fanhouse?
CB: When my one-year agreement with the Islanders on Point Blank ended last August, I was fortunate to have friends and contacts who made some offers or pointed me in the right direction. Among all the calls and emails was an extraordinary gesture from a PB reader whom I had never met. He worked for AOL in Dulles, VA as a senior auditor, was a big Islanders fan and wanted to tell the sports editor of my work. He did. I was hired by FanHouse to be their senior NHL writer a week later. There’s no way I could ever re-pay the man for what he did for me.
PH: How have you been enjoying your time there thus far?
CB: I have to pinch myself. The group at AOL has been so kind to me, so professional to deal with. I hope we can keep it going for a long time.
PH: Being that you are in the media, what are your thoughts on the emergence of hockey blogs? What do you think the future holds for MSM hockey writers and hockey bloggers?
CB: Seems to me we’re no longer at the point where people question the credibility or vitality of blogs. They are here to stay. Some of the main-streamers who took forever to accept them have been left by the wayside. One of the best things to come out of the blogosphere is that some extremely talented writers, including some who couldn’t catch a break in their first attempts to be part of the MSM, have had their breakouts via their blogs.
PH: How about some hockey talk – What are your thoughts on the Stanley Cup playoffs so far?
CB: We’re just finishing the first round, and I hope they never end. Great, great stuff. Crap, the only series that wasn’t terrific was Flyers-Devils - the one I covered! I’m glad to get to a Game 6 in Boston and maybe a 7 in Buffalo or Chicago.
PH: Come June, which team will be the last one standing, why?
CB: When they asked us at FanHouse to draw up predictions, I went with Washington over San Jose in the Final. But I hate those predictions. All they do is confirm that none of us knows what the heck we’re talking about!
PH: Any words of wisdom for Kukla’s Korner readers?
CB: Well, Kukla rules - but you already know that. If anyone wants to get into this business, don’t let some crabby college professor tell you it’s a long shot. I’ve had two dream jobs over the first half (I hope) of my adult life, and it’s not like my grades were good or that I’m especially talented. Go for it.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Christopher+Botta, New+York+Islanders, NHL+Fanhouse,
Comments
Be the first to comment.
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.
Most Recent Blog Posts
An E-mail Interview with Sean Hartnett of WFAN.com
Devils’ Late Goal Sinks Rangers’ Comeback Efforts
Some Nasty Moments in The Rangers/Devils’ Rivalry
Looking for Answers Tonight in Game 5
Prust to Have Hearing Tomorrow
About Goal Line Report
Patrick has a tremendous passion for hockey. Besides covering the Rangers and the NHL for Kukla’s Korner, you can also find Patrick’s work over at Sportsnet.ca, The Red Light District Hockey Blog, NHL Home Ice, and Liam Maguire’s Ultimate Hockey web site.
Prior to writing for the above mentioned outlets, you could find Patrick’s musings at hockey web sites/outlets such as TheHockeyNews.com, TheFourthPeriod.com, Spector’s Hockey, Hokeja Vestnesis, Blueshirt Bulletin, SNYRangersBlog.com and many more.
For questions, comments and hip checks, feel free to e-mail Patrick at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Watch great hockey at a low price with Dish Network Specials
