The phone rings. “Hello!” a man says in a cheesy announcer voice.

“This is the mind, body and soul of Pioneer hockey.”

He speaks every time as if he is meeting you for the first time.

University of Denver hockey players and coaches know the man on the other end of the line to be none other than Jay Stickney. To fans, Stickney is more widely known as “The Voice of Denver Hockey.”

In any other college town, sports fans could see their local college team play on television in nearly every game.

In a city with seven professional sports teams all vying for your attention, even a national championship and an NHL lockout cannot give Pioneer fans any more than half a season of televised games.

But the one thing fans can count on is hearing Denver’s radio play-by-play announcer, Stickney, call every game.

In his fifth year at DU, Stickney brings experience, talent and a comic spontaneity that separates him from the average radio personality.

“When I am on the air, I just pretend that I know what I am talking about,” said Stickney.

Ask any coach or player to comment on his experiences with Stickney and the response will start with a laugh, smile or shake of the head, every time.

He is referred to by everyone who knows him as the team comic.

“Sometimes my humor will get me in trouble with fans though,” said Stickney.

“One time, four or five DU players were called for penalties at the end of a game and a couple guys had to sit on laps in the penalty box because the box only holds about three players at a time. So I made a joke about there being a lap dance going on in the penalty box,” said Stickney.

He added, “I got a call from an unhappy listener the next day. That was two years ago and I have not had any upset calls since. Maybe no one is listening to me anymore.”

Stickney was the play-by-play announcer in Vail five years ago when he received a call from Mitch Hyder, the voice of Pioneer basketball.

“Mitch recommended me for the job, so I sent in a demo tape,” said Stickney.

“Actually in my demo, I called the plays from a Sega video game. I think it was the Avalanche versus the Penguins.”

Soon after, Stickney answered a phone call that would earn him the title “The Voice of Pioneer hockey” and a championship ring on his finger.

“I was the ninth pick for the job. They said it was because I was just too good looking for radio. I was just excited to be picked,” Stickney joked.

Stickney’s first day on the job was an exhibition game versus Calgary.

It was also the first game for the nervous but eager freshman class that consisted of names like Ryan Caldwell, Connor James, Max Bull and Greg Keith.

“I remember that the freshmen names were about the only names that I actually pronounced correctly. I think I may have also called the puck a ball at one point during my first game there,” said Stickney.

Outside of DU hockey, Stickney works for Alice Radio as an account executive.

He also plays Rod Hardley on “Mile High Sports Magazine T.V. with Rod Hardley” that airs on Altitude.

Stickney compares the show to a “Saturday Night Live” version of a weekend sports update.

Stickney has also worked on several acting projects recently, including theatre and television commercials.

Stickney starred as the “Shagman” in Rocky’s Auto commercials in 1999-2001 before taking on the lead role of Stanley in Ray Mahoney’s independent film “Strange Kind of Woman” that premiered at Denver’s Bluebird Theater last Oct. 19.

Stickney said, “I have worked in many places, but I love working for the DU hockey program.”

“Being able to call the games at the Frozen Four in Boston last season was one of the most phenomenal experiences of my life, even if I did lose my voice by the end of the championship game,” he said.

Stickney graduated with a degree in journalism and mass communications from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1990.

He currently resides in Littleton with his wife and two kids.