Author: Jesse Liebman | AHL Rhythm
For injured hockey players, the press box can feel like a prison. It might have been a penal colony, where the ice felt tangible yet out of reach.
But for the Hershey Bears winger Matt SystromThe view from the top of the Giant Center has become a new kind of classroom — and a makeshift stage.
Sidelined since late November with a lower-body injury, 2024 Calder Trophy hero Hershey found a way to stay in the game by swapping his skates, sticks and helmet for headphones to serve as a guest color commentator with the Bruins senior manager of hockey communications and broadcasting Zach Fishserves as the club’s live broadcast voice.
For fans who have listened to the second broadcast of Hershey's home games over the past few weeks via the Bears Radio Network, AHLTV on FloHockey and televised WPMT-FOX 43, Strome's voice offers something a typical broadcast cannot: direct, visceral insight into a player who was fighting in the corner just over a month ago.
a different kind of transformation
The winger got off to a hot start in the 2024-25 season, scoring 10 points in 15 games, but suffered a lower-body injury on Nov. 22 against Cleveland and faced a recovery timeline that would keep him out of the lineup for several weeks. Strome takes inspiration from his brother Ryanforward for the Anaheim Ducks.
“Ryan was out with an injury about a month ago and was on the second broadcast in Anaheim. So one day I saw Fish and joked about wanting to try it out, and it went really well the first time, and then we just kept doing it for the next few weeks,” Strome recalled. “It was fun – I'd never done this before and it was something I'd always wanted to do. The people there really helped me and prompted me with questions to keep me going.”
Strome has been adjusting to the headphones naturally since putting them on for the first time midway through a Dec. 7 game against Lehigh Valley in Hershey. Considered a fierce competitor in Bruins country as well as an approachable fan favorite, Strome cemented his place in Chocolate City lore when he scored in overtime to win the Bruins their 13th Calder Cup title in 2024, and now fans of the team are starting to hear about the hockey IQ behind those heroics.
“It's definitely different. You can see the whole ice and where it's going to go next, so it almost seems a little easier when you're out there watching it,” Strome said of his recent performance on the mic. “When you’re on the ice, reaction time is instantaneous, so being able to call a few plays from up there, I think that’s going to help when I get back.”
chemical broadcast
Pairing an active player with no broadcast experience with a seasoned play-action veteran can be a gamble at times, but the chemistry between Strome and Fish is seamless. Fisch, a veteran in his tenth season as the team's on-air voice, laid the groundwork, providing the who, where, while Strome provided more context, including the why and the how.
“Any broadcaster will tell you that preparation is king,” Fish said. “Not only does Stromer bring a ton of knowledge about the current team to the broadcast, but he also does his homework. He's able to provide information about what the team is trying to accomplish, his knowledge of the opponent, the x's and o's of the game, and he really gives the fans a great behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in the locker room. Matt is a very good talker and a smart player on the ice, and I'm not surprised by how good he is on the air and we have a lot of fun being in the booth together.”
Strome broke down during the club's televised game against Charlotte on Dec. 13 Henrik Rybinski Goal against the Checkers, noting that Rybinski often used a similar shooting method in practice, which led to his goal against Charlotte Luis Domingue.
A history lesson for the broadcast team turned into a goal highlight as Lerby scored his third goal of the season!
Leeson
Miroshnichenko pic.twitter.com/KjQfFNIUbe— The Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) December 14, 2025
Stalls packed with legends
In addition to Fish, the Bruins have a strong and proven staff of color commentators that includes franchise legends and AHL Hall of Famers Mickey Lamoureux on radio, as well as the recently retired former captain Garrett Mitchell About TV Duties. Systrom quickly clarified that he wasn't trying to steal a job; He just borrowed the chair.
Mitchell, who is transitioning from the ice to the broadcast room this season after retiring in 2023, knows exactly what Strome is going through. Mitchell, who captained Strome during his rookie pro season with the ECHL's Reading Royals in 2019-20, observed that Strome behaved naturally.
“One of the hardest parts about being a player when you’re injured is you want to be in the locker room, but it’s also exhausting when other people are trying to be nice and ask the same question, ‘How are you feeling?’ But after a month or two of answering the same question, that can be difficult. “I'm sure it's good for Stromer to be able to continue to be involved and stay connected to the game,” Mitchell said of his former teammate. I think for him, he's been able to jump in and do a great job because at the end of the day you never know where it's going to lead. “
Under this arrangement, Strome slid into a “third man” role in the second period, providing color commentary, bridging the gap between the technical analysis of veteran color commentators and the fresh on-ice reality of the current lineup.
Entering this rotation — even just for a while — can be intimidating. But Strome felt like all he got from the trio was encouragement, along with a crash course in the preparation the broadcast team does.
“All three of them are great,” Strome said. “Being with Fish over the last three seasons, it feels like you're talking to them, but if no one is talking right now, you have to step up and be ready to say something. As we go along, knowing when to take a brief pause, it feels more natural. The way they prepare is impressive. Every game, Fish prepares at least a big piece of paper for each team with all these statistics on it. They do almost the same amount of work for a game as us guys do to prepare, so that really caught my attention.
“I think it went really well. The first game was on the radio and the second game was on TV – I was a little nervous about the TV games – but I got great feedback from some friends and family who were listening.”
Spiritual representation and returning gaze
For Strome, working in radio wasn't just a way for him to pass the time during his physical recovery; it served as a form of mental recovery.
“It definitely helps,” Strome confirmed. “When you watch game after game you have to be there to support your team, but it's nice to be able to do that and give you an idea of what happens if you get injured or can't play and I think it's a good opportunity to do that.”
The experience also gave him a new appreciation for the media side of the sport. He learned to navigate the rhythm of broadcasting, knowing when to add color and when to lay out Fish's play-by-play. While he's in no rush to hang up his skates for good, it's a skill set that could still serve him well after his career is over.
As comfortable as Strome is behind the microphone, he's made one thing clear: His true home is on the ice. The headset is temporary; the goal is to return to the lineup and help Hershey compete for a 14th Calder Cup title. He's back in practice with the team, and if Strome gets his way, the next time his name is mentioned on the airwaves will be this weekend against Rockford, where Fish said he'll be back in the lineup.
