Former voice of Tiger Sharks left lasting legacy October 25, 2005

An upbeat personality and an ambassador for the sport he loved, Kyle Schultz was the voice of hockey in Tallahassee. He died Saturday night.

Schultz was 41 years old.

Autopsy results were still pending late Monday as the Waukesha County medical examiner's office tried to determine what caused Schultz to veer off the road near his home in Hartland, Wis.

"There's not another person on the planet that I've spent more time with watching hockey and discussing it," said former Tallahassee Tiger Shark Cory Paterson, who later became Schultz's broadcast partner. "I just couldn't pick a better person to do that with. We had a special relationship.

"What we did on the air was exactly how it was off the air. He made you better."

Schultz was in his third season calling games for the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League. It was a treasured opportunity to move up and return home for Schultz, who spent six seasons as the Tiger Sharks' play-by-play announcer. He also worked in the front office for the former East Coast Hockey League team.

"He was on his way home from playing hockey with his dad," said Sandra Green, Schultz' mother-in-law. "The car did go off the road, but it's hardly damaged."

Funeral arrangements were still pending.

"It's especially hard for me," Paterson said. "I set Kyle and Ali up. They were both friends of mine. Sure enough, they fell in love and got married."

Schultz was known for his energetic broadcasting style. His blow-by-blow accounts of fights were often more entertaining than the bouts themselves.

"One of his favorite phrases was 'old-time hockey,'" Admirals president Jon Greenberg said. "We're actually going to put that on a patch with his initials on our jersey sleeve for the remainder of the year."

Greenberg said the Admirals will also honor Schultz before the team faces Houston on Friday.

After the Tiger Sharks left town following the 2000-01 season, Schultz spent two seasons with the Augusta Lynx and kept trying to move up in hockey broadcasting. Among his contacts was longtime Admirals general manager Phil Wittliff, who had known Schultz for years but didn't have an opening for a play-by-play man. Schultz decided to retire from broadcasting and moved back to Wisconsin to work in his family's appraisal agency.

But Admirals play-by-play man Brian Manthey resigned early in the 2003-04 season to become the communications director for the Wisconsin State Senate Democrats. Schultz had his chance.

"You leave your dream and then your dream comes and taps you on the shoulder. We laughed about that so much," Paterson said.

Schultz took over and was behind the mic as the Admirals captured the AHL's Calder Cup.

"The fans instantly fell in love with Kyle and the energy he brought to the broadcasts," Wittliff said.

Just like Tallahassee.

"When they were in town and we went shopping, some kid or somebody would say, 'Aren't you the voice of the Tiger Sharks?'" Green said. "There are people there that still love him."