Photo courtesy Jeff Hume

Jeff Hume and Dave McCarthy have established a fan base by interviewing Maple Leafs like Matt Stajan

The voice of former Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Wade Belak comes on the air, the faintest hint of static in the background. “You’re listening to A Foot in the Crease, Toronto hockey podcast,” he says.
For Jeff Hume and Dave McCarthy those words signal the start of another episode of their long-running podcast, which is dedicated to covering everything to do with hockey in Toronto.

AFITC went live with its first episode on Aug. 26, 2005, a little more than a month after the 2004-2005 NHL lockout came to an end.
McCarthy, a radio and television arts student, and Hume, who studies political science and history at the University of Toronto, came up with AFITC while having a conversation about how quickly podcasting had taken off.

“It was a few years ago when podcasting was really just beginning, and I remember having a discussion about podcasts and (I realized) that nobody really does a hockey one,” Hume said.

“Especially in the city,” McCarthy added.

Hume and McCarthy still remember the troubles they had when the first episode was posted online.

“We didn’t really know what we were doing,” Hume said. “And we didn’t know what we were doing with the equipment because I was talking into the wrong side of my mike.”

“I think once we figured out which side of the mike to talk into, everything was uphill from there,” McCarthy said.

The podcast, which is recorded once a week from Hume’s basement in Etobicoke, is on its 118th episode. They have interviewed Belak, Leafs centre Matt Stajan, TSN Off the Record host Michael Landsberg and many others. The passion and knowledge Hume and McCarthy have for the game is evident to their loyal fans, hundreds of whom download the podcast each week.

“I listen to some other hockey podcasts, but none as religiously as AFITC,” said Aaron Balsillie, who has been listening since 2006.  

“Simply stated, Jeff and Dave do an excellent job.  And to a long-suffering and long-distance fan from Omaha, Neb., AFITC keeps me as close to my team as I can get without being there.”

Alan Bass, a devoted listener since early 2006, said he looks forward to the podcast each week even though he is a Philadelphia Flyers fan.

“The podcast is great because they are able to provide information about the Maple Leafs, along with intelligent analysis,” Bass said.

“Many other podcast hosts simply state the obvious about something, while Dave and Jeff are able to give an in-depth analysis on the team, how they are playing and what needs to be done to make the team better.”

Andre Charade, who left Toronto 30 years ago, said he enjoys listening to AFITC because of the fresh perspective McCarthy and Hume bring to the sport.

“They both have a great sense of humour and play very well off of each other. More importantly, they never take themselves too seriously,” he said.

“In my opinion they are just really nice guys with a passion for the Leafs and hockey in general and it really comes through on their show. It also helps that they are talented. They involve their audience during their e-mail segment and always take our opinions seriously.”

With AFITC only months away from celebrating its third birthday, the two hosts credit their success to informed commentary, big-name guests, and consideration of the audience’s e-mails and opinions.

“We don’t just get on and ramble on about our opinions because, really, anybody can do that,” McCarthy said.

“We try to stick to a structure so people know what they’re expecting. And it’s supplemented with getting some great guests on the show as well, because any time you can get some of the guests we’ve had on the show, no doubt it’s going to create interest in a show that otherwise wouldn’t have been there.”

McCarthy and Hume are both set to graduate this year, but they said they will continue producing AFITC.

Hume is planning on attending graduate school, and he is working on launching a second podcast analyzing the Toronto municipal government.

McCarthy said he is grateful to the RTA program for introducing him to podcasting.

“I think (RTA got me interested in getting) the show going with Jeff,” he said. “Some of the knowledge I’ve learned from that program was obviously carried through to the show.”

Aside from AFITC, McCarthy channels his passion for sports into reporting for the St. Michael’s Buzzers on Rogers Television. He also interned for 18 months with Off the Record, and after graduation he hopes to work at either TSN or Rogers Sportsnet.

Those interested in hearing what Hume and McCarthy have to say can subscribe to the AFITC podcast on iTunes, or visit www.afootinthecrease.com.