Welcome to the official home of the movement to nominate Derek Wills and Chris Nilan as the broadcasting team to bring us, fans of the Montreal Canadiens worldwide, all 82 Habs games plus pre and post season for the 2011-12 NHL season. Note that this is strictly a fan site and is in no way affiliated with either the Montreal Canadiens organization, nor The Team 990. It is in no way run by or afiliated with Mr. Wills or Mr. Nilan either. Stay up to date on the latest info by bookmarking this page and/or following us on Twitter, @DailyCanadiens.
LATEST UPDATES:
- Movement gains momentum as The Suburban throws Wills' name in the ring as a candidate. Full article here: http://blog.thesuburban.com/2011/07/price-or-wills-for-habs-play-by-play.html
- Pat Hickey also proposed Wills as an option in The Montreal Gazette. Read more here:
To add your voice in support of bringing these two gentlemen to Montreal radio, click the link below to sign the petition/letter:
Other members this site would love to see involved in game broadcasts, be it for special features, pre- and post-game shows, player interviews, or anything else include:
WHO ARE THEY? - BIOS
Derek Wills
A native of Port Colborne, Ontario, Derek Wills has been the 'The Voice of the Hamilton Bulldogs' since 2001.
Currently in his tenth season as the Hamilton Bulldogs Hockey Network Play-By-Play Announcer, and sixth as the head of the broadcasting and communications department, Wills has called a number of historically significant games such as the AHL's Conference Finals on three occasions (2002, 2003, 2007), the Calder Cup Finals twice (2003, 2007), and the second-longest game in AHL history (Game 2 of the 2002 Calder Cup Finals). Wills was also selected to provide the play-by-play for the exclusive radio broadcast and league-wide online broadcast of the 2004 AHL All-Star Game in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
In 2004-2005, Wills was named winner of the American Hockey League's prestigious James H. Ellery Memorial Award, in the radio category. The Ellery Awards are presented annually by the AHL to recognize one member of the radio, television, and print media deemed to have provided the most outstanding coverage of the league.
Entering the 2010-2011 season, Wills had called 819 consecutive regular season and post-season Hamilton Bulldogs games, the longest current streak for any broadcaster in the AHL.
On January 25th, 2010, Wills made his National Hockey League debut, filling in for legendary Buffalo Play-By-Play Announcer Rick Jeanneret and working with Colour Commentator Harry Neale in the Sabres' 3-2 loss to the Canucks at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Wills, 34, currently resides in Stoney Creek, Ontario with his girlfriend, Jen.
Currently in his tenth season as the Hamilton Bulldogs Hockey Network Play-By-Play Announcer, and sixth as the head of the broadcasting and communications department, Wills has called a number of historically significant games such as the AHL's Conference Finals on three occasions (2002, 2003, 2007), the Calder Cup Finals twice (2003, 2007), and the second-longest game in AHL history (Game 2 of the 2002 Calder Cup Finals). Wills was also selected to provide the play-by-play for the exclusive radio broadcast and league-wide online broadcast of the 2004 AHL All-Star Game in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
In 2004-2005, Wills was named winner of the American Hockey League's prestigious James H. Ellery Memorial Award, in the radio category. The Ellery Awards are presented annually by the AHL to recognize one member of the radio, television, and print media deemed to have provided the most outstanding coverage of the league.
Entering the 2010-2011 season, Wills had called 819 consecutive regular season and post-season Hamilton Bulldogs games, the longest current streak for any broadcaster in the AHL.
On January 25th, 2010, Wills made his National Hockey League debut, filling in for legendary Buffalo Play-By-Play Announcer Rick Jeanneret and working with Colour Commentator Harry Neale in the Sabres' 3-2 loss to the Canucks at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Wills, 34, currently resides in Stoney Creek, Ontario with his girlfriend, Jen.
In addition to his broadcasting talents, Mr. Wills has as an advantage an intimate knowledge of many of the team's young players, having seen them develop in the American League firsthand. He watched the maturing of core team members like Tomas Plekanec, Carey Price, and P.K. Subban on a regular basis, and this past year watched the Pro debuts of Andreas Engqvist, Brendon Nash, and Alexander Avtsin amongst others.
YourCanadiens is aware that Mr. Wills does have interest in this position. Since I first broke the news of the Team 990 picking up Habs games and suggested Mr. Wills in that article, "wills canadiens team 990" or similar strings have been one of the most common google search terms leading to my blog. You can follow him on Twitter at @DogsPlayByPlay
YourCanadiens is aware that Mr. Wills does have interest in this position. Since I first broke the news of the Team 990 picking up Habs games and suggested Mr. Wills in that article, "wills canadiens team 990" or similar strings have been one of the most common google search terms leading to my blog. You can follow him on Twitter at @DogsPlayByPlay
Download a recent sample of his work, courtesy of Mr. Wills himself! or just click play below if you have Flash enabled!
Chris Nilan
Nilan should need no introduction to long-time Habs fans, but for the younger generation...
Chris Nilan played 688 NHL regular season games over a 13 season NHL career. Though he spent time with each of the Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Boston Bruins, he retired a Hab forever in his heart, earning a Stanley Cup ring with the team in the 1986 season. While Mr. Nilan did amass 225 points over his NHL career, he will be best remembered for his work as perhaps the toughest customer in the league, never afraid to take the body or to drop the gloves in a pinch to come to a teammate's defense. Chris's career was unfortunately shortened due to injury, which also made him miss the 1991 NHL All-Star game after he had been selected by his coach, Mike Milbury, to participate.
Now at age 53, Nilan, a native of Boston, MA, recently moved back to Montreal on a full-time basis where he has done a number of guest spots on The Team 990 and gone on an autograph appearance tour with current Canadien Max Pacioretty. You can follow him on Twitter at @KnucklesNilan30
Have a Montreal Canadiens website? You can support the cause further! Add this banner to the sidebar of your page (like it appears on this page) and link it to this site! Get more people in on the letter!
Nilan should need no introduction to long-time Habs fans, but for the younger generation...Chris Nilan played 688 NHL regular season games over a 13 season NHL career. Though he spent time with each of the Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Boston Bruins, he retired a Hab forever in his heart, earning a Stanley Cup ring with the team in the 1986 season. While Mr. Nilan did amass 225 points over his NHL career, he will be best remembered for his work as perhaps the toughest customer in the league, never afraid to take the body or to drop the gloves in a pinch to come to a teammate's defense. Chris's career was unfortunately shortened due to injury, which also made him miss the 1991 NHL All-Star game after he had been selected by his coach, Mike Milbury, to participate.
Now at age 53, Nilan, a native of Boston, MA, recently moved back to Montreal on a full-time basis where he has done a number of guest spots on The Team 990 and gone on an autograph appearance tour with current Canadien Max Pacioretty. You can follow him on Twitter at @KnucklesNilan30
Have a Montreal Canadiens website? You can support the cause further! Add this banner to the sidebar of your page (like it appears on this page) and link it to this site! Get more people in on the letter!
The blog's author, 