The 2015-16 season was a historic one for the Cleveland Monsters, culminating in the franchise’s first and only Calder Cup championship. The enormity of that success has allowed several stories and perspectives to emerge – except for one.  

Being a broadcaster offers a unique experience and a view of the game unlike any other – on the ice and off. For Tony Brown, voice of the Cleveland Monsters, a decade with this team hasn’t changed the magic of that first year. 

Brown joined the Monsters in mid-September of 2015 after only one year in the ECHL with the Indy Fuel in 2014-15. With little time to prepare before the season began, and without the league experience to realize the potential of the group, Brown had no idea what to expect from that year’s run.  

By mid-to-late season, the team was soundly in the middle of the then Central Division/Western Conference Standings and a run at the playoffs didn’t seem so clear cut. The turning point from Brown’s perspective? The moment Brad Thiessen stepped up to protect the crease. 

In February of 2016, both Cleveland’s star goaltenders, Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg, were recalled to Columbus. In their absence, Thiessen stepped into the starting goalie role, going largely undefeated through that month of play. This win streak buoyed the Monsters’ season and, in Brown’s opinion, kept them from missing the playoffs altogether. 

While that month long stretch of Thiessen play was marked as Brown’s most underrated moment of the season, he cited several other exciting individual moments that stood out to him in that first year.  

Most notably was the game winning goal from Oliver Bjorkstrand in game four of the Calder Cup finals. Scored with only one second left in overtime against Hersey and in front of a sold-out home crowd, the final goal was “an absolute dream come true for a broadcaster” according to Brown, making it the perfect storybook ending for his first year with the organization. 

Play-by-play offers its own challenges and pressures, especially during playoffs. However, nothing compares to that postseason feeling for this broadcaster. 

“There is nothing I look forward to in hockey more than calling playoff games. The instant the puck hits the ice in the playoffs, everything is heightened,” said Brown. “You can feel the fans relying on you and the stakes are raised on air too. There’s nothing more fun in sports.” 

While that may come as the answer only a seasoned professional could give, Brown maintained a similar sentiment for those postseason moments in 2016. 

“I don’t remember feeling too nervous. I remember feeling part of a team that just kept growing. Yet when the team won...I remember somehow feeling shocked,” said Brown. “It was such a gift to me to call those games, I learned so many valuable lessons and, in the end, that Championship call and all the big moments leading up to it, remain some of my fondest on-air memories in 15 years on the air.”  

That inaugural season for Brown would lay the foundation for all the greatness the next decade of broadcast work would bring.  

“That run was the most fun I’ve ever had wearing the headset,” said Brown. “I got to share it all with Jock [Callander], who has become such a good friend, colleague and partner – so many laughs and lessons, and good times that I still hold dear.” 

Being a part of an organization when they win a championship is an unparalleled experience for everyone involved. Naturally, that triumphant win turns into a blur of fun and opens the door to create memories that will last a lifetime. For Brown, his favorite moments of that win are clear. 

“My favorite moment of all was sharing the Championship call with Jock, who doesn’t get near enough credit for his ‘breathe this in!’,” said Brown. “But being able to drink from the Calder Cup, hold it over my head on the ice, and share the disbelief with so many colleagues. And of course, the parade! It was truly surreal. I will never forget it and always be grateful for it.” 

To this day, that iconic game winning goal call from that final matchup against Hershey is remembered by Monsters fans everywhere. A favorite among the fans and a familiar voice that bolsters the broadcast, it's safe to say that Tony Brown has cemented his legacy in Monsters Hockey Club history.