In the world of Tampa Bay hockey, there is one voice that is basically synonymous with the Lightning. The voice of Dave Mishkin. Mishkin has been the radio play-by-play announcer for the Bolts since 2002. Many of his calls over the years have become legendary. Following Lightning wins, there is always a YouTube video created with Mishkin calling the highlights of the game. And now, Dave Mishkin has shared his voice with the world in a different way.
The Blind Squirrel Story
With his first novel, Blind Squirrel, Mishkin has created a beautiful, inspirational, and moving story. It is the tale of Noah Nicholson’s journey through a life of ever evolving obstacles. For the hockey lover, it’s a great hockey story. But it’s so much more than that. It’s a story about the struggles to maintain one’s mental health, the power of love, and the resilience of the human spirit. For all those who have enjoyed Dave Mishkin’s voice over the years, I highly recommend reading Blind Squirrel and letting the voice of Mishkin continue to bring joy into your heart.
I saw Mishkin promoting and autographing his book prior to the Lightning game on November 30. As a big fan of his Lightning broadcasts, I was excited to follow him through this next chapter. I bought a copy and saved it for a vacation read for a trip I had coming up. Once I read it, I felt such a strong connection to the story that I had to reach out to Dave Mishkin and ask for this interview.
The Blind Squirrel Process
In the author’s note at the back of his book, Mishkin explains that he had the idea for the novel back in the early 2000s but put it on hold. In 2022 (after calling back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021), the Bolts were on the verge of a round one elimination at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Mishkin wondered what he would do with his time since his “off season” seemed likely to be starting so much earlier that year. His wife suggested he get back to his novel. Ironically, the Lightning rebounded to beat the Leafs in seven games and went all the way back to the Stanley Cup final once again.
But the idea stuck and Mishkin did, in fact, decide to get back to his novel. His process, however, was unusual. He explains that he did not actually go back to the beginning of the story on his laptop from 15 years earlier. Instead, he began with the story that was in his head—essentially, part two.
Development of a Novel
The story that readers see develop is quite different from the way Mishkin developed the story in his mind. For example, readers do not encounter the character of Lydia Lancaster until chapter nine (page 245). But for Mishkin, developing her character was actually the first step! He spent five to six weeks just planning the story in his head and not writing a word. Once he had the whole story in his head, the writing process could actually begin. In Colorado for the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, he finally wrote the first chapter—though in actuality, it was to be the final chapter.
Mishkin laughingly compares his process to that of a fellow writer he has gotten to know over the course of this process. That author gets up every morning and just writes and sees where the story takes him. Dave sees this process as a nightmare! Yet, his contemporary sees Mishkin’s process as a nightmare. The lesson to be learned is that each author has to write according to the process that works for them.
Getting His Thoughts in Order
Mishkin began Blind Squirrel by writing chapter 14 (the final chapter). He then developed chapter 10. Mishkin explains that chapter 10 was very dialogue heavy and it was important for him to get all the key dialogue down when it was very fresh and clear in his mind. He then went back almost to the beginning and wrote chapter three. Once chapter three was written, he went back to chapters one and two from 15 years earlier. He edited these chapters pretty significantly now that he knew the full arc his story would be taking. From there, he went in chronological order. He feels that writing it out of order allowed him to throw things into early chapters that he knew he would be referencing later.
The Mindstorms
A key component in Blind Squirrel is the mindstorm. Mindstorms are the manifestations of Noah’s anxieties. Anyone who has dealt with anxieties through the course of their life will understand the perfection of the term mindstorm. How did Dave Mishkin come up with such a perfect term? He explains that he was drawing on his own experiences. He, like so many of us, has had anxieties, although his did not manifest like Noah’s.
Mishkin describes the coining of the term “mindstorm” as a Eureka moment. Noah comes up with a word to describe his anxiety—just the way Mishkin came up with the word. It was a Eureka moment for both Mishkin and Noah. Once Dave Mishkin had the word, he reveled in his development, “and now I have the boogeyman!” He explains that he has one thing now to manifest all of Noah’s anxieties. It’s “super simple” since he’s worried about just one thing. Noah views himself as a monster, so that is how he sees himself and the term mindstorm encapsulates his anxieties perfectly.
Will There Be More Blind Squirrels?
Although the novel took Mishkin just three and a half months to write from the time he restarted his writing, it was a project 15 years in the making. When asked if there would be more Dave Mishkin novels, the author appeared doubtful. He says, “Never say no…” but adds that it would have to be “the right story” and now he knows he can do it—which he did not know before this one.
Announcing vs. Writing
In comparing the experience of calling a Lightning game versus writing a novel, Mishkin explains that writing by its nature is a very solitary experience. He contrasts that with the throngs of people surrounding him when calling a Lightning game. When calling a hockey game, the script is unfolding itself in front of you. When writing a novel, it is up to the author to create that script all by himself. However, he feels that the whole process was extremely rewarding from having his scripted idea published to the signing events. Mishkin is grateful to the Tampa Bay Lightning community because he understands that his name recognition within the community helped provide a platform to promote his story.
Final Thoughts
What does Dave Mishkin hope his readers take from Blind Squirrel? Well, first and foremost, he understands and appreciates the value of the time commitment readers give a book. He hopes that “the vast majority of people come out of finishing it saying ‘I really enjoyed the story.'” But moreover, he does believe he created a story that has depth to it and he hopes some people may feel a connection to it, that either “it touches them in some way” or they find and appreciate the symbolism in it.
As his final thought, he smiles, clearly humbled by the whole experience, and expresses, “At the bare minimum, though, I would say if someone comes to me and says, ‘I really enjoyed reading the book,’ that’s great.”
