If Daryl Evans didn’t believe in miracles like the one he finished off at the Forum in Inglewood some 30 years ago, he definitely counts his blessings today.
The fact he’s made it into his 13th season as a Kings radio analyst – and is closing in on 1,000 games on the air – speaks to some divine intervention about how his professional career has continued in the hockey world.
Still, there is likely not a day that goes by when he’s not asked about what happened April 10, 1982.
A rookie just called up for the Kings’ playoff run only because of one expanded roster spot, Evans capped a comeback from a five-goal deficit at the start of the final period, stunning the Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers 6-5 with his goal at 2:35 of sudden-death overtime.
Turning the momentum around in the pivotal Game 3 of the best-of-five series, that secured his place in Kings’ lore as part of “The Miracle on Manchester.”
“Seems like yesterday,” laughed Evans, sitting in a booth at the Redondo Beach Cafe next to a wall where some of his Kings’ memorabilia hangs.
“Maybe I was a naive kid coming out of junior hockey, but I never thought that game was over. Maybe that’s why I can appreciate it more today as something really special.
“It’s amazing how quick time goes by. It’s nice that people remember it. I know I’ll never forget that special moment. It was a defining part of my career.”
But definitely not what defines him these days.
First, the 51-year-old is at a stage where he takes more pride in being known as a broadcaster, even if that’s one of the last things he imagined himself doing.
It’s only because he volunteered one day to help out Nick Nickson on the Kings’ radio call in 1997, when analyst Mike Allison missed a game. Evans picked up more than another dozen assignments the next season as a fill-in for Cammi Granato when she had U.S. women’s hockey team commitments.
When 1999 came around, and the Kings were preparing to move from the Forum to Staples Center, Evans had already been involved with the team’s suite and premier seat sales. He was also about to be the first general manager of their training facility in El Segundo.
An accidental broadcaster almost in the same way former Kings winger Jim Fox became linked with Bob Miller on the TV side, Evans learned on the fly as Nickson’s radio partner.
He’s got no plans now of giving it up.
“I have no idea,” Evans says when asked why he took the leap from a successful car salesman and manager in Calabasas and Beverly Hills to think he’d try broadcasting. “I was just trying to help out.”
The desire to help has been Evans’ best-known trait since his six-year NHL career ended, as evident by the number of rubber bracelets he wears on each arm to signify a charity he’s attached with.
Although he led the Kings with five goals and 13 points in the 1982 playoffs, Evans tallied only 22 goals in 113 regular-season games, the last for his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. He then tried playing overseas, including a stint in Italy and as a player-coach in England.
He circled back to the Kings’ organization to join in establishing the alumni association, work with the Kings Care Foundation and do whatever outreach projects were needed.
Because he says he requires only four hours of sleep a day, Evans can get home from a game at 1 a.m., and be back at the rink for a 5:30 a.m. individual training session with a local teenager. Three hours before the faceoff of a Kings’ game at Staples Center, Evans might be down on the ice with a group of bantam or midget teams, running them through drills. Then he’ll hop back in his finely-tailored suit and speak before a group of season-ticket holders, honing the information he had gathered to use on the broadcast.
Last Saturday, he led his annual 5K charity run near Staples Center that drew more than 700 finishers in the rain and raised more money than any previous year.
“His personality is that he’s gotta always be on the go,” Nickson said. “I know he enjoys every facet of what he does, whether it’s on the air or on the ice or with charity events. The organization is blessed that he’s so passionate about being in so many areas of operation.”
Time management has a lot to do with how Evans pulls it off, including the knowledge of not trying to over-prepare for a broadcast, something that can easily happen for an ex-player.
“He’s gone through all the learning curves on how to do things and he’s very comfortable now,” said Fox, whose key contribution to that “Miracle on Manchester” game was stealing the puck from Gretzky in the corner before it could be cleared to set up the tying goal with seconds left in regulation.
“He’s in control. He prioritizes. Nick has known him so long, it’s easier for him to bring out Daryl’s strengths on the broadcasts. And I know at this stage, Daryl is really enjoying it. He’s more settled and more focused.”
Nickson, who had a long run as Miller’s colorman on the Kings’ simulcasts more than 20 years ago, can appreciate how Evans “has a great feel for the game in terms of what he should be talking about at the right times. He’s got the `how’ and the `why’ down beyond just the `who’ and `what.’
“I know he’s worked very hard at it. It’s not as easy as it looks, and he’s overcome the early hurdles that a lot of ex-athletes have to when they get into this. I know he appreciates the opportunity.”
Evans can also face immediate critiques of his broadcast from those who call into the Kings’ post-game talk show, and he’s always open to it.
“This (broadcasting) is my identity now,” said Evans, so incredibly physically fit that he has a couple of protein smoothies on the Redondo Beach Cafe menu named after him.
“Every day is a learning experience. I’ve been fortunate to work so many great people who made this transition that much smoother. Now that I’m back in hockey, there’s no looking back.
“I don’t take any of this for granted.”
Read more at the Los Angeles Daily News where this story was originally published.
