Ferraro gets call-up to the Jets

Landon Ferraro vividly recalls the moment his NHL career came to an extremely painful end — Oct. 20, 2017, in downtown Winnipeg.

“My last play was a breakaway on Connor Hellebuyck,” Ferraro told the Free Press this week.

“I tried to poke the puck past the first D. It was me and (Dustin) Byfuglien chasing it down. I thought he was going to throw me across the ice, so I tried to cut in on him, and he moved. I overextended, and I literally ripped my abductor off the bone and gave myself a hernia.”

Ferraro — at the time playing forward for the visiting Minnesota Wild — said he managed to get off a weak shot that hit the Jets goaltender square in the chest. But his 77th appearance in the big leagues would be his last following previous stops with Detroit (which drafted him 32nd overall in 2009) and Boston.

The former centre would get back to full health the following season, spending it as he’d done much of his eight-year pro career to that point in the American Hockey League.

The British Columbia product then headed overseas for the next four years, playing on three different teams in Germany and even representing Canada at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, before hanging up his skates for good in 2023.

“You know, 15-year-old me would have been really disappointed with my career, right?” said Ferraro, who ended up with seven NHL goals and five assists to his name.

“Like it wasn’t 15 years in the NHL and all that, but I got a lot of experiences.”

Now he has an intriguing new one in the sport he’s loved for as long as he can remember.

Ferraro is back in Winnipeg, this time as the new colour commentator for TSN’s regional broadcasts. After briefly dabbling as a real estate agent in Vancouver — something he “found out real quick” was not his cup of tea — the 35-year-old feels like he’s where he belongs.

Ferraro made a favourable first impression last week during his debut, with social media filling up with compliments about his performance. Many new fans noted how similar he sounds to his famous father, Ray, who had a terrific 18-year NHL career before seamlessly moving into the broadcast booth and becoming one of the best analysts in the business.

“We used to go over tape when I played, and it’s even more fun on this side, I would say, because it’s more similar. Like our styles are similar, the way that our cadence is, everything that way,” said Ferraro, who had spent the past two seasons doing some part-time work on Canucks broadcasts.

“You know, me and my dad as players were very different players. He’s trying to give me advice, and I’d have to cut him off later in my career. I’m like, ‘Dad, I’m on a PK. Like you don’t know how to block a shot. Just like I couldn’t score 40.’ But we’ve got more (in common) here.”

He fills the vacancy left by another former player, Kevin Sawyer, who has moved to Calgary this season to work Flames broadcasts on Sportsnet. Ferraro was thrilled when the offer came his way, especially the chance to work with a seasoned pro like play-by-play announcer Dan Robertson.

“Dan is just so calm,” said Ferraro. “I know Kevin really well, and Kevin told me how great he is to work with.”

Not unlike playing hockey with a new organization, there could be a few bumps along the way. Ferraro is spending his first few broadcasts sitting directly beside Robertson in the booth so they can get used to each other’s style and work on timing. Once that’s nailed down, Ferraro will head down to ice level and commentate from between the benches.

“For us, I feel like a lot of it is just learning how Dan finishes a thought, or how he finishes a sentence, so you naturally know when you can come in,” said Ferraro.

“The fun part of joining a new team is everything is new and it keeps you on your toes because you’ve got a lot to learn.”

When he arrived in Winnipeg last month, Ferraro wasn’t sure what to expect from a Jets team that was dealing with the Connor Hellebuyck holdout while trying to rebound from a 26th-overall finish in the standings just a year ago.

His early impressions have been positive ones.

“It’s so easy for fans and other media people around the league to write off this team because of last year and because of Hellebuyck. Like, how are they ever going to compete?” said Ferraro.

“But coming into this training camp, it would have been really, really easy for just a massive dark cloud to be hanging over this year. But from the very first day of interviews, it hasn’t been like that at all. This team is excited. They feel light. Everyone believes they can have a bounce-back year. And there really isn’t a reason they shouldn’t.”

Ferraro believes the shift towards more youth, speed and skill in the Jets lineup will pay off given the way the modern game is going.

Regardless of on-ice results, Ferraro already feels like a winner as he settles into his new role and his new home.

“I’ve had such a fun time since getting to Winnipeg,” he said, noting he had been here a handful of times during his NHL and AHL days but never really ventured anywhere outside of the airport, the downtown hotel and the rink.

“You know, it’s so true of what they say about friendly people, great restaurants. It’s just a really nice place to live.”

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