There are a lot of up-and-coming hockey content creators out there.
One such person is Penn State University senior Ethan Zaretsky. Ethan is someone who is involved in hockey at both Penn State University and TDAY Sports while also being a big New York Rangers fan.
Ethan was kind enough to take time out of his busy senior year schedule to tell us about how he got into hockey, how he started creating hockey-related content, and much more. I hope you folks enjoy getting to know Ethan and begin following his work!
PH: Growing up, how did you get into hockey?
EZ: My dad played hockey his entire life and was raised a New York Rangers fan. From a young age, my father forced my brother and me to skate and try out hockey.
Starting at the age of 9, I joined my first team and never looked back.
PH: Growing up, who was your favorite team and player? How about now?
EZ: My favorite hockey player growing up was Ryan Callahan. He was the captain of the Rangers when I first started to become a fan, so it was an easy choice.
Now, my favorite player is Ryan Lindgren. He plays with aggression that I have never seen for as long as I have been a Ranger fan.
PH: While I know that you are a senior at Penn State University, at what point did you know that you wanted to get into creating hockey-related content?
EZ: I posted my first hockey-related video on August 1st, 2023. Once I started to post more and use the hockey knowledge that I have, I realized how much joy it brings to me.
I knew I wanted to get my name known in the sports industry, but I did not know what I had to do until I started to post content.
PH: I know that you create hockey content for TDAY Sports. Tell us about TDAY Sports and what you are doing for them hockey-wise.
EZ: TDAY Sports started as just a basketball content page (Basketball TDAY). Once it gained more traction, the president, Justin Leusner, expanded to create TDAY Sports.
On August 1st, TDAY Sports launched, and now we have football, hockey, and basketball, with more sports coming.
PH: You are also a hockey broadcaster for the Penn State University club hockey team. How long have you been doing that, and what has that experience been like?
EZ: I have been doing play-by-play since the beginning of my junior year at Penn State. The experience of covering a Penn State hockey team is everything I could have dreamt of as a kid.
The relationships and opportunities I have created from broadcasting are some I wouldn’t trade for the world.
PH: Your family is semi-famous thanks to the Rangers Cup win in 1994. Someone related to you made the now famous sign “Now I can Die in Peace.” What has that been like for you? Is it something that gets talked about a lot by people who know you?
EZ: “Now I can Die in Peace” is something that has been around my life forever. Ever since I have been going to the Garden, the famous phrase has always been mentioned.
I love talking about it because the emotion that that sign gives people is something I want to experience in my lifetime. Whenever I meet a new Ranger fan, I always mention the sign because it is something that has always meant a lot to me and something I want to share with everybody.
PH: Speaking of the Rangers, what are your thoughts on this year’s team?
EZ: I think highly of every year’s New York Rangers team. Now that Peter Laviolette is head coach, the only ones getting in the way of the Rangers are themselves.
These next two months are going to set the stage for how the rest of the season is going to go.
PH: Is there anything else that you would like to share with us hockey fans?
EZ: If you have some time and want to watch hockey history, make sure to check out Road to Victory: The 1994 New York Rangers Story!
