Steve Kolbe
Encyclopedia
Steve Kolbe is the former radio
play-by-play announcer for the Washington Capitals
. He held the position from the start of the 1997-1998 NHL season to the 2010-2011 NHL season.
, near Catonsville, Maryland
, and went to Mount St. Joseph High School in the early 1980s. He played on the school football
team but they didn't have a hockey
team so he joined a private team, the Baltimore Stars, where he was a goalie.
Kolbe attended college at Michigan State University
where he majored in telecommunications before graduating in 1989. His first broadcasting job was for Michigan State's campus radio
. In 1992 he then got a job with a new sports talk radio
station in Washington, D.C.
-- WTEM
.
. In 1996 Kolbe moved to the booth to become a color analyst for the Capitals, joining play by play radio legend Ron Weber.
In 1997 Ron Weber retired after 23 years of broadcasting
and Kolbe became the team's next radio play by play commentator. Kolbe and Weber are the only play by play radio commentators in the history of the team. Kolbe is currently partnered with color analyst Ken Sabourin
, a former player for the Calgary Flames
and Washington Capitals. On November 11, 2010, Kolbe called his 1,000th career regular season game for the Capitals, a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning
.
On August 9th 2011, it was announced on the Capitals website that John Walton
, the former radio voice of the AHL
Hershey Bears
would be the new radio voice of the Capitals for the next season. No reason was given for Kolbe not returning.
of the American Hockey League
, who were the Capitals' top level minor league affiliate previously. He has also been a sports anchor, producer and soccer studio host.
. His hobbies include fishing, archery and playing the drums.
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
play-by-play announcer for the Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
. He held the position from the start of the 1997-1998 NHL season to the 2010-2011 NHL season.
Early life
Steve Kolbe was born in 1967 in Baltimore, Maryland. He moved to Yale HeightsYale Heights (Baltimore)
Yale Heights is a neighborhood in the Southwest District of Baltimore, located between Beechfield and Irvington . Most of its homes were built in 1955 as a development of two-bedroom, brick townhouses...
, near Catonsville, Maryland
Catonsville, Maryland
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:In 2010 Catonsville had a population of 41,567...
, and went to Mount St. Joseph High School in the early 1980s. He played on the school football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team but they didn't have a hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team so he joined a private team, the Baltimore Stars, where he was a goalie.
Kolbe attended college at Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
where he majored in telecommunications before graduating in 1989. His first broadcasting job was for Michigan State's campus radio
Campus radio
Campus radio is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively by students, or may include programmers from the wider community in which the radio station is based...
. In 1992 he then got a job with a new sports talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
station in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
-- WTEM
WTEM
WTEM — branded ESPN 980 — is a sports radio station licensed to Washington, D.C. and serving the Washington metro area. It is the flagship of a sports talk trimulcast with WWXT in Prince Frederick, Maryland and WWXX in Buckland, Virginia, all affiliated with ESPN Radio and owned by Red Zebra...
.
The Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals moved to WTEM in 1995 and Kolbe became the pregame and postgame host. Nicknamed "The Iceman" he also hosted Sunday Morning at Center Ice, a radio show that covered the NHLNational Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
. In 1996 Kolbe moved to the booth to become a color analyst for the Capitals, joining play by play radio legend Ron Weber.
In 1997 Ron Weber retired after 23 years of broadcasting
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
and Kolbe became the team's next radio play by play commentator. Kolbe and Weber are the only play by play radio commentators in the history of the team. Kolbe is currently partnered with color analyst Ken Sabourin
Ken Sabourin
Ken R. Sabourin is a former Canadian hockey player who played in the NHL for the Calgary Flames and Washington Capitals....
, a former player for the Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
and Washington Capitals. On November 11, 2010, Kolbe called his 1,000th career regular season game for the Capitals, a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
.
On August 9th 2011, it was announced on the Capitals website that John Walton
John Walton
John Walton is the name of:* John Walton , Georgia Continental Congressman, signer of the Articles of Confederation* Sir John Lawson Walton , British MP and Attorney General of England and Wales...
, the former radio voice of the AHL
AHL
AHL is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below:* American Hockey League, professional ice hockey league in the USA and Canada* Australian Hockey League, Australian national field hockey league* Allianz Hurling League...
Hershey Bears
Hershey Bears
The Hershey Bears Hockey Club is a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League, and is currently the top affiliate of the NHL Washington Capitals. The hockey club is based in the unincorporated town of Hershey, Pennsylvania, located within Derry Township some 14 miles east of...
would be the new radio voice of the Capitals for the next season. No reason was given for Kolbe not returning.
Other Radio Work
Kolbe has done play by play work for the Portland PiratesPortland Pirates
The Portland Pirates is a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They are the top affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League. They play in the Cumberland County Civic Center in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the...
of the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
, who were the Capitals' top level minor league affiliate previously. He has also been a sports anchor, producer and soccer studio host.
Personal life
Kolbe currently lives in Frederick County, MarylandFrederick County, Maryland
Frederick County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 233,385....
. His hobbies include fishing, archery and playing the drums.