The other side of the mic with… Chris Nilan

When hockey players decide to hang up their skates, their desire to stay connected to the sport they played and were so very passionate about since childhood, is still as strong as ever before. Some end up working directly with their respective teams, while some decide to work on the other side of the microphone as TV or radio analysts. Many Habs alums now cover the Canadiens in one way or another, and we caught up with a few of them to learn more about their transition to the media. This week, Chris Nilan shares his path to working for TSN Radio 690.

Take us through the process of you ending up working in media. Was it you or the network that really got things going?

CHRIS NILAN: It started a few years ago when I was doing hits on Mitch Melnick’s show. I was living in Oregon back then and I was watching the games. He’d have me on to talk about it the next day on his show. During that time, we chatted a few times about doing more on the radio. A little after that, I moved back to Montreal and I met some people at TSN Radio and they saw I was serious about it. They first gave me an opportunity on the show, Habs This Week, and I continued appearing on Melnick in the Afternoon. Eventually, they made a change and I got the opportunity to have my own show. I’m very grateful that they had faith in me and they were willing to give me a chance even though a lot of things had happened to me in the past. A lot of people aren’t willing to do that.

Did you ever think you’d be on the other side of the microphone and that your role would be reversed? Do you enjoy it?

CN: Yes and no. I always had fun doing interviews during my career. But, did I think I would be conducting them one day? Not necessarily. It was a nerve-wracking experience at the beginning because you have to do a job as well as be effective and informative. It took me a while to get used to the radio business. A lot of people think you can just …

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