97.1 Radio Detroit

McCarty visits the Loons

Since retiring in 2009, McCarty, 39, has stayed busy as an NHL analyst on TV with VERSUS and as a fill-in co-host on Sports Radio 97.1 in Detroit, as well as singing occasionally with his hard rock band Grinder.

Prior to taking BP with the Loons, McCarty talked with Daily News sportswriter Fred Kelly about life during and after the NHL.

Fred Kelly: How is retirement going for you?

Darren McCarty: "I love it. I'm fortunate to stay around the game and do a little TV and a little radio, stuff like that. I'm enjoying it. ... And I still have the opportunity to come out here (for public appearances) around the state of Michigan, places like Midland. I love Midland. I spend a lot of time here. My son (Griffin, aged 15) plays a lot of (travel) hockey against the Midland (North)Stars, so we've been up here a lot, and I've got some good friends up here. We've spent a lot of time trying to beat the Midland Stars. They always have a great program.

" ... (Dow Diamond) is a beautiful ballpark, and I'm just flattered to be able to come out here."

F.K.: Any thoughts on the recent retirements of Kris Draper and Chris Osgood?

D.M.: "Since Drapes and Ozzie just retired, I'm trying to give them the heads-up on what to expect. ... I told them they'll be surprised by how much they'll enjoy the game more now that they're done, without the pressure and just the day-to-day grind. You step away from it, and that's when you enjoy it.

"I became a bigger fan of the game when I was done than during my last few years (in the NHL). I told them, 'Don't worry about (missing the game).' They'll get to stay in the (Red Wings) organization (as consultants), so that'll keep them going."

F.K.: What are your fondest memories of playing with the Wings?

D.M.: "We (the Grind Line) took pride in shutting down all the (opponents') top lines, and we chipped in goals in different ways, too. ... My favorite memories were of going into a scrum and opponents would be saying how they were going to kill those guys (Draper and Maltby) and how big a nuisance they were. And I'd go in there and say, 'You're not going to kick their butts, because I'm here.'

"But I would agree that they (Draper and Maltby) were that big of a pain in the butt. [laughs] If I had played against them, they would have drove me nuts, too. They were unbelievable teammates."

F.K.: How will you remember the Red Wings-Avalanche rivalry of the mid-1990s to early 2000s?

Where will U-M play ball on the Detroit radio dial in 2011 ...

It was in May of 2006 when the University of Michigan reached a five year deal with CBS Radio in Detroit that would land U-M football on WOMC FM 104.3 and most of the school's men's basketball games on WWJ AM 950. That agreement has since expired and there has been no word of where the broadcasts might end up, or indeed who the announcers might be, with only 40 days to go until kickoff of a new sports season.

Let the speculation begin in earnest!

The University of Michigan may now face an ever bigger challenge for clearance of its broadcasts in Detroit than it did in 2006 when Big Ten rival school Michigan State scored a touchdown by partnering with WJR AM 760, punting U-M off the 'Great Voice of the Great Lakes'. Getting coverage for 12 or 13 high profile football games a year is one thing -- but adding a full slate of men's basketball games to a radio station in the fall and winter can be quite another.

The landscape at CBS Radio/Detroit has changed dramatically in the five years since 2006: Hot Talk was replaced by sports on FM 97.1 (The Ticket, WXYT-FM), and Dick Purtan has retired from WOMC. WXYT-FM/AM are now the flagship stations for all 4 of Detroit's professional sports teams, having added the Pistons to play-by-play coverage of the Lions, Tigers, and Red Wings. Listening to games on 97.1 is much more popular than trying to tune in on AM 1270 - but when there are two or more teams playing the same time, it often requires some searching and static to find the team you want to hear.

CBS Radio/Detroit is likely interested in adding University of Michigan sports to its lineup on 97.1 -- but questions would likely come up about which team would have priority on what station. It would be in U-M's best interest to have all of its games found consistently in one spot; Michigan games being pushed off to AM 1270, especially on September 10th when the Tigers play the Twins in the afternoon and the Wolverines play their first ever 8 p.m. home game against Notre Dame, can't look too attractive to Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon.

Would CBS Radio consider offering one of its music FM's up for football again, as it did with WOMC the past five years? Michigan sports probably wouldn't be considered a good fit for either Top 40 WDZH-FM 98.7 (Amp Radio) or Country WYCD-FM 99.5 and it's not clear if WOMC would be made available again. Would Michigan be satisfied going back to an AM-only solution on WWJ?

The Great Book of Detroit Sports Lists

Radio advertising source

Billboard

Billboard

Billboard